[tfarhood]

you may think I'm crazy, but nobody has mentioned a used Mercedes. I don't know about AZ, but here in Washington, DC area $4000 can get you a Mercedes 300E or 190E vintage 1990-1991 with 120K miles. If it has records, which many do, you can see its maint. history. These cars are great for a 16 yr old daughter. (I know, I have one!). I bought a 1991 300E in 1999 with 70K miles on it (yes it was more than $4000 then). It was a one owner car and in great shape. My wife drove it to 160K miles with no problems. When I got my wife a new car, we kept the Mercedes because it was only worth $4500+/- and I had a 15 year old daughter that would be driving in a year. I couldn't dream of buying a different used car for that kind of money that could compete with the safety and reliability of the Mercedes. It has a bullit proof straight six that gets 20mpg city and 30 mpg hwy. It has same day acceleration (0 to 60 in the same day!), and is as safe as a Sherman Tank on the highway. And what 16 year old girl isn't going to love having a Mercedes for a first car! The insurance is dirt cheap on it, and getting OEM parts wholesale is not hard at all. You can replace all four brakes AND rotors for about $250 bucks and do it yourself in about 1.5 hours.
The car has 170K on it now, my daughter is driving it daily since December. It is probably good for another 50K to 100K with only regular maintenence. Don't be scared to look at a 14 year old Mercedes, there are plenty of them out there that have had dealer service all their life. Look in your paper and see how many Mercedes you see for sale that have over 150K miles on them, its just getting broke in!