<prompt> Human: 18 months ago I lost my business. In the process I defaulted on several loans and credit cards, including my home mortgage. As you can imagine it devastated my credit score. When the business closed, I was half way through a vehicle lease. The lease is now up, and I need to turn in the car. I managed to keep payments on the lease mostly current. But I did fall behind a few times. Turning in the car also means I need to pick up another vehicle. I should also mention that I was unemployed for the last 18 months, except for a few short consulting jobs. That exhausted most of my savings. So I dont have a lot of cash on hand. I have roughly 5000 that could be used toward a car. I am not sure I should do that. I have looked at some used cars in the 5000 price range, they do not seem reliable enough to handle a daily 120 mile round-trip. I start a new job new in three weeks. It pays pretty well, but it is going to take some time to climb out of this hole. Its also a year-long contract, non permanent. Ive never been in this spot before when buying a car. Im looking for advice and recommendations on how to approach this considering my circumstances.  <response>: Buy a Toyota Corolla. You can buy them for less than 5k and they last forever. 