<prompt> Human: I am about to begin my Senior year at my university, will be graduating with a B.S in Psychology. Next move will likely be graduate school, with some sort of focus on education.I come from very poor family single mother of three, only child to attend college, paycheck to paycheck since birth, and thus have had to take several loans to pay for college. At graduation, I believe Ill have 32k or so in debt.I currently have 5,500 in my savings. My mother has nothing. There is no one to assist me at this time.Despite turning 21 in August, I have not owned a car before, or even acquired a license.. owning a car has always been an unrealistic expense that my mother could not bear, so Ive just never had one.But, now that Im in my final year of college, it has become necessary for me to own and drive a car. I applied for and was accepted to become apart of this large educational research project at my university, and one of my requirements is to be able to drive to different schools around my university and participate in different classroom observations.Sooo, I need a car. Ive been looking at some, just got back from test driving a 2008 Hyundai Sonata from a guy who only wants 3k for it. Seems very nice, but it does have 190k miles on it, and I think I should buy something that will have re-sell value for years to come.My idea of my budget has been 2k-3k, but Im not sure if I should pay this straight out of my savings, or if I should take out a loan and pay for it slowly through paychecks I earn during school semesters I work as an RA, 200 every other week.Basically just looking for any advice on my situation. My mother knows little about any of this, and I dont have many people in my life I can ask for adviceguidance in these matters.Thanks guys.  <response>: At the price range youre looking at, I wouldnt focus on a vehicle that has re-sell value for years to come. At that price point, youre going to want a car that will reliably get you from point A to point B. Then, drive it until the wheels fall off or upgrade to a better car when your finances are better. But I second people who are suggesting getting it looked at by a mechanic before buying. Repairs can add up over time and its better to know ahead of time to avoid buying a lemon that craps out on you after a week. 