Welcome new member.  At that price range, reliability depends more on the condition and maintenance history of the individual unit, rather than generalities about the make and model. See what is available in your area that looks promising, then come back and use the search bar above for specific things to look out for. Carcomplaints.com is another good source.

But even more important is that, whatever your budget is, reserve a little to have a mechanic inspect it before you buy it (expect to pay about $200 for that).

Good luck!

Posted by: @brandon757

I only have $3000 to spend on a used car or truck. I'm looking for something that is reliable.

From this statement I know you haven't started looking. Go on Craiglist or whatever, find some cars in this price range, and then go and actually look at them. Just look for your own education. I think you will find that it is not realistic, and that "reliable" and "$3,000" don't belong in a sentence together. You're going to need at least double that. Probably more if you don't have any mechanical skills.

Posted by: @brandon757

I'm willing to drive to texas

Scotty moved from Texas to Clarksville, Tennessee quite some time ago and also spends time in Rhode Island part of the year. With that kind of budget a long car-finding trip is probably not going to be feasible but if you want to try contacting Scotty directly there are instructions in the FAQ.

Trying to find a decent used car in that price range will be quite hard. You would want to get some form of inspection done on the car before purchasing, maybe a 2009 Ford Taurus sedan? (Obviously a lower trim) They are safe, cheap, and are spacious. Car complaints and Kelly Blue Book seem to have overall good records on the car too. You shouldn't take my advice too seriously as I'm not really an expert at all, but I've seen tons for sale around your price range.

I don't want to discourage you, but finding a vehicle in that price range that is also going to be good to go as a reliable daily driver is going to be a very challenging task.

You very likely won't find a vehicle in that price range at a reputable dealership.  Even low-end "Buy Here, Pay Here" lots generally don't have anything around $3K unless it's a vehicle that's not running or is in unsafe condition to drive.

About the only dealership-type place you will be sure to find cars in that range is at a public auto auction house.  I would absolutely not recommend an inexperienced buyer who also isn't car-savvy to go that route.  At that price point, you're likely looking at 15, 20, even 25 year old vehicles that are clapped out and could have any number of additional issues not mentioned.

You might have a little better luck in the private seller market, but I doubt it will be much different.  A lot of these cars and trucks look better in the Craigslist/FB ads than they do in person. 

Lastly, even a well-maintained car or truck in this price range is almost certainly going to need some TLC in the form of replacement belts, hoses, spark plugs, etc.  Tires get old and can dry rot.  All of this eats into your total budget, especially if you have to have the work done for you.

I know none of this is what you wanted to hear, but I'd hate to see you make a mistake and get stuck with a hunk of junk and no money to boot. If you can hold off buying a vehicle, by all means do so.  Save up until you can buy something better.  

I'd also suggest maybe learning the basics of "turning a wrench."  You don't have to be a mechanic or an expert to learn routine maintenance tasks.  Youtube has plenty of how-to videos and I think you would benefit from them.  Both in learning how to maintain a vehicle, and trouble signs to look out for when you do go out looking for one to buy.

Best of luck.