First Car...help.

Volkswagon Golf or GTI. Cheap to buy, cheap to own, cheap to fill up. And it just keeps going.

God dammit I want a DMC. Ah well thats not thinking realistically.

To forget the lamborghini and dmc: click here (image to big for useful forum display)

go with japanese cars, they are fuel efficient.
I love honda, I have a honda HR-V which is avalible only in europe and asia.
you can find the CR-V in America.

Toyota Corolla, perhaps? If you want something a little bigger there is the Toyota Matrix. Also consider the Honda Civic.

You missed out the most important thing, budget! If you've got a cool 40k you can get a TVR Tuscan, probably not too common around there? Of course if you're budget is a little smaller you could go for a Mitsubishi FTO, they are a cool car.

But being your first, and wanting to keep insurance down etc. you'll probably end up with a Mk II Escort or an old Cavalier or something ;) Hey, don't knock it - I got my first car for 30 quid (Red Mk II Escort) and it did me well for the first year, even survived being driven into a flooded river - started within 10 minutes and got me home, very wet.

Seriously though - you're limited if you don't want a common car because your choice is fairly limited in the first place. But the Peugeot 206 is a nice car, as is the Ford Puma, and the Peugeot 307 is very practical.

I researched this quite a bit when I went to buy my car. There really is no better value in its class than the Honda Civic. At first it's about $1000-2000 more expensive than other cars, but you'll end up paying less for it in the long run, as it is a more reliable car. It's very comfortable as well, the basic models are much more feature rich than other economy models.

I got a brand new Civic in the LX trim level for $100 over invoice, which is damn cheap. I had expected to offer the dealer $300 over invoice (never, never believe the MSRP, it's garbage), but I kept my mouth shut and let the dealer tell me what they thought the car was worth. I really had to pull out the zen-like composure to maintain my poker face.

The gas mileage is great, 35mpg for typical driving conditions (i.e., +10mph speeding on the highway). I installed a performance air intake and now I get on the order of 40mpg.

I really suggest that you not buy an american vehicle. They're generally crap to begin with, add on the lower quality of an economy car and all you have is a money bucket.

I really hate the Chevy Malibu, it's just a horrible car. All the controls felt cheap, the support braces for the roof seemed to block my vision at really detrimental points, the seats were uncomfortable, the handling was very loose, the steering wheel provided no feel to the road, the engine was loud, I could go on. This was on two completely different cars, two different model years, so it's a pretty consistent problem with the Malibu.

I rented a Pontiac Vibe while in Miami. I was very impressed by the vehicle and suprised the pontiac could turn out such a quality vehicle. Then I reallized that the Pontiac Vibe is just a minor body mod of the Toyota Matrix and that explained everything. No need to pay for that extra overhead.

I've ridden in the Ford Focus, it was not a pleasant experience.

I love my Civic.

capn is probably right on his suggestion. Another car I could suggest is the mazda3 -- fairly uncommon, zippy, spacious enough for most uses, and gas mileage shouldn't be too bad.

I drive GM's, but Honda Civics are real truckers I have noticed. Those things will drive until the car turns to a pile of dust on 4 wheels rolling down the road by themselves.

PRetty gas efficient too.

I bought my first car 2 months ago, a Renault Clio from 1993.

It isn't the best looking car in the road, but it gets me from A to B, and you'll learn that that is the most important thing. Even if you bought yourself a Porshe, you'd soon find yourself parking, and walking away without looking back, because it quickly goes from "A PORSHE" to "the thing I drove here" (i think we all know our love for new toys dies quickly, even though sometimes we hate to admit to it...)

Some buying tips:
1. Grab the person you know that knows most about cars, and get her to go with you "shopping", seing cars.
2. Make a list of stuff you'll be doing with your car, not a list of stuff you want in your car
3. When seing a car, check the interior for lost parts, broken pieces, odours, stains, etc...
4. Ask the owner about the car's history, and why he wants to sell it
5. Get that friend of yours to drive the car for 4 or 5 minutes, and tell you what he thinks
6. Be on the lookout for engine noises, "lose stuff" noises, and anything you would consider a normal level
7. Don't buy old cars that have a roof panel, usually the rubber on it has been eaten away by the sun, and it will let water in in the winter.
8. If you see something wrong with the car, but on the whole the car is fine, then negotiate with the seller for either a price cut, or for him to replace the damaged parts.
9. Good sense and not rushing things will take you far

Also, now having a used car, I can see a lot of stuff. Last month it required some minor repairs to pass inspection, and using it day to day I'm much more apt in driving. Also, I now know how much I spend in gas in average. This is all very important data, I could have made a big mistake by buying a newer sportier car, supporting larger monthly payment bills, and an increased gas expense...

