I would suggest a Honda Civic. I have been driving a 97 honda civic and its pretty good. gives you good gas mileage too. But before you buy a used car, especially from a private seller, make sure you take it to a mechanic (one you can trust) and make sure that there are no major defects. otherwise used cars might give you a lot of problems (leaving you to spend a lot on maintenance and repair and all that). check www.craigslist.org or if you are in one of the cities where there are a lot of Deshis, they might give you a decent deal if they are going back to India for good). Good luck with your car search!