Ford Ka, Light heavyweight champion

You've got two choices here. Like all modern Fords, the new Ka will be the best car in its class when it goes on sale in January, but it's a bit of a porker compared to the old one, and it's not actually that cheap. Still, it's cheaper and infinitely more cheerful than, say, a Ssangyong Rodius. So, you can wait for the new one, knowing it'll be excellent - spacious, pleasing on the eye and a lot of fun to drive - or you can casually pillage your local Ford dealer for an astonishingly good deal on the outgoing car.

The current Ka is a bona fide legend, and there's never been a better time to take the plunge on one, because Ford will be desperate to shift its old stock to make room on the forecourts for the new version. The 1.3-litre petrol engine is getting on a bit so it's not the greenest, but it's cheap to run, easy to maintain, and the Ka's legendary 'go-kart' dynamics fit the cheerful brief perfectly.

On the other hand, we've just driven the new one and it's a blast behind the wheel. It's no go-kart, but it steers properly and has a ride velvety enough to smooth even the credit crunch. Ford might be having the same problems as its Big Three counterparts in America right now, but we reckon the UK dealerships will still have plenty of paperwork to do for the foreseeable future at least.

Mark Nichol