Most things will beat an old mini hands down, Laura. The decent old ones are also overpriced because of the nostalgia value. Try an old model Renault Clio or Nissan Micra if you want a cheap reliable old car. If you want cheap and British the Rover (or better still MG) 25s are going for a song now because of the lack of 'support' - But they are still very maintainable because all the spares are unipart anyway!

Good luck and stay away fom cheap Minis - they will put you off for life!

D.