Hi there,

With that kind of budget you need to be looking at an older car, so it's best to stick with the Japanese brands to make sure you're getting maximum reliability. I've found a couple of Honda Jazzes at that sort of price, and small cars come no more highly recommended. You'll also find some old-shape Mazda2s around for that money (another good choice), plenty of Nissan Micras and some Toyota Yaris - all should fit your bill. Just make sure you buy something with a full service history to maximise your potential reliability.