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

This post has been edited by spring onion: Nov 9 2014, 07:03 PM

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

with your budget, only nissan sentra fits your budget.

or maybe less popular car - Chevy Aveo. do mind that the FC of this car is high

addon: suzuki swift can be in your list as well ... hmm try look for 2005-2006 1st gen hatch

This post has been edited by spring onion: Nov 15 2014, 01:49 AM

a 35k vios or honda iVTEC on the market would probably aged 9 or 10 years... not a bad choice either

For korean car i don't recommend any except the forte 2.0.

This post has been edited by spring onion: Nov 15 2014, 03:20 PM

heavy body, underpowered engine, fuel drinker and not really reliable for all korean cars produced before 2010. the new 2.0 theta engine from kia/hyundai still yet to be proven. the 1.6 for kia and elentra fails miserable, feels good for 1st year, the rest is still not yet history. the power is just not there (i know i will receive bash after this comment), if you really want to buy korean car. test drive 1st, buy it only you have driven 1. as for the moment now. i would say 2nd hand jap car still the best buy

Perodua myvi is not bad. i still see many of 1st gen flying around town without problems. mainly because of it's toyota powered engine. however consider the price of a 45k for auto without any storage space, it seems like a non-local pricing instead of a local ones

comparing 1st hand perodua and 2nd hand Japanese brand. there is 2 main factors that you need to consider.
1. storage space. myvi is a small hatch, whereas vios/altis is a sedan with boot
2. maintenance. new car comes with warranty while 2nd hand car don't