Since were are talking $2k-$3k and rust avoidance is important, my advice will be a plastic bodied Saturn.
The S-Series cars are getting pretty old (last in '02) but the Ion could be a good choice.
The Ion is a completely forgotten car but underneath its plastic exterior it is basically a Chevy Cobalt. Mechanically, it has lots of shared parts. The Ion was manufactured in large quantities making parts and JY parts very easy.
They came in a coupe shape and a 4 door shape. Maybe The Princess will find them to be cute. The center dash is unique and could be considered cool.
Be mindful that the early year Coupes of '02-'04 had a horribly unreliable CVT auto that should be avoided at any price. Coupes of '05-'07 as well as all years of Sedans came with a reliable, traditional 4 speed auto trans.
The ION is a decent appliance, it does have the typical GM fit and finish inside. The kid's has been dead nuts reliable for the most part and it's got ~165K on it; the wiper transmission broke and that's the only failure it's had. Everything else has been maintenance.
If you do find a coupe with a crapped out CVT they can be had dirt cheap. You then go to the boneyard and find a 4 door ION, get the 5 speed AISIN automatic from it (be sure to get the trans controller too) and bolt it into the coupe. Voila; cheap appliance which girls find 'cute'.
EDIT: Cheap coupe in my area. https://columbia.craigslist.org/cto/4956334520.html Don't believe that 'transmission module' malarkey, the trans itself has crapped the bed. If i was in the market I'd offer them $1200 and feel OK if I got it for around $1400, then swap the trans for that AISIN 5 speed and throw the kid the keys.
Ion, self assemble kit:
http://morgantown.craigslist.org/cto/4957238063.html
http://meadville.craigslist.org/cto/4951628575.html
JohnRW1621 wrote:
Ion, self assemble kit:
http://morgantown.craigslist.org/cto/4957238063.html
http://meadville.craigslist.org/cto/4951628575.html
There ya go. Deal of a lifetime. 
Stuff the 4 door engine and trans in the coupe, sell the motor from the coupe and sell the body shell from the 4 door for scrap.
gamby
UltimaDork
4/4/15 1:05 a.m.
In reply to JohnRW1621:
Around here, 15 year-old Civics are still in abundance. 15 year-old Saturns are nearing extinction. Says a bit about the longevity of one of those two examples.
If its going to be an automatic, don't get a new beetle, VW auto transmissions are terrible. One that has anything over 150k miles will badly need a full suspension rebuild (around $800 for everything you would need) also. And, they have very little ground clearance and an aluminum oil pan, so an unexpected speed bump or rock can mean at minimum a new oil pan, and possibly a new engine and transmission if you are unlucky. The only new beetles that are worth the trouble imo are tdi 5 speed ones, the rest aren't that great. It seems like a Mazda 3 could be a good choice too depending on how much they sell for and how rusty they are in your area.
