A brand new car might cost your 400-600/mo whereas a used car might cost your 2000usd total (5 months at 400/mo of savings). Even if you buy a piece of garbage, you could replace anything wrong with it and still come out ahead. A new car is really a stupid buy for a person with little income.
You can find a lot of cars that are perfectly acceptable (no immediate work needed, no visible rust, does not need extensive interior cleaning) at $2k-$5k.
Parking, insurance, maintenance, gas, and getting your windows smashed in and belongings stolen every 2-3 months because you accidentally leave a packet of gum in there will set you back.
