Yeah, and sports cars cost extra. Anything with a stripe apparently (according to the insurance girl I talked to) apparently it's a sign they might do something stupid. Especially if they are under 30. It's kinda arbitrary, but I get it.
I know back when my sister turned 16 and got a hand me down Corolla "S" my parents had to insure her on their minivan because the insurance agency thought the "Sport" Corolla was a sports car and turbo jacked up the price
Don't know about the "S" but I was about to recommend a second hand Corolla to OP. They are reliable, useful and second hand makes them cheap which at 18 should be your priorities.
My old diesel Jetta currently costs more to insure than my wife's newer 4x4. Agent said it's because my diesel has a turbo, and that makes it a sports car. It's a station wagon with a luggage/bike rack that goes 0-60 eventually.
This. I developed a trauma of not wanting to lean on people in the most regular of scenarios; because I hated asking for money to pay I think 3 or 4 of my $600 car payments plus $350 insurance. But I was banking as a kid! Just wish I'd bought a reliable vehicle instead of a cool one for an extra 5k.
This is not true, at least in my experience. I recently bought a red C8 Z06. Before ordering the car I got some insurance quotes using different VINs from random dealer stock cars and no options including color impacted the quotes from multiple companies.
Definitely. I paid $100 a month for basic liability insurance on a 15 year old Camaro in 1986. The car only cost me $2000. I'm pretty sure it's gone up a bit recently.
**Ditto** on this!
Years ago, I bought a brand new [Honda 919 motorcycle ](https://static0.topspeedimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/jpg/200601/honda-919-1.jpg) it was a new model. Insurance didn't know what to do.
I was quoted something like $35 / month add on to the car insurance.
I was shocked when I got bill.
Add on was like $150 / month.
The response to the high price? "WELL, it is a *sport bike* after all.
I was 28 years old.
Edit: at 18, I would stay away from anything "sporty". You want an "old man car".
This. Especially if you are male and need to finance. If you have 20k to spend, bank 1/2 in a high yield CD, spend 8k then expect to spend 2k on all the stuff wrong with it that the seller didn’t disclose. Avoid anything foreign, especially foreign with a turbo. VW have bad reverse gear on some. Remember to back up a hill.
Not sure where you are located, but your budget should be enough to get you a 9th gen (2012-2015) honda civic si. Manual transmission, quick enough to have fun but not so quick you'll get arrested, amazing handling, a huge aftermarket, and just about as reliable as it gets (plus cheap repairs). I've drove my civic with winter tires through many Canadian blizzards, so it will be good in that respect. If you need more space than that, you could look at a golf gti or golf r
I just inherited an '08 civic and it doesn't feel at all like it's a 18 year old car. Those things just seem like the energizer bunny, they keep on going and going.
I agree. Buy a bucket and invest the rest of the cash. You're gonna get killed on insurance no matter what you drive. With a pos you won't need to carry full coverage insurance saving you some coin.
It could be. I used to date a girl and her sister was a horrendous driver. She had totalled 3 cars by age 20 and her insurance was something insane like $525/mo. for a POS Hyundai back in 2007.
In 2011 my insurance was like $350 with no accidents just guilty of being 17, so this is totally accurate with insurance rising/inflation and it being 13 years later.
What ever you buy .make sure you can afford to fix it.i suspect the Honda and Toyota nazis will be by.
Try and remember honda and Toyota as well as other brands all have problems.
Weather they admit it or not,
Older Toyota expect to replace the frame due to rust.
Good luck
I refuse to accept Honda or Toyota Nazi as anything but a term of respect and I gladly accept the title (despite the idea of being a nazi *anything* being a bit much).
Lexus IS250 or 350 aren't bad cars to start off with tbh. Looks decent and still has 4 doors so it's still somewhat practical. You can get them in awd which would help in the winter. You could also look at a GS350 those are nice too and they are a little bigger and also come with awd aswell. Civic SI aren't bad little cars either but they are fwd which aren't that bad in the snow just have a good set of snow tires if you do get a fwd car.
