my granddad drives a 306 coupe, had an Xantia, heck even i had 106 and a 306 my brother had a 205gti, French cars get a bad name because the people who drive them dnt maintain them then moan bitch and complain when they brake ( i.e taxi drivers )
they have some small issues ( such as not being able to go more then 69 mph in a renault 19 as the electronics couldn't handle it ) but theyre grand run-a-bouts f you just give them 5 mins Tlc every few weeks. 4
if i was to get a first car id get a 2-3 punto's/106's/saxo's etc for 20-50 pound and have all the spares ill ever need !
I picked up the Lada for £350 (8 months tax, 6 months MOT) and insured it for £450 (TPFT with Tesco). Hasn't missed a beat and the only real work I've done to it is changing the clutch (£60 for a genuine kit), front brake pads (came with a new set), and put a set of safe premium tyres on it for rallying (£180 Continentals).