Yep, cheap cars are possible and they can work. My last car while still in the US was an old Kia, which I bought off Craigslist for $500. It was a beater but lasted me several years, during which time I might have spent another $500 to fix one thing or another.

Otherwise I had several cars when I was younger, all used, and all of them costing below $6000, without having to spend a fortune on maintenance.