a turbo scooby for 3k ?
 

could I get a decent one for that ?

You're at the lowest end of the market with potentially the biggest bills. You may get lucky and buy a good one as others have. On the other hand you could get stung for thousands in tyres, brakes, clutch, cambelt, maf sensor, service,coil packs etc. Cars are cheap to buy but cheap parts are not easy to come by and running costs are higher than many other family saloons. Buy wisely and avoid sleepless nights.