I'd buy the microvan version of the 2013 Nissan Leaf with a 170 mile range for 25k USD. And I'd never buy a new car.
When people ask "where are the <$30k cars?" they generally mean new cars, because the more $30k cars that are sold new should imply more <$10k gently used cars on the market. The used market doesn't get cars that people can't afford to buy new in the first place.