What's a good car for me?

So I'm looking to buy a car no older than 2002. I have $1800 saved up and I would just like suggestions on what companies I should look into. For example I always hear good things about Ford and Toyota. But what about Pontiac and Dodge because I found a 2004 G6 and a 2007 Charger and just wanted to know if those are something to stay away from. I'm still a young driver and I don't really go anywhere but school and work so it won't be driven much. Any and all help/suggestions would be great.

Fiat

Hey congrats on your first car! So depending on where you live is gonna kinda dictate what your gonna wanna look for especially living in a place with harsh winters you may want to look for a small suv or truck these options will also be a ton cheeper on insurance. I would personally reccoment staying away from Pontiac, dodges are ok cars but a charger is gonna be high insurance. I've never had good luck with Ford to be honest and I would recommend a Chevy as they will be cheeper on maintenance and insurance as well as being very reliable.

Certain models (not just brands) tend to be more of lemon than others, but given that there are 100's of models you simply have to google it and see which ones tend to have less people complaining about it. You really need to be focused on the condition of the actual car you are buying since you could easily end up with $2000 in repairs in the first year of driving it. Often that's just because the car is worn down. Simple things like tires, brakes, alternators, water pumps and batteries wear out. Some cars are cheap for a reason. Find something that is low maintenance and check the costs of likely repairs on that model before you buy it. Take it to a mechanic before you buy it.

Anything that old is likely to be a money pit. An import would be a better choice.
Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai
The lower the miles the better.

At that price point, individual vehicle condition is worth far more than any brand-name considerations.

Try Deville