Where to get a cheap SLR Camera?

and it has to actually work.
no broke down camera.

I can feel your pain ... so many unscrupulous people are selling damaged cameras on line it is scandalous.

Look on craigslist in a city near you. The cool thing about buying off this site is you get to hold and test the camera before you buy it.

Look for a good used Nikon or Canon SLR (under 15 years old) with lens .. expect to pay under $200 including the lens.

Samples from my area:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/pho/597552...
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/pho/577014...

ebay

craigslist, ebay, local camera shop that buys, sells and trade new and used cameras.

Try Amazon.com, they often have good used cameras that have good quality at a low price.

Try ebay, craigslist, freecycle.org (everything on the site is free, you might get lucky !)

Try classifieds in your local newspaper, local college. Depending on your budget !

If you want to be sure that the camera you're getting actually works, contact KEH Camera Brokers in Atlanta, GA (www.keh.com). They have a technician that checks all the incoming cameras and rates them according to usability and cosmetics. Their rating scale is extremely conservative; the last item I bought was a Canon EOS film camera body rated at "8." The only "defect" I found was a very slight, almost unnoticeable, paint rub off on the flash shoe. Other than that, the camera was, functionally and cosmetically, flawless. They are definitely not the cheapest place you can go to (eBay is hard to beat for that) but you can rest assured that the camera you get from them will work well for years to come.

Get a new camera. Among the places I like to shop:
http://www.buydig.com
http://www.us1photo.com
http://www.bhphotovideo.com
http://www.amazon.com
http://butterflyphoto.com

All of those places are reliable and trustworthy and for new products, one of those will likely have the lowest price for a store that's not a scam shop.

Used:
http://www.keh.com
Easily the best, most reliable used place I have ever found.

With eBay or Craigslist, you're taking your chances. But for a film SLR, they are the cheapest.

I got my Olympus E-300 on ebay and when it was still selling for a little over 1k for the lens and body I got mine for $400 and it works fine and still does....I love it.