What is a good first car for around $800-$1000?

Yes I know that any car for around those prices will most likely need some work done but it's gonna be my first car & I don't make that much so. & my boyfriend works on cars with his stepfather (who is a mechanic) & my dad knows a lot of mechanics as well so I'm not too worried about it. I don't know much about cars especially ones that will last long & are reliable. All I pretty much know of are Hondas. Are their any other cars that will be a reliable car in my price range?

Some of the older Chrysler products owned by older people like Dodge Stratus 4 cylinder and it''s Chrysler twin. Older Ford compacts and GM compacts. You will need someone who knows cars to go with you otherwise you are a sitting duck for dishonest people. Some things are not worth fixing. Purchasing a $1000 car that needs a $1800 transmission means you purchased a $2800 car. You will need money to register and insure said car. Don't believe someone who tells you all it needs is $100 part. They would have fixed it if that was the case. That said, carefully use craigslist under the category "cars and trucks" but beware that is where shysters go to make a profit off naive car buyers like yourself.

Foreign cars are not the answer as they cost more to purchase and to repair due to supply and demand. A broken down Honda Civic is still a broken down car.

S10, ranger p/u

For sure you want to get one of your mechanic friends to help you find a car.

You can pick up some nice older Nissan, Suzuki, or Kia's for that. All of these are easy to find cheap parts for and not too hard to work on.

Buy a newer car with high miles
(Most likely highway miles)

Or

An older car with low miles
(Taken care of)

Oldsmobile cutlass ciera
chevy lumina
ford escort or taurus
honda civic
mercury grand marquis

Chevy Cavalier, depending on the condition, they run like hell. But the interiors are awful. Other than that, not sure, maybe an old eclispe with high miles. Or a Blazer.

Try to find something owned by an old person for a long time. Carfax may help in this regard to verify any story about past ownership.

Know that in your price range the car will probably be at least 15-20 years old. Old Buicks for example are simple mechanically and used the same basic parts for years and years so parts are still abundant and cheap both aftermarket and in scrapyards. As a bonus they often also haven't had the life driven out of them because their typically older owners generally drive their cars more gently. Families tend to sell older cars like these cheap because they want to get rid of them instead of paying to keep them insured for the few times a year they get driven etc.,

I'd try asking around extended family and friends for anyone looking to get rid of an older car from an old relative in addition to looking at listings online to try and find one of these. Sometimes if you put the idea in someone's head to sell on old car that's not being used, they decide it makes sense and you might luck out at having "dibs" on the car, you never know. At that low of a price it's likely going to take some extra effort searching and asking around to find something in respectable mechanical condition.

When you're dealing with cars in that low price range, all you will find are older and higher mileage vehicles.

I would worry less about finding a specific model of vehicle and just looking for anything that has not been flipped many times ( a 1 or 2 owner vehicle ) as it suggest that the owner(s) owned the vehicle for a long time and more likely maintained it properly.

Pretty much all vehicles in that price range will have some flaws ( dents and scratches as well as non functional items such as broken A/C for example ). Those are items you can overlook as long as you're willing to live without them. What you do want to make sure of is that the vehicle itself is sound ( no major accidents ) and the engine and transmission work as they should. If they do not, the vehicle will likely need repairs totaling much more than the car is worth.