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I intend to do something which I have little doubt will attract many furrows in your brow. However if you can look through the circumstances, it just might be that you can offer me some useful comments.
I have someone quite close who is in very poor circumstances. They live rurally and their life is severely limited by the cost of fuel. I want to help out.
I propose to buy an old reasonably good condition car, probably privately.
I intend to stick to the main Japanese makes. I will pay only $1,000-2,000 and then I will then immediately spend another $1,000 - $1,500 on maintenance. Replace all fluids and associated filters, perhaps a battery, tyres or cam belt. Any vehicle fitting my requirements will obviously be high mileage and probably carburettor fuelled. I am aware that rust will be a significant risk, and given that fuel is the issue I will limit to the smaller models.
Your comments please?

It's a nice gesture but it has risks. A car in this price range will surely need some work. It will be best to stick with mainstream Japanese brands. It is possible to find fuel injected cars in this price range but you will need to look hard. You should consider cars like the Mazda Familia, Toyota Corolla or Carina and Nissan Pulsar. The main things to look for are rust, major oil leaks and structural damage; try avoid these. It would be best to have the vehicle inspected before purchasing it or, if possible, have a mechanic friend have a good look at the car.

A couple of questions please -
You suggest Nissan Pulsar but not Nissan Sentra. Are these two models essentially the same? Would you suggest the Sentra within what I am looking at?
A couple of cars I have looked at have bothered me because the engine coolant is what I would describe as "dirty & rusty", not the fresh green looking anti-freeze coolant that is in other cars. Is this an issue at all?

These two are not the same, but there's nothing wrong with the Sentra either - it's also a good model. Generally, it's an older model in our market, although they did overlap in year between what was sold new in NZ and imported from Japan.
However, you are right to be concerned about dirty and rusty coolant. Cooling systems would be one of the biggest causes of engine failure and once the cooling system becomes rusty, it is at a high risk of failing due to blown headgaskets, internal corrosion, radiator failure and overheating. Obviously, if the coolant looks rusty, it's an indication that something inside has corroded, so cars with rusty coolant are best avoided.