[hayden55]

Honestly I've noticed once vehicles get too old its hard to get them for a reasonable price. I had a hard time finding good shape low mileage vehicles under 3000$ (unless you like beater vehicles but Uber users will report shoddy vehicles). This was what led me to my 2010 Prius. No accidents. Prefect bod and a clean interior. In 2016 with 93k miles I was otd at the dealership for $7600. Even had them throw in New all weather mats, New wipers, and they aligned the front end. (Easily a $150 value).
Gas mileage won't matter too much but as a taxi in the inner city my Prius gets 50-65 mpg whereas a standard vehicle gets about 30.
But don't worry about mpg too much, just get something reliable (Japanese) that requires no maintenance.
50k miles later to 140k all I've done is a set of tires, $12 of oem spark plugs, four $19 oil changes (supertec 0w-20, oem oil filter), engine coolant for $25 with Toyota coolant, and blown out all air filters (they really don't get dirty with a hybrid I guess).
Man I didn't spend much on my civic but I worked on that thing constantly to the point I just got fed up and sold it, so this car has been amazing.
My vote is gen 3 prius (expensive), next is gen 2 Prius (less expensive), next is gen 2 insight (same price as gen 2 Prius), then next would be to add in corolla, civic, camry, then accord. Try and skip some of the old honda hybrids as there batteries are harder to replace and a lot more expensive to replace than the Toyotas.