"so expect to spend quite a bit fixing the car, or spending 15k or more if you find a well maintained one". Not true.
Buy the most car you can afford and your are MILES ahead.
$15K? I spent $4,600, including the shipping across 2 states. Looks bitchin and starts like new every single time. Sure I dumped some cash into but I'm a grown up and that's what we do.
I would suggest limited posting until you digest this site front to back, side to side. Even the stuff you don't think you need.