[lumberjim]

Jeep Cherokee. Grand Cherokee 6cyl if you can find one. The Cherokee might be a bit too snug for you.

But then, my $1500 probably goes a bit further than most. I got that 97 grand Cherokee LTD with 164000 mi. for 1K, sold it for 2K, bought the 99 Laredo with 114?for 2K, spent $250 on new shocks and an exhaust manifold patch, sold that for $3800, and bought my 03 Yamaha for $2300.

I could have kept that 99 for 4 or 5 years though, and it would have been fine.

Too bad you're no longer local.

You might try to find a Kia sephia. They should be cheap, and they are actually a Mazda protégé. I doubt you'll find a camry worth buying for $1500.
Mitsubishi Gallant 4 door, dodge neon, Hyundai sonata.

If you can find a grand am with high miles, but in good shape...

Look carefully at the kind of older cars you still see on the road. They tend to be invisible if you're not specifically looking for them, but they give a good indication of what kind of cars hold up to time.

You still wee a lot of old jeeps, sentra, civic, accord, grand am, Gallant.

If you come across a Mitsubishi Diamante, they'd be good, but will be high miles in that price range.

Got any car guy buddies out there?