Moved from 10 years of Rx7 ownership to a zed after having 5 in various guises.
You can get with seats or with rear bins (so they are called)
They are not as bad as the internet has you believe, i only ever had one self destruct on me, my last one did 20k miles from a rebuild at 450hp-500hp from day one (apart from running in) and is still going to this day, not bad for a £3k rebuild.
You have highlighted the biggest problem yourself, they do not make good dailies for short runs, they like to warmed up and driven and driven hard otherwise they coke and oil themselves up.
However, they are something else and unique with the rotary engine, 50/50 weight distribution and 1300kg give or take, but sadly i wouldnt recommend one in your situation, unless at least once a week you take the long way home and take it to the reline here and there. I would also say, its an advantage if you live near one of the few specialists. You will love it, i can promise you that, just make sure you have the time for one, they need some dedication.
£6-7k should buy you a good almost fresh rebuilt one, gtt's i have seen are closer to 10k