Autonerdz forums

Whatever you buy, make sure it's 1996 and newer.
Honda would be my first choice.  I have a 99 Civic with 96K and it runs like a watch. I average 35MPG City/Highway and it's an economical car to own.
Toyota's are OK, but Honda gets the nod for least expensive and most reliable, at a fair price.

Where are you located ?

I would also suggest an older Honda.  I have a 1991 Civic DX that holds a lot of stuff and gets 38 MPG.

The GEO can be OK but parts are getting scarce.

Whatever you do....take it to a trusted local shop for an inspection.  If the seller won't allow this then there may be a reason.....

First I want to say welcome!

I don't want to be the guy with the bad news but... it doesn't matter; New, Used, good mileage, or not, it will break and need repair. 

Broken is the NORMAL state of all machines.
That is why we can do maintenance and repair for a living.

So don't be afraid of making repair.

Deal with reputable people when buying or fixing your car.

The guys posting here spend a lot of time and money just to figure out exactly what part is broken so that they can find and fix the part that is broken.

Just the other day a coworker told me about a guy that would say "Just put all new parts on it and if that doesn't fix it start over, one of the new parts is probably bad"
He doesn't work there anymore.

Good Luck and have Fun with your new car

krb, are you looking at those cars because you need "cheap cheap" ?

The post-1996 cars will have an onboard diagnostic port which can make repairs easier. Sometimes. But once you reach a certain price point, cheap used cars become expensive unless you have great luck, or a great mechanic to check them out for you.

Nooze stories year after year say that something like 90% of the private used-car sales are bogus, shady dealers pretending it is their cousin's car and hiding known problems, etc. Dealers may or may not be any better, only because you can get a written warranty and a reputable business to back it up. But they're not going to warranty a $1500 use car either.

So if you're still looking, the question is what you're looking for and what you're willing to pay for it.