A week ago we bought an 08 Hyundai Sonata 2.4L. It is my son's car and replaced his rusty '98 Mazda Protege, 5 speed manual. The Mazda still runs nicely but the rust, an oil leak, and busted A/C spelled the "OUT!" for it. The Hyundai is 10 years younger, has about 102K miles on it, automatic and proper working A/C. I am planning on getting better tires and a wheel alignment done. It is a comfortable family sedan. My son is a happy camper now. Incidentally he now has the newest vehicle in our family and the one with the fewest miles on the odometer. Go figure!
We immediately went to the gas station and found the first problem: the fuel door would not open with the push of the button. It took us a 2 or 3 minutes to figure out there is a manual release inside the trunk.
I'll be updating the thread once in a while.
Of course it had to be an inexpensive car. There are reasons why it was inexpensive: hail dimples, mismatched paint and misaligned fender helped to drop the price. I think it is a good choice for a student. It should be reliable enough to not become a distraction while he crams for exams.