Help me pick my “first” car

I’m looking to buy my own car for the first time. My father bought my actual first car outright for $4k. It’s a second gen Prius, and it has had a boatload of issues over the years. It has no A/C, no seat adjustments to make the chair higher (I’m short), and no display lights (can’t see speedometer or gas mileage). I need something more reliable. I make around $46,000/yr pre taxes and insurance. I drive about 1hr30 combined to and from work and maybe 1-6 hours every weekend (my friends live far). I need something cheap, reliable and good on gas. I’m closer in age to 30 than 20, so I would also like something more aesthetically pleasing than my current Prius. Please help with car suggestions.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the car suggestions and advice! If you think of any more models or places to buy decently priced cars, feel free to comment below. I welcome any help.