occasional water pumps.
Most will have a gear whine in the trans mostly on a decel( its the transfer gears on the drivers side ,,nothing to worry about )

I would avoid a car with air ride suspension and/or digital inst cluster.

I would put my kid in one of these before I got a neon or somthing small like that.



I got my daughter a 2004 Dodge Stratus 2.7 auto. Its just a little bit bigger than a neon. And it has dual air bags, 4 wheel disc brakes, with abs. Paid 1300 for it , and drove it home. I put 4 tires on it and she has driven the snot out of it. She has had it just over a year.And loves it.

For peace of mind for me I put a water pump and timing chain set in it this past summer to avoid any potential issues later on.