This still sounds a bit white good-ish. Nothing wrong with that.
From just a pure price standpoint, I know you can get the mighty Chevy Aveo brand new for right at $10,000. Downside: not a brilliant car. Upside: warranty so that she knows that she won't incur additional expenses for three years (more if she pays a bit more for an extended warranty).
I wouldn't chase anything but a new Focus unless you get a wild deal on it, mainly because you can get great deals on new ones that get you really close to $13,500 -- and you can get better financing if that matters (i.e., if you are making payments for 5 years, you'll find the difference between $9,500 and $13,500 will narrow significantly).
Perhaps look for a used Yaris -- but again, weigh the advantages of a new car (better financing, longer warranty).
If she's paying cash, perhaps looking for something less expensive -- that is, say, an older Focus for even less money would be worthwhile.
In short, I kinda feel like $10,000 is a bit of a "sucker hole." Consider going sharply under, or a bit over that, and there's a lot of things that make sense...but right at that particular pricepoint there's only a few good deals.
Steve