Dead 4kq- replace with what?

[TM]

A friend of mine has had bad luck with his 4kq- first the
transmission develops a whine that was diagnosed as a dying
center differential, which necessitated clutch and transmission
replacement.

Then he has the unfortunate luck of having someone cause an
accident that got the car totaled.

So now the question is, what car to get for under $3k that has
similar all-weather capability? 80q?

Clean 4kqs like the one he had are quite rare- this one was nearly
100% rust-free, clean paint, clean interior. The chances of finding
another one in such condition are probably very low, so then it's
really a question of what to get that's newer.

I suggested the 80q because it has less electrical stuff to break
than the 90q (climate control, etc.). Otherwise, he'd have to
get an Impreza and he's not a big fan of that.

Taka