Unfortunately, (or maybe not) people buy cars based on emotion, sex appeal, fantasy, and esthetics.
Which is ok if you are buying a new car- new cars today are all pretty well made, and if you are starting from new, you have a good chance of getting a very good, reliable car, no matter what brand.
But used cars are like snowflakes- every one is different. Just cause one person had a great experience with a particular make or model, doesnt mean you will.
The rational way to buy a used car is to set your budget, then hold back about $1000 dollars/$4000 pesos.
Then, determine the basic body style you want- 4 door sedan, 2 door convertible, truck, whatever.
Then find the newest, lowest mileage car you can at your price point, ignoring favorite brands, or how cute the new minicooper is, or the fact that your favorite singer has this one in his new video.
Virtually every used car, especially every cheap used car, needs work right away. When people know they are going to sell a car, they skip maintenance.
Most times, a used car needs new tires, and a battery, and probably some hoses or tuneup. This will vary, of course- if you new used car has new tires, most likely the electrical system wont be charging right, or the brakes will be almost gone.
Regardless, thats why you set aside a grand- you always need it sometime in the first month.
I have owned at least 3 or 4 older Fords- and they are fun, good looking cars- but mine, which were american Falcons, similar to that Taunus, were 50 year old designs. People who didnt grow up with them have no idea how much WORK older cars were. My earliest car was a 48', and I have owned a fair amount of 1954 thru 1970 autos- and they were very very different from todays cars. They didnt last very long between repairs. My falcons, for example, needed brake jobs about every 20,000 miles. Generators (you have to be old to even remember what those are) would last 30k to 50k. Tires, batteries, starters, brake shoes, mufflers- all were nowhere near as well made as modern ones. You have to know how to watch the gauges in a car like that, constantly monitoring temperature, oil pressure, being aware of how the battery is holding a charge, you need to change the oil pretty regularly, the carb may need adjusting from time to time, and the tuneups are pretty frequent.
Owning, and knowing how to use, tools, are a big benefit.
Argentina kept the basic Falcon in production til the early 80's, and the Fords that were considered ancient in the US are still pretty common here- which is good- they are simple, easy to fix, and parts and knowledgeable service are readily available in Argentina, while increasingly hard to find in the US. But they are high maintanence cars, especially compared to pretty much ANY care made anywhere in the last 20 years.
An old car is a labor of love- accent on the "labor".
If you have the time, money, patience, tools, and a backup vehicle, there are amazing deals on all kinds of vintage cars in Argentina. But if you have only driven 90's and later japanese or modern euro cars, there is no comparison. The heater may not work. Of course, you CAN find a new heater core, but you need to pull half the dashboard apart, along with most of the firewall, to replace it. The window knobs get stripped, and lots of things only work when you hold your mouth just right.
If what you want is reliability, cheap, skip the vintage, buy a 10 to 15 year old Fiat, Renault, Peugeot, VW, or similar made in Argentina, 1 to 2 liter, 4 cylinder, small car. These are reliable, parts are available, and everybody can fix em.
