The statement that best describes galaxies closest to the Milky Way, such as the Magellanic Clouds, is that they consist mostly of older stars. These galaxies are irregular rather than spiral and are indeed affected by the Milky Way's gravitational pull. The Milky Way has a significant gravitational influence on these nearby galaxies, which can lead to interactions and mergers over time.
If we focus on a more general description of spiral galaxies in the local group, we could say that many of them do contain older stars, and while they may be independent entities, they are not entirely unaffected by the gravitational forces exerted by the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies.
So the closest significant statement could be:
"The nearby galaxies, particularly those in the Local Group, include spiral and irregular types primarily consisting of older stars and are influenced by the gravitational pull of the Milky Way."
Elliptical galaxies are also present but are not among the closest to the Milky Way compared to spiral and irregular galaxies.