I can give you advice on what NOT to buy........
don't buy anything foreign that's not Japanese
it costs way too much to repair if it breaks down when compared to how much you paid for it
I have a lot of experience in buying $2000 or less cars because my parents never bought me a car so I had to buy them all my self. Get a Chevrolet, Ford, or Honda. Trust me on this one, they are cheap as hell to get repaired
bought a 1985 BMW 318i on a whim once for $1000 and spent $2000 over the course of a year in repairs. Something that costs $100 on my old Chevy Cavalier to fix would cost $400 on a BMW or a Volvo. Rip off.
Sorry about not knowing much about auctions though.