[Ecky]

The 03-05 Civic hybrid is a car you can probably find for next to nothing. They came with a 5 speed, and when the hybrid batteries died, owners were faced with a $2000 replacement or taking the car to a junkyard, because the 12v battery stopped charging, even though the car was otherwise drivable. There's a trivially easy mod to get the 12v charging system working again. They're good for 60mpg from the factory, if driven carefully, and already have electric power steering and lean burn.

Otherwise, there's a 2005 Insight for sale in Knoxville right now that's a bit of a creampuff. Manual, new hybrid battery, 93,000 miles, good for ~100mpg driven carefully, they weigh around 1850lbs with A/C, and most examples last 5-700,000 miles before there are any major mechanical issues. $5k is, I'm sure, more than you're looking to spend.

Edit: Found a Civic Hybrid for $1000 not too far from you, with a good battery and no apparent rust. The ones with failed batteries you're more likely to see with a For Sale sign on the side of the road, or maybe at auction or as a buyback from a yard.