Agreed. Much cheaper to maintain an older "economy" vehicle than to buy new. Had a Nissan Sentra '95, Nissan Sentra '97 and a Toyota Corolla '97. I've spent around R40k total on maintenance in the last 10 years.
On the other hand, a VW Polo 1.4 would pull more chicks than a Nissan Sentra 1.6 twincam