For many people a secondhand car is the obvious choice, as new cars are out of reach financially, but there are compromises - biggest is safety but you also need to think about reliability, running costs and emissions.
A secondhand car is in your price range because it has suffered much of it's depreciation and so won't lose much more in the time that you own it. They will be nicely 'run-in' but if you buy the right one, not worn out.
There are some compromises when you buy a secondhand car. It won't be up-to-date with this year's technology. One of the main areas where cars have changed significantly in the last 5 years is in safety technology. The body structure of new cars is designed to protect the driver and passengers better in the event of a crash and the safety systems such as ABS and airbags are easier to find. To give yourself the best chance in the event of a crash, buy a car with the highest EuroNCAP rating that you can.
Another area of significant improvement in more modern cars is engine management, which governs the emissions output of the car. Not only does this affect the environment but if your car is registered after 1st March 2001 it will affect the amount of Road Tax you'll pay.
You should also consider reliability as you don't want to be stranded or having to constantly pay out to get it fixed. It's unlikely to be in pristine condition so that if you do have a minor scrape, you won't feel like it's the end of the world. The price will reflect its reputation for reliability and running costs as well as what condition it's in.
Be be careful and make sure you don't just buy the first one you see. You should be able to find spare parts easier to come by and you are more likely to find a non-franchise (one not tied to the vehicle manufacturer) garage to service and fix your car. But you really need to know what you're doing when your buying a secondhand car - you'll need to check it out.
Although a secondhand car will have gone through the steepest part of its depreciation curve it will continue to lose money and be worth less and less. Keeping a car for a long time stretches this loss out but means you'll be driving an old car. More sensible is to buy a good car but move onwards and upwards when funds allow.
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