What should be my first car?

I don't know what car I should get in about 5 years whenever I'm old enough to drive. I live in South Mississippi and are there any places around there that sell cars from $200-$2000 in or around South Mississippi? If so where, and please tell me some good cars I can get for a low price. If the car is used or old. Do you think the car dealerships now would still be around in about 5 years?

If you know any ways to save money now for a car later, then please post them here. My brother is a soccer referee and he makes a good bit of money each week, but other than that, that's the only job I can think of down here.

[edit on 10/21/07 by last_resort]

I have worked in auto sales for over ten years and I can give you a couple of pointers. A car a dealership would sell for $2,000 would be a car that they paid about $500 or less for. If you are going to spend of $10K on a car and you need to get financing a dealers is a good way to go but if you are going to spend $2,000 or under you should by an automobile from a private seller. Craigslist.com is the best place to find a great deal on a car. People post hundreds of cars a day in your local area on Craigslist. There are lots of good cars out there so it all depends on what you need. A pickup, sports car, sedan, SUV? In my opinion if you can find one of these cars in your price range these would be the best for you.

Toyota Corolla, Camry, Tercel, Pickup
Honda Accord, Civic, CRX
Nissan Altima, Sentra, Maxima, Pickup
Chevy 1500 Pickup

If you find a car you like you should run a Carfax report and make sure it has a clean history. Also if you can afford it, go to a local repair shop you trust or recommended by someone and have them look over the car before you buy it, t will cost you around $100. Search Autotrader.com, Cars.com, and Craiglist.com for private sellers every day and eventually you will find that great deal. Just be patient and wait for that good feeling. Go with your gut if you have a bad feeling about a car be cautious and listen to your intuition.

See if you can find a job at a local car dealership washing cars, you can make good money, learn a trade (auto detailing), and when they get a nice car in trade you can get a good deal because you are an employee. Some dealers want someone with a license so they can move cars, but if you find the right dealer they may need some extra help with washing cars and other odd jobs, that's what I did when I was your age, just don’t get sucked in to being a salesman when you get older; its a lousy job and unless you’re a real hustler you wont make very much money.

Keep in mind these things:

* Get a 'car history report - Some dealers will put cars back on a lot that have been refurbished, look good, and won't tell the buyers anything other than the car had alot of money put into it. I got snagged into buying a car for those reasons. I found out later that the car had been in an accident, a few months prior, and the frame was out of alignment. The price of the car was right, but the financial maintenance headaches were worse. For safety reasons - do your homework.

* Try to bring someone who is 'car savy' with you - Women, unfortuneatly, will be taken advantage of. Yes, there are laws out there to protect us, but some of the 'lesser reknown' dealers will skirt around these laws and play on women's 'lack of mechanical know-how'. Always 'test-drive' your potential purchace with someone who understands what normal sounds of a car are. Those few extra pings, underneathe the hood, might be re-assured by the dealer to be mere nothings, but someone who knows better will wave the red flag to possible dangers.

* Low Kilometers/Mileage - Ok...so you brought someone with you, everything checks out...but wow!!! "Is that the actual mileage, or distance to the sun?" Some motors can take a beating, and seem to go on for ever. Others reach a certain 'peak', and just like the expirary date on a milk carton, these cars conk out quickly. There goes your hard-earned cash, into the nearest car graveyard - the junkpile.

There are many many tips to make sure you get your monies worth when buying cars.

for your price range ... private seller ... pay to have a mechanic look it over ... money well-spent ... if the private seller will not allow this, something isn't right.

For a first car in these times ... try to get a CRX HF, a Civic HX ... something on the fuel efficient side. Small economical is a must a $3/gallon for a young person not making too much ... and in 5 years it may be $6/gallon more or less. You DO NOT want something that gets in the teens in the city, even the twenties is rough.

There are plenty of older cars that fit into that. Too many to list. epa.gov or fueleconomy.gov has the old cars epa gas mileage figures. You have plenty of time to find out all the cars with great mileage from the past, and find something to suit your needs.

Pay attention to the cheaper cars on the market right now ... those will be in the $2000 range in about 5 years. Hyundai accents can get decent mileage if driven in a slow manner ... though I know someone with one that gets in the 20s highway ... which to me isn't so great, but they are lead-footed, which eats a lot of fuel.



Definitely scope out a mechanic you can trust ... find someone who knows a lot about cars and listen to them ... then study and verify that information yourself. Not everyone knows what they are talking about that claim to, not all mechanics are trustworthy. Dealerships and their mechanics are almost NEVER trustworthy in any way shape or form. I worked at one and was sickened by how they laugh at the customer's ignorance and gullibility ... so much so I had to quit. I do agree though ... work as a porter or detailer ... if you get in good with the used car manager, they usually will swing you a deal if they can ... being on the inside and a pet of the person who decides how much a trade in is worth and how much they will sell it for is a way to get a great car at a reasonable price.


Always take the car for a test drive. Go over a bumpy road/railroad tracks. Use reverse, turn the wheel to lock in each direction and put a load on the wheels (drive in a circle forward and reverse). Make sure to drive it up to highway speeds ... drive it long enough for the engine to be fully warmed up for a period of time to make sure it doesn't overheat or leak. Make sure the a/c and heat work. Listen for any odd noises. Have someone with you to look out the back or watch from the back when you start it up for smoke ... burning oil/water can be serious problems. Check the body for rust. all sorts of things that I can't recall at the moment.

There is so much, but 5 years is plenty of time. Pay as much attention as you can to the cars you currently ride in. Listen to them. Ask questions if you hear something ... and come here and ask if you need to. Knowledge is power ... especially when buying a car.

thanks for the replies. I've got a lot of cars in my head I might get, but keep in mind, I don't buy a car for about another 5 or 6 years.

May i say if you can find a neon in desent working order buy it. For a about $2,000 and low repairs needed, its a good choice. I love my neon.

Seriously...Buy a bike...

Cheap gas, low payments, and way way way way more fun than a car.

And you say well what about the ladies? Taken em out?

Chicks love a guy who rides "solo"

Trust me.

Buy a bike.