HonestJohn himself rates the 1.25 litre Fiesta as a possible overall best balance of purchase price /reliability /running costs / usability (acceptability).

I quite like the 1100cc Suzuki Alto for rock-bottom costs (£30 a year tax, lots of mpg), but it depends if it's spacious (or safe) enough for you, and probably isn't good for long distances.

Corollas, Civics and Almeras are also worth a look.

This is a piece-of-string question, as there will be many variables to consider in addition to the obvious one of 'will it be reliable and cheap to run and insure'. One other is Will you use it for a regular long commute, or an occasional runabout? As it's your first car, if you will be spending a lot of time in it, you need to know that you will find the driving position comfortable, so you may need to try a few other models for comparison. Can you see out of it in traffic - these days, not a completely daft question.

As regards reliability, at £1K that will depend most on how the car's previous owner(s) have looked after it. Low mileage may not necessarily be a good point, and may serve just to make it a bit dearer.

Find a helpful friend to go with you as you shop around.

Welcome to the forum.

The important thing to remember - and I'm surprised no-one has said it yet - is that at this end of the market condition matters much more than make or model. Something that gives the impression of having been looked after, and if you're lucky even has some service history - is the ideal.

If you do need a steer as to make and model I agree with others that Fords are a good bet (there are lots out there to choose from), the best alternative being something Japanese, particularly Toyota. Avoid diesel at all costs.