Used Cars: Argh,,,, time buyer programs, saturn sw2

Question
I recently found out that my 1994 Saturn SW2 has finally gone to pot . . . the engine mounts are totally gone, they say, and although this hasn't incapacitated me yet, it has definitely made it worrisome to get to work - it makes an awful grinding noise when I turn and when I idle, which, as they said, is the engine moving around on the metal of the bottom of my hood.  The question I've got is whether I should fix it or try and get a used car!  And I looked at an 02 PT Cruiser yesteday which was running about 10000 and I thought about getting it . . . but this will be the first time I ever bought a car before, is 10K a bit high?  And how does the process of down payment and financing work if I haven't established credit yet?

Answer
If you can get into another car, I would.   Usually when cars get to a certain age, they just turn into a non stop money pit.  As far as prices of cars, when you are doing your shopping if you will provide me with this information I will let you know what kind of a deal you are getting.
Provide me with the year, make, model, trim level, mileage and condition.  And yes I will need to know all of that to accurately give you my opinion on the price.  As far as what you are up against, you really need to know where your credit stands.  In general most new car dealerships will have the most flexibility on who can get financed.  Something you should look into as well is most new cars franchises have first time buyer programs which are pretty useful to get you going.  The car lot I work out is a place most people come to when the new car dealers say NO.  We have a $1000 minimum down payment.  Different places will have different down payments, but if at all possible stay clear of the "Buy here, Pay here" places.  They are going to be way overpriced, with high interest rates, and will do nothing to help your credit.  What kind of town do you live in, like how big is it?  What kind of dealer options are available to you?
Jay