Probably no need to go as old as that. Check out roadside sales, supermarket boards, gumtree etc and you may pick up a car 10-15 years old for the money.

I recently saw an 03 Nissan advertised on the roadside - 67,000 miles £600.

I can comment on the 1.4 Polo. We have a 1996 model which has just gone over 70k. There is very little rust, just a patch at the bottom of one rear wheel arch where it joins the sill. Only MOT advisories to date have been driveshaft gaiters. Starts every morning no trouble as long as you can get into it. The locks freeze up; no doubt a strip down and re-lube will cure that, but it's easier not to bother locking it. The main problems are really age related, door seals, trim, window winder mechanisms etc. Performance is remarkably good but fuel economy is a bit disappointing, low 40's mpg on a long run. I don't think insurance was particularly cheap.

Welcome OXiky.

Sensible thoughts for a first car, but as ElekieDoc points out rust is the biggie with any of these so take your overalls and a sheet of carpet to lie on and get poke nosing.

I'm a great fan of the Starlet, these can still be found with one or two owners kept and looked after well...unfortunately some of the very best of these were lost in the idiotic scrappage scheme devised by some half wit...and one that has been kept clean of salt underneath by someone sensible would be as good a bet as any.

That and Micra the best mechanically in my opinion, and 106/Saxo can be good bets too being a relatively rust free design (check under floor in front of the rear axle), the 1.4/1.5 unblown Diesel versions of these can be really good on fuel and run (noisily) for years on end.

I'd suggest going for a 1.3/1.4 version of any of these petrols instead of the smaller engines, running easier tends to better fuel consumption and longer life, if you find an old Diesel that tempts you then up to a point size doesn't matter and old Diesels are nothing like as temperamental as modern versions, but be wary of previous ownership because if its got a Bosch pump its entirely possible second/third owners have been running it on Mazola instead of proper fuel.

These are all getting on now so be prepared to get down and dirty and learn to maintain your own, we have a regular poster (Liam) who runs a 106 who does all sorts of work on his own car and posts pics here regularly via a hosting site (tinypic i think), so it can be done, and on that front even though parts won't be as widely available i suggest the Toyota will be the nicest car to work on, being a quality build in the first place, DIY is very cost effective and also satisfying.

Nothing wrong also with going a size up, as suggested with Focus, which brings you into the world of Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic as well as other cars which have proved to be some of the best small/middling cars ever made, though in all honesty i'd avoid the somewhat overrated German car marques for this search (exceptions as always, Lupo brilliant) and you really don't see many ageing Italian mass production cars either, though keep an open mind for anything that comes up at the right price with the right history, some makes/models can make right bargains for much newer cars when they go out of fashion and it sounds like fashion is refreshingly missing from your requirements, excellent.

I'm a great fan of 80's/90's designs, which were still valid right up till around the mid noughties depending on maker, though it must be said they won't protect you in the event of a crash like a new car will, but then the newer stuff won't be under £500 and they won't be around in 25+ years either.

Edited by gordonbennet on 30/01/2017 at 09:17

A couple of years ago I sold some car bits to chap on E-Bay and he came to collect them in his 52 plate Proton. Said his next stop was the garage 50 yards down the road to see what he would give him for it, if not it was off to the scrappers that afternoon. I could not believe it. OK it was a Proton which is not the most desirable brand but the car was pretty much unmarked in and out with only a small patch of flaking black powercoat on one of the window frames. It needed a good polish as the metallic red paint looked a bit dull, but it was the same all over the car with no obvious repaired panels. One previous elderly owner with just over 30,000 miles on the clock.

He only wanted £200 for it but there was no interest. The tyres were the originals and at 12 years old were badly cracked, that was the only problem I could see.

So for probably £350 someone could have got themselves on the road with a decent Proton with a few years life left. If it had an expensive failure that would be the time to scrap it.

Thanks for the reply, a lot of helpful info here.

It seems from your message that you're suggesting the two Japanese ones to be the best? My dad owned a K11 and it was a nice little car, plus they are fairly common on the roads.

May I ask your opinion on the Fiat Cinquecento, Seicento, and old Panda, if you know about them? I don't know much about Italian cars, are they reliable enough?

There's something awry with your first link, S40 Man. Are you able to correct it?

When searching online I think I only found ads for the 1.4 Clio, so therefore it's unlikely I'll end up with the 1.2. I reckon the 1.4 Clio's economy will not be as good as the Micra or Fiats I mentioned. Perhaps the 1.3 Starlet too?

Interesting that you noted the Peugeot 306, it certainly is a car I didn't think of. Seems like a decent car. Are phase 1 (pre-1997) models as good as you say or do they only apply to the facelifts? Do you think it's an overall better car than the Clio?

Edited by OXiky on 31/01/2017 at 20:45