96 is the second best year, it has the good fuel injection, metal keys, minimal CAN network. The down sides are half electronic / half linkage throttle and older 722.4 hydraulic shift transmission both of these can be fiddly and $ to fix.

97 is the best year as it had a better fuel injection system with full electronic throttle, metal key , minimal CAN network, electronic shift 722.6 transmission. The transmission is used on similar era Chrysler products so the knowledge base is larger and parts are readily available.

With all of that, buying a broken, expensive to repair car on a month to month income isn't prudent. Your needs would be much better served by a mid 2000's domestic car, like a retired persons Buick Century / LeSabre . Cheap to buy, cheap to fix.

Have a look at my posts on the topic here:

https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-cars-sale/387439-wtb-daughters-first-car-socal-inland-empire.html?highlight=daughter


Also, the 69 bug at $ 1,799 is now $ 12,408 , the 3 lowest cost new cars in the USA are Ford Fiesta S: $13,660 Nissan Versa Sedan S Plus: $14,130 Hyundai Accent SE Sedan: $14,745

Inflation calculator https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm