Toyota Repair: toyota tercel, toyota tercel, paint job

Question
I just recently bought a Toyota Tercel for $1900 with 60k miles. This is my first car, and my parents and I thought it was a good deal. Then we found out we needed an alternator for it. Is this car still a good deal? Also there is some rust in the front and its getting rough....is there a way we can stop this and should I get a paint job for it? I guess I'm just wanting some input cause I'm in a tough spot.

Thanks,
Katrina

Answer
You didn't say what year it is, so I don't know if it's a good deal, it may be if the alternator is all that it needs right now, at 60,000 miles it may need to have the timing belt replaced and a major maintenance service. Body repair and painting  can be very expensive and you may spend more on that than the car is worth, parts that are rusted have to be replaced. It's more important to keep it in good running condition than to make it cosmetically appealing, just something to consider.