I haven't had a car yet but depending on your financial situation i would get a used car for a starters car then move up in the ranks later.

I drive a classic car, which is my first car too. It cost around 12k, plus around 4k in upgrades.

For a first car I would recommend a used car with good gas mileage. Also don't go over 8-10k if your on a budget.

For your first car you def don't wanna buy new or pay out the wazoo for a used one. As in Z28's you buy a classic and maybe fix up over time and keep it is the way to go. With classic cars you get more in return on the resale because they are highly desired. Check with family first about a car they would be willing to sell cheap to you that doesn't need a lot of work/ money put into it.

Bottom line - buy a cheap first car and save and explore as to what you would want in the future.

I'm currently working on my 78 trans am. I need to put the front clip together and the interior stuff along with looking for an 8-track. I've had it for about 9 years and I plan on enjoying it for a couple months and then selling it as a nice down payment on a house for me the wife.

I chose to buy a brand new car as apposed to a used one (you know it won't break down.)

My car is nothing special, a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze with no extras. MSRP~ $16,000.

I put a $2000 down payment and now I pay $150 a month for the next 3 years, and then when that time comes I can trade it in, or buy the remainder of the car.

My dad is a financial consultant and he thinks leasing cars is the way to go. But that's just our opinion.

buy a newer japanese car for reliability. definitely don't buy a brand new car because chances are you will get in minor accidents and have to do resprays or just fix scratches. wouldn't go over 7k in price. Classic cars are bad because they are terribly unsafe if you get in a major crash. People complain about how new cars are so easy to dent but that is the point. the bigger the crumple zone the safer you are. honda and toyota are the way to go for reliability.

I spent $3000 on my first car. It is a "95 Lexus SC400 with 150k miles. I've put about $600 into it so far.

I've always been amazed at the differences between UK & US driving.

i) Mainly automatics vs mainly manuals in the UK (though a lot more automatic gearboxes these days)

ii) Pretty much everyone in the UK starts off driving a small hatchback 3/5 door such as a Vauxhall Corsa, Fiat 500, Ford Ka or Peuegeot 206. Yet in America everyone seems to start off with nice big saloons and does loads of mods (which I want to do haha).

iii) Finally, it's 16 to drive over the pond, whereas it's 17 here

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Sorry, on topic: My car was a present so I don't know the exact value of it, but it's insured to the value of 4800gbp, yet I've done a few minor mods since then and the lower valuation means lower insurance costs ;P

My first car was a 01 Honda Prelude that I got for $4k, which is a pretty good deal for the manual version. I spent another $3k on upgrades before selling it and buying an e46 M3.

If i remember correctly i think i bought my first car with 15k Try getting the cheapest and most efficent car then after that you can keep upgrading it or change depending on your situation