agreed hatterasguy...

for 2-3k college beater I see a lot of e30 bmw 3 series. Alot of them on campus have crazy amounts of miles on them. A 325e with 380k is the most I remembered. He had it for sale and was asking $4000.

An old e30 is a lot cooler college beater than a Saturn, there's alot of them, plentiful parts, customization, and are pretty easy to work on.
some in your area: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?default_sort=priceDESC&end_year=1989&address=63005&make2=&start_year=1981&systime=&fuel=&keywordsrep=&isDWSI=false&isDWSI=false&certified=&search_type=both&max_mileage=&body_code=0&marketZipError=false&drive=&min_price=&distance=300&engine=&transmission=&awsp=false&make=BMW&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&keywordsfyc=&sort_type=priceDESC&num_records=&car_year=1987&doors=&style_flag=1&max_price=4000&advanced=&search_lang=en&model=&adCertifiedCheck=n&color=#233430106

My pick of the litter: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=236189254&dealer_id=54424119&car_year=1986&model=&num_records=&systime=&make2=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&engine=&keywordsrep=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=300&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=BMW&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&isDWSI=false&isDWSI=false&isDWSI=false&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=63005&advanced=&end_year=1989&doors=&transmission=&max_price=4000&cardist=258
I do know of a gold w123 gasser coupe in Wichita for $850.00. 6cyl runs great; If you don't mind the subtle rust bubbling, might work for you.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!