New (to me, anyway), preferably with low miles, an automatic transmission, is clean-ish, doesn’t leak (in terms of the body and the parts) and gets decent gas mileage. It needs to be cheap-ish. I can’t afford to have a car payment or full coverage insurance, just collision/WA State Minimum.

I guess the first step is to figure out what’s wrong with my current car (transmission?), fix it (depending on the cost/worth) and/or sell it.

The money I gain from that sale plus the $2000 or so that I should be getting from my student loan refund check will then go toward the purchase of a new(er?) car.

It would be REALLY nice if I could find what I want for an affordable price and not in a 5-speed. Because seriously, in WA? The only VWs you can get for under $5000 are 5-speed Rabbits, it seems. And Subarus? Impossible. Meh.