If you're looking to get into something for under $5K, that's gonna run, and not rack up bills, I've found the mass produced Cavalier/Cobalt to be a good choice.
I had one as a teen, bought for $2500 privately, I put over 120,000km's on it, with only regular maintenance, and was still able to sell it for $1000 when I was done with it.
Now, my brother has had an 04 Cavalier for 4 years, I found it at Crowfoot Dodge, it was certified, he paid $3750 for it, and it's been the same for him, as mine was for me. Standard maintenance, no other issues, and he's put over 100,000km's on it. Pretty sure it's getting close to 300,000km now.
The key is keeping up with standard maintenance with an older car, but the maintenance on a cavalier/cobalt is as cheap is it gets. Worst case scenario and it needs a little work, parts are still easy to come by, and cheaper than most.
If you can find one certified by a dealer, it is a good buy.
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