What's the most reliable low-cost car I can buy in the 2-4k pricerange?

So, after several horrific car experiences with repairs and maintenance I simply couldnt afford to keep up with, I'm seeking suggestions for the most reliable car I can get in my price range of $2,000-$4,000 dollars.

My initial thoughts were maybe A late 90s early 00s Honda with around 100k (or less?).

Cars those years are going to be at 200k. 100k would be real tough to find. Most cars that old need regular repairs. Plenty have problems already. Lots of junk cars in that price range. A 2k car can easily need 2k in repairs to get it into shape. 4k and some hunting you can probably find something nice and a few years newer. I'd look for a toyota

Way back in the 1980s it was a Ford Escort. This isn't the 1980s.

You are forgetting a few things - all of the costs of vehicle ownership! Insurance, registration, immediate repairs, cost of mechanic's inspection BEFORE buying, etc… That means you may have $3000 or less, and for that price, all you will find are very high mileage vehicles that will need new engines + transmissions at the least

Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai. Maybe Kia.

But its going to be difficult to find one with less than 140k. Unless you spend $3500+.

You need to take a 30 minute test drive and if you are sure you still want it, have a mechanic look it over before buying it.

Even then, old, cheap cars will need ongoing maintenance & repairs.

How many low mileage cars have the exhaust rusted out? If the exhaust is rusted out Id be weary from some of the low k's pos I've worked on they have had a million cold starts little maintenance as it doesn't get driven far and sat in alot of traffic. Who's ever seen a taxi with a rusted exhaust?

A 2003 to '05 Toyota Corolla.

You should be able to find one with around 120k miles on it. If it's a one to maybe a 2 owner car it's a hidden gem. It might be tough to find a car like that with lower miles but it's possible if you live near a crowded city.

It's hard to say how many miles will be on a car and it all depends on who owned it. I bought a Camry in 2007 with 85k miles on it and it's now at 180k. In 2008 I bought an Accord that I used as my daily commuter and I sold it when it hit 220k miles because there were too many little problems going on with it and it wasn't the most reliable car that I've ever had. Sometimes you get lucky and other times you don't.

The best deal and car I ever had was a 1990 Celica. I bought it for $2850 in 2003 and it had 117k miles on it. It was a one owner car and the only things wrong with it was the A/C didn't work and the clearcoat on the paintjob was coming off. I drove that car until it had 260k miles on it and replaced it with my Camry. The only parts that went out on that Celica was the Alternator and the MAP sensor.

I'm not a Honda fan at all and IMO the only reason they have such a good rep is because they made awesome cars in the 1990's. Also most people who buy them get rid of them when they hit 90k, before the little things start to break.

A 2,000-4,000 car will most certainly not be free of maintenance expenses. That's really low on the used car scale.

An early 1990 Corolla or economy car

Finding reliability in a low priced used car is next to impossible. Cars in that price range fall into one of three categories.

Way to many miles
Way to old
Way to many problems.

You're not going to find reliability in any of those categories. The make and model of the car at not relevant. It's the overall condition of the car that's matters. A beat up, abused and broke down Honda isn't going to be a better car than a well taken care of low mileage Chevy.