Peugeot 306, Frugal Frenchie

It might be smaller than the rest of the cars in our 'grand' challenge but the 306 is still among the most desirable. It was the last Peugeot (in our eyes) to look good, the Pininfarina penned lines still appearing very neat today. Throw in the sort of pin-sharp handling and involvement that used to be a Peugeot byword and you've got a hugely appealing car for our £1,000 budget.

You'll be looking at cars around a decade old and many will be falling to bits after countless owners. For every tired example though there's a cherished one out there, the 306 the sort of car that attracted enthusiastic, caring owners. You should be able to find a good one with under 100,000-miles on the clock for our budget, and if you're lucky you might even get a flagship 306 GTI 6. Our best buy though would have to be a three-door 306 D Turbo, an economical GTI that stops at the black pump. Find a nice one and you'll end up driving it for the hell of it, the 306 really is that good.