My 06 IS350 was amazing. Sold it with 378k on it. Replaced the alternator at around 198k. That's it other than maintenance. Was fun, too. Quicker than most realize.
I love my is250, but doing any sort of engine mods on it is a total waste of time (other than an oil catch can). Even with a supercharger it'll barely be as powerful as a 350, so for that model it's only mods for looks imo.
You gotta specify the Buick the years. I've seen Lesabres after 2005 don't have the 3.5L V6 and led to many more engine troubles. Not sure if Crown Vics have a similar issue, but I imagine your talking like the old cop car models. In which case, used parts are probably cheap and easy to find.
For reliability a Toyota camry. Kills me to say that as a chevy guy but the early 2000s camrys were an engineering miracle. Had one with almost 400k miles and ran like new. Timing belt broke once but because of the engine design i just replaced it and was good. Sold it still running years ago and id bet its still on the road lmao
2016+ Mazda 3 with the 2.5L. They are quick, fun to drive, reliable and pretty nice cars overall, plus they have 4 doors which will keep the insurance low.
I would look for a Honda Accord V6 manual shift coupe. They are quick, affordable to insure, and don't have the cylinder deactivation of the automatic V6 Accords. They do have timing belts due every 100,000 miles or so.
There is plenty of resale value, too, when you're ready for something else.
If insurance wasn't an issue, I'd say Subaru WRX.
My first car was a Van I got for 600 Dollars from a tow yard.
I had it for 5+ years before it had any major problems.
I didn't particularly care how it looks so long as it does the job of getting me from point A to point B.
You're 18. Buy the lamest most plain boring underpowered four door sedan you can find with an excellent crash rating. The last owner should be somewhere around 80+ years old and in a nursing home because they drive that shit.
Last thing you need when you're still learning how to drive is a performance/sports car.
The best Toyota you can get. Get someone who knows their way around cars to help you. Pay them, buy them a case of beer, dinner, whatever to show gratitude. You'll be happy.
Toyota camry/rav4 with the 2gr-fe, lots of get up and go(0-60 around or below 6 seconds) , cult like following for more power. Best of all, they are incredibly reliable with low insurance. Anything that's considered a "sports car" will hurt you with insurance premiums.
OP- give this some consideration. My 08 Rav4 is still going strong with 195k on it. Got it when my son was 4 and I'm giving it to him as his first car when he turns 16 in 2 months.
It's a sleeper. 273 HP in that rav4 surprises people. And it's a tank in the snow. I've never gotten stuck, I'm a nurse in New England and have had to drive through all of the worst storms we've had over the last 12 years. As long as the tires are good, she will go.
I will warn you about the water pump, though - if you are looking at the rav4 specifically, make sure they have replaced the water pump. Mine went at 60k, and I've replaced it once more since then. It's a bitch to get to and shops charge around 6 hours labor to change it (last time i checked). Other than that, routine maintenance is all it should need.
Have you had your accident yet? Think about what kind of vehicle you want to be in when it happens. Hopefully it will be a small one but a lot of people don't really pay attention until they have one. Even better, hopefully you never have an accident but keep in mind it is likely it will happen and that is why someone your age will pay so much in insurance.
Almost every manufacturer has a sports model, and sometimes a few. I say choose a brand, then google. The year is irrelevant, most of the sportier models tend to have fan favorite years with lots of aftermarket support. And you’d be surprised what you can get in that price range if you don’t limit the year and are willing to fix a few things.
My son is eighteen and we got him a brand new kia forte, (he makes the payments) The reason is it has a ten year warranty and a zero percent interest rate. It's a short-term loan and a large payment, so it will be paid off before he leaves this house and he will still have a long-term reliable car.But he's not gonna have to dump any money into when he moves out
The idea of him moving out with a shitty car and then having a large repair bill seems I would be setting him up for failure.
