as a family man i guess you should look to get a C segment car although your budget is B segment.
but a little search on the web can find gems my friend.

2007 Optra 1.6 - within your price range and cheaper than your expected rm400 a month, a good buy i think. could be a little under powered for its body.

2008 Elantra 1.8 - can't go wrong getting a younger car plus better engine for around the same price. This model even comes with leather seats.

2007 Elantra 1.8 - slightly cheaper but also a year older, your choice.

there are alot of conti's for this price range.
but alot of them you have to check when they're made.
alot of offer says 2009 merc, but actually its 2009 registered 2005 model, so thats cheating abit coz its either a recon/unreg car from overseas.

why not choose something first and and real age?

2007 BMW 120M

if u r leng lui we go car shopping together, if not forget it....LOL....just kidding
firstly for first time owner i don't really suggest you get peugeot or any conti brands.
conti cars usually require abit more tlc and owners whom know how to take care of cars, if not things can get very expensive very fast especially for second hand cars. because you don't wanna bring a no warranty second hand cars to authorized service centers, you'll get slaughtered, then again if you go outside workshops if they're not specialist for that brand they won't do a good job.

safe second hand brands would be nissan, toyota and honda.
boring to car lovers, yes, but they're good starting point.
if the car is still quite young you can always opt to take it to the authorized service centers they're usually helpful and guiding new car owners on how to maintain car....when do normal service, when do aircond/major service, etc. if you wanna do servicing outside make sure to find a workshop that knows how to fix your brand of cars or a mechanic you can trust, then tell him u gonna bring your car to him to service regularly.
once he knows you're going to be a regular he won't slaughter you, some people never bring to service regularly then when got problem get slaughtered coz so many things are worn out.

reply me then we discuss further.

did you read what i said?
so what u looking for?
willing to learn abit about cars or just don't wanna care pump petrol, drive, then follow maintenance schedule?

they're not everywhere like vios/persona but that doesn't mean they're expensive.
if you consider a hyundai matrix then why not an elantra, its about the same if talking maintenance wise but you get more space.

touch wood about major accident of course those will cost you alot getting replacement panels, bumpers, windscreen, but normal maintenance isn't that heavy. where is your location i can intro you a good mech.

i wouldn't recommend an avanza.
infact your fuel consumption might be high because that small 1.3 auto gotta pull such a big car.
i drove it to penang over the raya holidays my friends mom avanza.
i don't need to worry about speed limit because 100kmh is all i dare push it with a full car of 6 adults.
on the way back raining slightly i only dared go max max 80kmh as it felt like swaying and not gripping the road.
i'd never recommend this to anyone for a long drive, in town driving and carrying full load also feels overpowered.

2008 Kia Spectra Hatch 1.6 - its a bargain price for this car and age, good enough for a family man of 3 kids below 10 with space at the rear for luggage.

2007 Nissan Latio Sedan 1.5 - this is a c segment car but can be considered smaller of the c segment cars especially comparing to bigger ones like sylphy, altis, civic, etc. can hardly find c segment cars at this price without being really old.

2007 Citroen Picasso 2.0 - you might have a perception that conti's are expensive, 2000cc cars are expensive, but that all comes down to maintainence, if you treat it well, it won't break down on you. its a good car, give it a thought.

by today it is already a 12 year old car.
for 20k you can do much better.

2007 Naza Suria 1.1 - around this price range you gotta expect to only get smaller cars, this is a decent looking car. the highest spec for this mode. looks a decent buy.

2010 Proton Savvy 1.2 - limited edition and year 2010, this is a real steal for the asking price. mileage also very low.

2007 Hyundai Accent 1.5 - among this price range i only found one B Segment car, its worth a look with low mileage too.

yes, think about it.
i can intro you some good places to get your maintenance done if u from kl/selangor.
avanza really not recommended.

sentra? hmm.....outside looks big, inside very small.

just based on those 3.
the nissan would be a less headache choice.
although the pugs are better cars they require you to know more about cars to take good care of them so you don't end up with a lemon.

dun be too hung up on japanese cars.
koreans are good too especially at your price range they give you more for less.
there are kia optima and naza citra's around your budget.
they're good too just need to make sure you maintain them.

