Yes and no. Check some of the parts prices on the Japanese cars. $300 for the alternator that dies on top of labor to install it because the engine bay is impossible to get into is nasty on a budget as well.

As for the head gasket thing those other cars loose automatic transmissions at about 100-125K which costs about the same as a head gasket if you go with a used transmission.

Personally after seeing the abuse that my friends 123 endured I would have to go with a 123 if I wanted a car that would thrive on abuse.

My philosophy is you pay one way or another with cars. You either pay on the front end with interest, depreciation and higher insurance premiums on a new car or pay on the back end in service and repair work on an older car. Japanese or German the car makers have figured out how to make money over the life span of the cars. While German cars are more expensive all the way around you get more for the money you spend.

Its also a matter of choice and preference. After driving in high quality German and Swedish cars I could not go back to driving commodity made cheap Japanese cars. While there are claims that they are more reliable (even though most of them require 3000 mile oil changes which makes them see the inside of a service shop more most German cars) they just don't have the level of fit and finish that German cars do.

That being said have you considered "disposable" cars? Any make car you can buy for $800 or under and driving it until it dies and then buying another? There is a big market of unwanted cars out there. It of course would not be a cool car at all but buying one and patching it as cheaply as possible and then dumping it if it has a major malfunction is the cheapest way to own a car.