Originally Posted by HandSanitizer 
Well.....with that price range you pretty much took yourself out of alot of categories. You would have to get something with very, very high miles and probably at least 5 years old and that is when cars will start to nickel and dime you. Then you have to worry about what the insurance is going to cost etc.. man I don't envy you.
Sorry man, can't agree with you at all, here.
I have driven $1000 - $2000 cars my whole life, and only once did I get one that "nickeled and dimed" me to death. (BTW-1990 Escorts are from Satan. Think 75 mile life ignition units @ $100-$200 apiece
)
Cheap cars are terrific. Stay simple, Japanese if you can, but don't be afraid of going American, especially mid-sized, like a Taurus, or a Malibu, or something like that. A Corolla or Geo Prism with body cancer is my wet-dream; Same thing with a little Ford Ranger 2WD. Run away from anything 4WD in that price range.
Currently, I'm driving the German version of the '94 Geo Prism, with just 110,000 miles. 35 mpg and runs like a dream. Easy to maintain as well.
One thing I do; I tend not to buy cheap cars if they have "smoked" front wheels. That is, if there is a bunch of that brake dust all over the front wheels and up in the wheelwells, that kind of indicates a hard driver.
I'd also budget for some new belts, hoses, and even engine accessories, such as water pump and alternator, unless the prior owner has changed them recently. Timing belt & cog should be verified or replaced, as well at the correct interval.
Today's cars should run right up to 300,000 miles, trouble free, unless you completely suck at maintenance.
