I recommend old volvos for a first car. They’re damn near indestructible and so heavy, the go 0-60 in about four days. Keep the brakes in good shape though.
My Buick is running fine at 244,000 after replacing the water pump. Pump was $36. Installation by a mechanic was $200! I discovered my model requires removal of an engine mount and the power steering pump in order to replace the water pump or even the serpentine belt.That was more than I felt comfortable doing.Gas mileage in the mid to high 20s with plenty of steel and an airbag.
There are not that many left of the older 240 Volvos left.
I had two. The first was a 1976. It was green. I called it the tank. I bounced it off a couple trees one winter day. It hardly scratched the paint. It was stolen from the place that was replacing the clutch at 91,000 miles. I replaced that with a 1980 two door Volvo 240 coupe. I traded that in for my first Toyota pickup truck in 1988($10,600 new). I sold that and bought a 1999 Tacoma($22,500). I traded that in and bought a 2012 Tacoma($30k). Each Toyota I put about 110K miles on before I sold or traded them in.