Regardless of location:

$2K won't get said kid into anything reasonably reliable...that price point is reserved for very high-mileage 10+ year old vehicles that will require (possibly very expensive) maintenance to get to daily-driver status.

Couple that with trying to get the vehicle compliant with the already stringent CA emissions regulations, and it's a money pit before you even get plates for it.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car