I would still recommend a seville or eldo, you could get most likely a 98 or 99 for 17-18k. It should be a trouble free car IF you can get ahold of service records. If it has been dealer serviced, they can pull it up on the computer, and will sometimes show up on a vehicle history report (not very often though). Along with that, make sure you get it inspected. If the inspection comes out with something bad, either make them fix it or no sale. If they have no service records, you could be fine, but ideally you would want the records.
I would also consider getting an extended warranty. There are online companies like www.autowarrantybroker.com that have many good plans, and cover many parts. I am getting one of these for my Q. You may spend 600+ on the warranty, but once youve made 3-4 claims, its paid for itself.