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Hi
A friend of mine is looking for a first car. It has to be trustworthy/reliable, reasonably economical and reasonably smooth to drive as well as he is wanting a manual for an ideal budget of 2-2.5k. Ideal milege is less than 210,000kms

One car we looked at is a 1995 toyota corolla 1.3. It has the hatchback body, but is registered as a van because it has no back seats and a flat load area. It has done 149000kms. It is a 1.3 carburetor 12 valve engine. Its going for $2200. It has stone chips on front which some have surface rust in. Other than that exterior wise has no dents/scrapes. Interior is stained but no major tears/holes. I started it (it has been sitting at auction yard for some months), it took a few seconds to get going, but seemed to run good and idle consistently. It takes a while to build up revs, and suspension of one side at front perhaps is a bit soft, but in general, how would this compare with other cars of similar budget and age, eg:nissan pulsar, honda civic

Many thanks

When you're in this price range, the overall condition of the vehicle is more important than the make and model, so any of those you mention would be fine, just look for the best kept, most well maintained car you can find rather than whether it's a Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda etc.
Personally, an old Corolla that's been sitting around in an auction yard for months with saggy suspension doesn't sound all that appealing.

I agree, the thought of a Toyota I suppose is often associated with reliability. Another car I found today was a Nissan primera 1.8 1995. Its at a dealer for a tiny bit more than corolla, but it looks in good condition all over, so Im guessing its been well maintained. It has done 235000kms but as you said in this budget its condition which is best

I think you're on the right track. An early Primera (before the CVT transmission that was introduced in about 1999) should be a good option.