I used to sell for Kia but I'm no longer in the business.

There's some good advice here already, but I can give you some general tips if you're buying from a dealer. Pick a brand you like and see what's available in your area, most dealers have their inventory on their websites.

First ask yourself New or used? The only good thing about new cars is the Factory Warranty and lower interest rates (Because banks trust Factory Warranties whereas you're never 100% how the last owner took care of a pre-owned vehicle). Depending on your credit (660 plus) you can qualify for 0%, some brands have special programs, ask for them and see if you qualify.

Certified Preowned is the way to go if you're going used, they'll usually provide a carfax report, if not, ask for it. I've seen some used cars with airbags deployed in their records and it's turned some people off, so do ask for it.

Our budget is between 1-2k down payment, and we're hoping for around $200 monthly payment.

Some basic math comes into play here, is that with tax title and license included? How long do you want to be paying the monthly? Typical payments were 72 month plans, but there's also 60 and 48. If you do the math, 200x72 is about $14,400. So if you're looking to be around that range monthly, you might wanna find a car that's around 12k range.

Again, if you're going to a dealership, I've known a few sales people who will say anything to sell a car. Don't feel pressured into it. Check out cars you want to check out, ask for the invoice, have them have a laid out breakdown of the price (Typically Cost of the Vehicle, Tax, Title, License). If you see something like "protection plan", you can tell them to take it off and you're not interested. Some sales people will try to convince you it's "already on the car" but it's a load of crap.