Your family member needs to get his financial **** together. Forget about all the numbers you shared - the big problem is his credit score. He will get eaten alive by the interest rate - and needs to minimize the loan size as much as possible.

My choice for a reliable high mile commuter in a $4-6k range would be a 2010+ Nissan Sentra/Versa. That little engine is bulletproof, as long as you stay away from CVT transmissions.

Once he gets his credit history on track, should be no problem buying a new/gently used vehicle of his choice.