Pros:
1) Simple car, no fancy electronics. So far haven't heard of anyone complaining about ABS failure or airbags failure for example.
2) Fairly decent fuel consumption for highway drives, averaging around 7L to 8L/100KM.
3) Commendable handling and stability
4) Very reliable engine and gearbox. With the exception of a few cases, I haven't been reading much about engine failures for this car. My car also hasn't broken down so far.

Cons:
1) Bad rear seat design. If you buy SE, M or H-Line then it won't be so bad because it comes with an adjustable headrest.
2) Poor engine performance at low speeds, especially if the car is loaded. This contributes greatly to the high fuel consumption for city driving.
3) Leaky doors. Can be fixed, but is annoying.
4) No front speakers (if I'm not mistaken) for SV. Installing front speakers will most likely introduce another point for water to leak into your car unless the installer knows how to deal with this.
So... for the price you're paying, it's actually quite good. If you do decide to get one, get good tints (like over RM7xx), add the original body-kit and muffler tip, or at least the muffler tip so that the exhaust doesn't look like a penis, and you should be good to go. If you're into driving more aggressively, consider upgrading the tyres and brake pads too.

try to find 2nd hand Persona SE instead of buying new one.

I'd suggest the original Elegance H-line body kit. Looks the best with the car. I bought the Persona muffler tip directly from Proton for RM70 when they had the 20% discount. New one should be around RM100.

You can consider buying the H-Line Leather seats/covers from Proton, or some compatible leather/PVC covers for the seats which should be cheaper, albeit not that nice in quality. If you're willing to spend over RM2000, you can choose the leather you want and the design as well. Maybe you can get some leather stitched onto the steering wheel too at the same time.

I had a card for a company that does custom leather seats for Proton cars, but I don't know where did it go to.

Not sure how reliable it would be getting stuff through your SA. I'd avoid getting tints from any SA because you might end up paying a lot more than you should. You can try asking your SA to get the H-Line seats and body kit for you if you want.

OEM M-Line & H-Line bodykit