These are the cars I'm looking to go see

What about the insurance

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/chevrolet-kalos-12-s/1079020986#photo-content

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/2003-vauxhall-corsa-design-12-black-low-mileage-excellent-condition/1078291646

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/vauxhall-corsa-12-sxi-3-dr/1079008798

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201407286151496/sort/default/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_50000_miles/price-to/2500/page/11/advert-type/Classified/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/postcode/tw75al/radius/10/engine-size-cars/1l_to_1-3l?logcode=p

What do you think?

Out of interest, why are you insisting on the car having less than 50,000 miles on the clock?

because I dont want to have issues with the cam belt any time soon

Not all cars have timing belts that require replacement based upon mileage, some go by age as well. A quick google told me the Chevy would require it every 4 years. If it is a car that lives primarily in urban areas then I'd probably replace it 5k miles earlier or up to 1 year earlier than specified.

As for the choices.

I'd probably take the Chevy then the Toyota before looking at the Corsas.

what car do you suggest in terms of durability for the cam belt? I've heard the yaris has a timing chain that lasts as long as the engine

I'd probably take the Chevy then the Toyota before looking at the Corsas.

While the chain itself in the Yaris won't require replacement, the tensioners do wear out and will require a replacement.

Looking at the cars again, the Punto Grande most likely would have had a recent timing belt change as all Fiats and Alfa Romeos tend to have a 40k miles change interval, thus I'd be surprised if it hadn't been done.

Timing belts and chains generally are a durable part, chains rarely ever break for as long as it remains properly lubricated which would mean the car must always be properly serviced on time. Timing belts, as long as they are replaced at their proper interval it would never break. In fact the last car I had that I did a timing belt change on, it was 4 years old and the belt itself was in good condition with no signs of fraying or stretching but it was the tensioner bearing that was starting to wear off.

I missed that you had a Punto Grande on the list.

Personally that is the one I'd go for first, then the Chevy and only then the Yaris.

I've noticed there are a lot of 2007+ Punto Grande 1.2 cars on gumtree, for cheap prices, seems to be theres a catch? What's your opinion on them

The catch is because it's an Italian car everyone assumes it's going to implode the second you drive it away. It won't.

Actually just read the whole listing. The car is CAT C. Don't bother with a crashed car for your first car, get the Yaris instead.

I've noticed there are a lot of 2007+ Punto Grande 1.2 cars on gumtree, for cheap prices, seems to be theres a catch? What's your opinion on them

There were very big discounts on them in 2007 and 2008.

Good car? I drove one many times and thought it was a good car.

Engine parts are very cheap as it is an older tech engine and similar to the one used in a Fiat Panda, thus things like the timing belt and seals are cheap to replace. A very good thing about this car is there isn't really parts that are strictly meant for this car exclusively beyond the body and interior panels, these don't require replacing anyway. Engine and gearbox parts are common to many other Fiat models. Suspension and chassis parts are shared with an Opel Corsa. Therefore replacement should be quite cheap.

The downside is the 1.2l is a bit underpowered for this car as it is quite a heavy car, part of the reason it is a heavy car is due to the crash test requirements and also it grew quite a fair bit over the previous model. Fuel consumption is a bit on the heavy side for a 1.2l car. Also as a result of it being slightly heavier, suspension parts don't tend to last long on this car, though it can be replaced with better quality ones that last longer.