I'm reluctant to make a strong recommendation because the tech moves so fast and I haven't been into it for a couple years. Back then an Ender 3 Pro clone could be had for like $150.
These entry level ones are a pain in the ass to find tune, though (which has to be done frequently). I don't know the cost of the cheapest automatic one, but I've got a friend with more expensive Bambu Labs and they're so much closer to "set and forget".
I had a voxelab Aquila (ender clone) and printed a few things, but the troubleshooting ended up being too much and I eventually got rid of it.
All that being said, the ender 3 line is perfectly capable of printing most things, including some of the more spicy designs. I'd check out the 3dprinting subreddits (and /r/fosscad depending on your interests), probably more up-to-date info in their wikis and sidebars.