The problem with a Japanese car is the price of spares (if they go wrong), eg Oxygen sensor £280 each for a Jazz , fortunately there are non-OEM sources.
The cheapest car I ever ran was a 1982 998cc base model Austin Metro, purchased S/H for £1850 I drove the Metro for 11 years and nearly 90,00 miles.
As a DIY mechanic I fixed every problem except for the worn out radius arm bearings on the rear wheels., (I did not have a Hydragas pump).
Some of the spares required such as oil seals and gaskets were priced in pence, the official factory manual, far far better than a Haynes manual, was only £13 from the Dealer.
Adding all the repair, servicing and MOT bills plus depreciation divided by mileage , the running cost was was under 3p per mile over 88,000 miles