this is a hard question to answer. bump for others to give you a better reply

my opinion would be:
1)  2007/2008 nissan latio. (probably you need to fork out extra 2-5k for this)
best bang for bucks. the manual version will drive out the CVT problems. a 7 years old nissan will bring less problems than a 3 years old proton. it maybe have a boring look but being practical is more important if you considering a car under 30k

value for money- 4.5/5
power-4/5
Comfort-4/5
FC-4/5
reliability-3.5/5
safety-3.5/5

2) 2003/2004 Altis (auto/manual) - highly recommended
this is one of the last legend from toyota for it's build quality. it maybe be underpowered for 1.6, but it will able to take you from point A to B without much problem (do check and replace necessary parts from with mechanics after buying it). if you going for the 2001-2002 1.8 model it will be a plus. there is manual version but you need to find it

value for money- 4/5
Power-3.5/5
Comfort-4.5/5
FC-4/5
reliability-4/5
safety-4/5

3)2004 vios (auto)
this is a no brainier car. a balanced car with a perfact weight to power ratio which will able to used as daily drive but for highway, you may need to stick with its speed limit. however a altis will do much better works than this.

value for money- 3.5/5
power- 4.5/5
Comfort-3/5
FC-5/5
reliability-4/5
safety-3/5

4)2006/2007 sentra
like the nissan latio, cars from nissan have lower RV and therefore you will be able to get newer car compares to T/H.

value for money- 4/5
power- 3.5/5
Comfort-4.5/5
FC-3/5
reliability-4/5
safety-4/5

5)2011, 2012 Persona
the last that fits into your budget.

value for money- 3/5
power- 3/5
Comfort-4.5/5
FC-2/5
reliability-2/5
safety-4/5

do keep in mind that honda city with iDSI engine may have issues with it's gearbox

so far i seen none of my friends having problem with their city iVTEC, iDSI yes i seen twice, both fail gearbox. so i assume if the car is taken care well by previous owner, it shouldn't have any problem