My first car was a 1 year old Saxo VTR way back in 1999! Since then I've had about 5 other saxos.
Cheap to buy, cheap to run, easy to work on and cheap to fix when they do go wrong with an abundance of 2nd hand parts out there
Should be able to take your pick of quite a few up to around 100k for the budget.
Things to look out for: worn rear beams (camber on rear wheels), rust under boot floor and under ECU tray and battery tray under the bonnet, knackered seats that rock and usual wear and tear.