Recommend a family car under $4,000

My nephew converted the rear portion of their van to a sound lab/bedroom and actually was considered cool in his group. This was despite the whole faded paint on the minivan and the enormous oil leaks he left everywhere he parked.

If a Crown Vic is not too big, they would be a good bet. We have a '99 Town car with 297k miles on it and it still runs great and everything still works. new shocks would be nice but still rides better than anything we have ever had.
We have had 2 Caravans in the past and have one now. One had 154K when we bought it. We were very pleased with the first 2 but are unhappy with the shocks/struts on this one, an '09. BTW it has Stow-and-Go searing which makes it easy to haul things.

“I JUST saw one about an hour ago at the lot on the corner. It’s a 2002 with 126,000 miles for $3500.”

That’s an average price for a private sale and a very good price for a dealer sale. Make sure you get it inspected by a trusted mechanic if you are really interested in it. It could cost you $100 to $200, but it’s worth it if the car has some expensive flaws just waiting to cost you a few grand.

Your age and gender not important in negotiations. And you could use them to your advantage. Let them think you are a dumb, young girl and push them to close the deal to your advantage. I had a boss whose secretary played the dumb blonde gig to perfection. She was definitely not stupid, and was perfectly willing to take advantage of any foolish man that thought she was.