2007 Vios G - its a good car for the price, though you don't mind the looks?

2009 Pajero - this is a real bargain car, though i don't think suitable for you.

overall the myvi you suggested isn't a bad idea.

no bro, that car is in sabah.
different tax structure than here in peninsular.
not sure how much for it to come here.

i dun really recommend saga.
its a good car but i think the myvi will suit you better.
the hyundai looks like a good buy.
nothing much fancy about it. cheap and cheerful

what budget again?

not much to choose from

2011 Viva 1.0 - a good buy, its very new, got warranty, and around your budget.

its a decent little town runabout from what i know.
of course if you expect it to move and give pickup then u might pijak more petrol which makes fc bad

yes

selayang i dunno.
glenmarie or mines, which nearer?

2006 Kia Carens 1.8 - since you're going for 2006 cars and koreans why not consider this? a bigger car for your family.

i never buy from owner direct before, the procedures sound too complicated and you gotta trust that guy, if he runaway nothing much you can do.

used car is abit safer.

can't really say both cars are pretty new.
beetle probably cheaper on fuel consumption and maintenance but civic will be cheaper overall due to japanese cars cheaper parts.

around this price range for second hand car you can get lotsa good buys.

2007 Nissan Latio Impul - there are lotsa Latio's in this price range but this one is the Impul edition with bodykit and keyless entry. great buy for the price.

2008 Toyota Rush G-Spec - there are also lotsa Rush in this price range but this is the G-spec version with better accessories.

2008 Nissan Livina - if you really need the space you can't go much wrong with such a buy, a C Segment car for B Segment money. Low mileage and very young at only 2008.

2006 Honda Civic - this looks like it could be a hit or miss. a hit if it is really a good japanese imported car with high quality build and materials. a miss if its a lemon. still 1.6 only, while local models either come as 1.7 or 2.0 engine.

2010 Ford Fiesta- this would be my pick, its very young being only 2010 with low mileage, a sedan, leather seats, still got free maintainence and warranty.

2010 Mazda 2 - this is also another top pick, young, low mileage and still having warranty.

2010 Kia Forte - if the Fiesta and Mazda too small for you then consider this, bigger around the same price, low mileage, and better spec, but it is a Korean car.

2008 Nissan Latio Sedan - there are alot of latio's such as this in this price range, you can find for better ones. this particular ad isn't too good on the mileage side clocking over 100k kms since 2008.

2007 Toyota Altis - one of the older cars in my round up being 2007 car but it is not a B segment car, its a real C segment car. when this altis was new it was fully loaded, it has VSC, ABS, EBD, etc.

2009 Toyota Vios J-spec - probably the worst you can do with your money.

well true kl here population more so more chances to get a deal but you can always try luck in penang first?
sometimes those fantastic deals need to be settled very quickly if not someone will grab them.
i was checking out penang, here are a few nice ones.

2008 Toyota Rush Full Spec - a decent car for the money.

2009 Nissan Latio Hatch - yeah not as good as the Impul i recommended earlier but this car is younger.

2011 Ford Fiesta - looks like this car still has warranty as all newer Fords come with 3 years free maintainence and 5 years warranty.

2011 Mazda 2 Sedan - ultra low mileage car, good right?

2009 Toyota Vios TRD - top spec vios, among vios club members you're sure to be famous though, its a good buy since new it would cost near Altis money to get one.

2011 Mazda 2 Sedan - another low mileage mazda, looks good doesn't it?

2007 Mada RX8 - amazing car, looks good, handles great, is powerful, but you gotta treat it right if not its going to be a pain to maintain

sort of true.
if they sell you something that can last for 100 years.
then what they gonna sell next year?
nowadays cars more technology but quality abit down to keep cost down.

choose cars with common easy to repair parts.
CVT gearboxes and hybrid batteries are weak points, don't go for them.

i was driving a civic fd1 previously.
its a good car but my experience was bad, quality of component wise was proton-ish.
bought the car end of 2009 sold end of 2012, reason?
too much time spent at service center claiming warranty for too many major components.

vw maintainence is every 10k
honda is every 5k
prices are more or less the same

i oso driving city now.

don't think they so free to do it unless he is your friend and you confirm wanna buy.
not just look see.

2010 Ford Fiesta Sedan - almost new, custom bodykit, leather seats, still got warranty and 3 years free maintenance. not a bad deal.

