Buying advice Civic BJ from 2000

Hello dear Civics, have been at the Citroen Forum for a long time and have to get rid of a question here: My son will be studying in Los Angeles for 18 months from September. If I deliver him over there, we will be looking for a used car for him. Due to several conversations with Honda owners, I also came to the Civic. This is supposed to be a very reliable, manageable car, in terms of cost and reliability. Which model year is to be recommended for approx. 2,500 to 3,000 €? What do you have to consider when buying? Vulnerabilities? Expected repairs from how much km of tacho stand? How much car is there for the money? How reliable is the automatic vehicles? How reliable is the air conditioning system? You could speak plain text, I’m technically quite knowledgeable! Thank you in advance!