Auto financing help needed

She has no history, shes only got one credit card, with a pretty low limit. Her father is being an ass about co-signing. He wants her to not take out a loan for a car. He thinks she should get a 5k ford or gm, which is a bad idea. She drives to and from Darien Lake everyday for work, she needs something newer and more reliable.

edit: getting this loan co-signed would be a great way to build some positive credit, but it is not going over very well.