Reliable Car brands/models at $4000 to use for a year?

With exception to obvious choices like the honda accord, civic toyota camry, corolla.
Cars I'm seeing a lot on craigslist are:
1. Hyundai sonata
2. Nissan altimas
3. 02-03 volvo
4. 02-03 lincoln ls
5. 02-03 acura tl

Avoid Post-1999 Volvos. Ford acquired Volvo in 1999 and it went way downhill. The reliability and safety you hear about with Volvos are mainly referring the old "tank like" 240s from the 80s. A lot of those cars had diesel engines, which can sometimes go 500k miles without problems. However, these are really old cars and are subject to a lot of other problems (belts, hoses, transmissions, etc)

I bought a '00 Taurus for $4500 in 2011, and it was a piece of junk. But $4000 can buy you a pretty nice Civic, Corolla, or Camry. Look for a well maintained low miles 97-01 Camry, but make sure the oil was changed every 3000 miles or it might have sludge in the engine.

Hyundais are very good cars. I would avoid lincoln altogether, especially older ones.

Japanese imports were best between 1989 and 1999. After 2000, they are way too overpriced and no longer that reliable. Of course, the golden years for Toyota and Honda are now quite a ways back.

Avoid 98-02 Accords. My coworker has one and the tranny has failed twice. Also avoid 1998-2003 Corollas. They burn oil which kills the exhaust and catalytic converter.

For that price, get a civic or a corolla. That should easily last you way more than a year. But do your research to see which model years were the best.

And ALWAYS, I mean ALWAYS get your car inspected by a mechanic before buying it.

Nothing you get for 4000 is going to be reliable.

Nissan Altima is best on your list
Hyundai 2nd