2011 Ford Fiesta Hatch - don't like sedan then take a hatch.

it really depends alot on maintenance for cars nowadays.
alot of service centers nowadays cropping up everywhere but the staff quality they have is poor.
even honda, let me share with you my story.
brand new car bought in 2009, in 2012 air cond rosak.
go sc clai warranty they say cannot claim becoz i never service before.
i screw them nicely and said "i am normal owner not mechanic, i come here, follow book and your advise, you say do i pay......so why should i remember/remind you when to service my aircond?"
after fire the service manager and SA they change it to warranty claim before that wanna charge me.
aircond blower, compressor, etc.

first batch of CVT the service center dunno CVT not using normal ATF, same for DSG, damn stupid.
alot of gearboxes died becoz of this.

oh the one that look like pregnant fish?

2007 Proton Wira SE - although the bad factors about this car is its dated design and perceived low value this is a good work horse car. you might get the famous proton quality issues here and there but they're cheap to fix and part are everywhere, if you're into modification there is an endless amount of options to upgrade this baby.

2008 Saga BLMLink 2 - you could do alot worst than this car. this is quite a steal since most saga's are manual at this price range.

2006 Perodua Myvi - unfortunately this car is popular which is why you can only find 2006 models around this price range, nothing fantastic abut it, good buy just that you're paying abit more for an older car because of its popularity so the depreciation is quite slow.

2006 Kia Spectra - this car is pretty common so don't worry about general parts for this car unless you crashed it really bad. Its a decent car for the price.

2007 Chev Optra - usually you can't get c segment cars for this price but here is a bargain buy. You might need to find a good workshop cause not every workshop can handle conti's its not so straight forward even for normal service. but parts shouldn't be extremely high.

so you plan to dump most of the 2.5k into the car loan?

2009 Pug 308 Turbo - granted pugs don't have a good reputation here and you need a good workshop to be able to handle this car but for the asking price you can a fantastic car. this is not the 4 speeder pre-facelift version, this is the 6-speed semi auto gearbox with paddle shift and panoramic roof. not a thirsty car but its quite fun to drive, especially if you take it to do some tuning to unlock this cars potential can match up with cars alot more expensive.

these are just my opinions, though if you really like it, go for it.

toyota prius c - damn ugly, looks like a hybrid myvi, material quality also worst than myvi extreme.

crz - yeah, its a "sporty" car for a hairstylist or lady. i wouldn't buy one myself because i can look damn cool riding to a night club but at the traffic lights or highway i'm sure to lose badly to cars of the same price range like sylphy and altis

insight - nah, its just too ugly and slow. imho.

mazda 3 - got the looks, performance not bad, though not many service centers for mazda and i don't think they come with 5 years warranty. alot of other c segment cars like golf, civic, focus all coming with 5 years warranty.

good pick for less headache route

can't help you there bro.
i'm mostly here to advise on cars.
can check the banks near to you, i hear public and maybank low now.

2008 Perodua Kancil - cheapest and cheerful car i found, since you can drive a manual its easier to find cheaper cars. i think this is a good boy, kancils are cheap on your wallet yet give you a roof over your head. though its mostly for city driving.

2008 Hyundai Matrix - if you need something that can drive you and your family back to hometown you'd need something like this, i think its a good buy since not many matrix in this price range and its automatic somemore. though gonna be abit more expensive to maintain than a cheap kancil of course cannot compare like that.

i think your wants would fall under either Honda Civic or Ford Focus.
i think civic is your better bet, although the newer 9th gen Civic isn't going to be as popular as the 8th gen its still a honda so resale value should be fine.

funny enough for the 25-35k persona you can get a much better spec machine than the new one.

2008 Persona 24k - looks like a bargain car, better go have a look. be careful its too cheap to believe it may have a flaw but from the ad it looks like a steal.

2011 Persona 33k - very new and very good price imho.

manual even better even higher spec for your money.
i tot u auto kaki.
get persona new or 1-2 years old is the same.
its a A-B kinda car.
but has alot of mod potential.

i suggest you hold on until december if you can for a new car.
many models just launched and is hot cakes now.
SA's unwilling to give discounts but they will have to give something when december comes and they still have alot of 2012 stock unsold.

altis hasn't updated itself much don't buy it, resale value also has dropped because not many people buying this model compared to civic.

civic still quite new and see them on the road in quite some numbers already, just about time they will push for numbers and become more popular.

sylphy too uncle and tech still old skool.

focus high tech but resale value question mark.

golf too expensive and small, if you can stretch your budget try look for unreg 2011 clear stock discount for jetta