@Davidsusername I have had really good luck (and a lot of fun) spending time in guitar stores to get a feel for what I’m looking for (dreadnaught vs OM, spruce vs mahogany vs cedar, etc) and then keeping an eye on Craigslist, FB Marketplace, and OfferUp (as well as the used section at GC and other places). I got lucky with my first guitar picking a Seagull M6 (same body as S6 but with mahogany back/sides) on a guitarist friend’s recommendation. Got it for $300 used with a great hard case 16 years ago and after not learning to play until 18 months ago (it was a great room decoration all that time) I am ver impressed with the build quality, tone, versatility, and playability. In fact the only new guitars that sound better to me are over $800 to start with. So as someone else mentioned I really highly recommend Seagull.
Another great guitar series in that price range are the Ibanez Artwood (they have a great spruce dreadnaught and my current favorite sub-$1000 guitar which is a mahogany OM/concert size - the AC340 - I found a used AC240 which is same model as 340 just prior version for $200 and could not be happier with the sound, feel, playability. Only guitar that exceeds in my hands/ears is a $1000+ Martin. It’s the guitar I’m playing in my last couple of videos if you want to take a listen.
As others have said it’s really a buyer’s market for new/used guitars in that price range. I think if you figure out the tone wood and the size you want, then it’s hard to go wrong with any of the known/respected brands - just stick with a solid top, play before you buy, and take the leap of learning to adjust your own action (in my experience I’ve never had to adjust a truss rod but have sanded down the saddle on every guitar I’ve owned - which is only 3 but still…).