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  1. Five of the best starter cars
  2. Citroen Saxo, For boys who like to race
  3. Ford Ka, Start in a go-kart
  4. Fiat Panda, Animal instinct
  5. Mini, A cliché, yes, but brilliant.
  6. BMW 3 Series, Luxury on the cheap

Ford Ka, Start in a go-kart

It's a bold claim to say that the Ford Ka is more a spiritual successor to the original Mini than the new one is - and a claim that BMW will probably be right narked about - but we're sticking by it. The 'go-kart' thing is the most obvious reason, because the Ka is the only other car we can think of that stakes a genuine claim to having that particular handling characteristic. The new MINI hasn't quite got it, as good as it is, and the new Ka hasn't either. The original Ka also looks unique (unlike the current one), is cheap as toast (ditto), yet offers owners that delightful blend of Ford engineering integrity with parts abundance, should something actually go amiss. It probably won't.

Introduced in 1996, the Ka lasted all the way to 2008 before being killed off by a significantly more bloated iteration that shares its underpinnings with the next car on this list. The new version is arguably better in every way, but for our money the original has far more charm, is more fun to drive and, usefully, can be had dirt cheap in very reasonable fettle.

Compare prices on the Ford Ka: Find a deal on Yahoo! Cars

Mark Nichol