They are good cars, but you will probably be hard pressed to find a 1998 or newer for under $5,000 unless it has over 150,000 miles.My friend has a 1998 EX with 90,000 miles and it blue books for $7K private party in good shape. The 1998 LX, which is a more basic model will be around $6K. Look for something around a 1996 or 1997 with under 100K miles. It should be under $5K for the LX and around $5K for the EX. If you are looking for basic stuff like A/C, pick the LX. The EX adds the sunroof and the alloy wheels, etc.