My first car was $850 in 1999. Ran and drove that big old tank of a Buick for 3 years until the pump on the transmission took itself out. That story is pure laughs for another day
I replaced it with a $550 1987 Honda Prelude that I drove for another 2 years until I got tired of it. 6ft 6 me (at that time) fit, but barely.
Hell, I bought a 1981 E150 6cyl 4 speed manual van in 2007 for $200 that needed a front right caliper rebuild and a battery. It ran and drove. I mainly used it as a storage locker and means to drive to the store when I was a trucker.
I miss being able to pick up an old car like that for a couple hundred.