Quote:

Original post by capn_midnight I really suggest that you not buy an american vehicle. They're generally crap to begin with, add on the lower quality of an economy car and all you have is a money bucket.

This is a common misperception. Yes, a few years back GM cars were not so hot, but nowadays they are as good or even better in reliability than imports.

I have a Pontiac Firebird, and the reliability has been GREAT. It's a '99 too. My gf just bought an '05 Honda Civic and has been happy with that as well. (she got the EX Special Edition, which i'm pretty sure is the highest trim level).

Don't think in terms of American vs Import. Go by what you want out of a car.

If you do go American, I would go with GM. Fords tend to have crappy trannys. As far as imports go, most of them are pretty good.

I would say if you like a little more power, but a little less gas mileage, go with American. If you want a little more gas mileage, but less power, go with a Toyota or Honda.

I tend to think the styling of American cars is much nicer, but that is preference again.

Here are my recommendations:

Chevy Cavalier (they don't make these anymore, but you can get them used)
Chevy Cobalt (the Cavalier's replacement. You can get these reasonably cheaply, and they have more power than the others on this list)
Honda Civic (good cars, reliable)
Toyota Corrolla (similar to the civic)
Pontiac Sunfire (similar to cavalier, different styling)
Dodge Neon (One of the cheapest cars you will find, but not as reliable)
Mini Cooper (good gas mileage, decent power, distinct style)

This is a good list to get you started. I would stay away from Kia's if I were you.

I hear Hyundai Sonatas are decent too, but I don't know very much about them.

I recommend getting a Diesel car. If you search around a bit on the internet, you'll find some info on how to mix diesel and vegetable oil. A friend of mine saves dozens of dollars on each tank by buying large bottles of cheap sunflower oil and mixing them with 50% Diesel fuel.

Quote:

Original post by ktuluorion Don't think in terms of American vs Import. Go by what you want out of a car.

For the OP, American is Import.

And I came really close to owning a steel-brushed grey Delorean once. A guy sold it second hand for a measly €5000, which was just over my budget. Damn.

Great first cars are Volkswagens. German efficiency, virtually indestructible. My first car was a VW Golf, and it just -wouldn't- rust or deteriorate. Excellent starter cars.

I'd stay away from the French ones. They can be good, but seeing how this will be your first car, the good ones will not likely be within your budget. My limited car-buyer experience tells me that German cars have the best quality for a starter's budget. Mind you, that's on the continent. I'm not sure about the UK.

How about a Renault? a Clío or Megane, those a pretty, not so expensive, fuel efficient, and very well equipped. You get no better thing for the same price, period

One thing to consider, if this is your first car, is that it'll be the car you're going to make begginer's mistakes with - things like running it out of oil or with really old oil, going over sidewalks on turns, burning the clutch, etc.
Basically, consider getting something cheap, even second hand, and with cheap maintenance, get some experience with it, then change to something better in 2-3 years.

I'd say that if you can get a hand me down car from your family, that's the ideal situation - unless it's from the lead foot of the family, in that case maintenance might cost more than the car itself.

Ah I really should have mentioned budget. The two suggestions I had from asking the mechanics at work was either a Corsa, or a Fiesta. Both cheap runners, cheap insurance, cheap to get, cheap to insure, and both of them aren't too bad looking. I'll probably end up with a Fiesta as my first car, quite like them for little cars. I will be going second hand when I pass my test, although I'll be doing a lot of hunting round to get the best insurance quote - I don't really want something that will cost over £1000 to insure, but it wont go down by waiting till i'm older, its gonna go down by driving insured for a few years.

Not too expensive but still flashy, a mazda 323f.
Note that there are two models, the pre '95 (with
popup lights) and the later model (little bigger
but no popup lights)
I drove both and they are really nice :)

Btw here in Holland Golf (gti) is expensive to insure,
because it's the most stolen car. If you are under 24
you can forget more or less (or pay $$$'s)