Honestly the amount of hassle it will be to find a flash unit for your camera that is both a: available and b: still works, might be the deal-breaker.
You can find a TON of good, used 35mm cameras on Craigslist if you just do a little digging.
Anything that has sharp, square edges and a lot of clicky dials and knobs will be perfect.
The camera I recommend to my photo 1 students that are just learning the darkroom? The tried and true, battle-tested Pentax K1000. You should be able to pick one up for between 50-100 bucks.
Good luck!