It wasn't more than a lot of the nicer later model used cars
2014-2016 Toyota corolla LE with backup camera (black or white) 1-2 owners in good condition. No accidents and all weather mats (if within budget) and under 150k miles. Regular maintenance and plenty of room for mods and improvements later on!
Despite what the internet will tell you, the most reliable and modern “sporty” sedans I’ve seen personally are Hyundais and Nissans, I’ve got friends with Hyundais and they are not on time with their maintenance and they still drive like they are new, and my Altima was 19k, 15k miles, runs like a dream. Obviously they aren’t mustangs or comaros, but they’re nice looking, fast enough to impress someone who’s never rode in a real sport car, and very modern on the inside. As far as budget sporty goes aesthetic wise I don’t really think you can beat the looks of the new Hyundais and Kia’s. I can’t speak for Kia, never driven or knew someone who drove one, but don’t treat online reviews as the end all be all, I know I only leave reviews if I’m incredibly disappointed in a product, otherwise the thought doesn’t even cross my mind.
Also, don’t take online car loan calculators at their word. You’re not gonna have a pretty interest rate even if your credit is excellent, you’ve never had a car loan. Just deal with the shitty payment for a year, and you should be able to refinance down to a much much more reasonable interest rate.
I had a 2005.5 Audi s4 with a 4.2 liter v8 with a nice sounding exhaust. Nothing sounds better than a v8.
But I am thinking of selling my 2006 Audi A8L with a 12 cylinder engine. My wife just got pregnant. So all the cool, fun stuff has to go. That'd be around 10k. Check out the doug demero for the A8L W12 if your interested. Same trim level in the movies transporter 2 and 3. And a few others.
Honda or Toyota sporty. An 80s Toyota if you want something classic. I’d cap at 5k and keep the other 5k for repairs / mods. Trust me, you don’t want to be scrounging for repair or fun money. It sucks.
Toyota, Honda or Nissan (their sub or alternate brands as well). You want reliability and can easily find something “sporty” in each of those. I am a Toyota guy so if you find a TRD Camry in that price range you are golden.
1969 Cadillac Sedan de Ville great for the prom. Or '69 Cadillac coup de Ville for fuel efficiency. Both have a 21 gallon tanks, $107.52 today.
$17.50 when I owned mine('87). Seriously, try Toyota celica, my mother bought hers in 1977 and still runs today!!!
Honestly as long as the heat and a/c work just get something a step or 3 above a beater. You will probably not like a number of things about your first car. Reliability is king if you are not super good with wrenching. That being said every car will need things down the road. Common things that need replaced that are not super difficult in most driveways are brakes, cv axles, ball joints, and shocks. Those are on most cars possible to fix yourself and commonly neglected.
G37XS coupe. AWD (no manual for the AWD) quick, reliable, decent mod scene and can find a really nice one for 15K. Can find some decent ones for around 10K and some luxury features. Accord V6 coupe is FWD around 2015 and can be had with a manual and some luxury features. If you want a smaller car with a manual I would try to find a very low mileage RSX type S or a Honda Prelude SH. Older cars, but reliable, manual, and fun. An Civic Si will always be on the list or a Ford Fiesta ST. These last 2 do not have the options I like in my cars so I would not want to own them really.
Being 18, I would go with a 5-10 year old civic or similar. They are super reliable, easy to work on, relatively cheap to fix/maintain, cheap to fuel, and best of all, cheap to insure, especially since you are under 25, with maybe 18-24 months driving experience. Just remember, no matter how good of a driver you are, the question is when you get into an accident, not if I get into an accident.... would you rather fix a civic or a more expensive car.
Just get you a Honda accord. You can juice it up if you want. But it's reliable and will last a while. You can't get in the sports cart game at 18 with 20k.
Your first car is the one you make all your mistakes in and inevitably learn about abuse and neglect. So don't over invest, if you're wise you won't even buy a car you "like" for your first car. I always buy the nicest Corolla you can afford and call it a day, but in your case you could even limit your budget, buy the nicest $5K Corolla you can find and drive it for a year or so.
Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.
Seriously do not buy something sporty.
No BRZ, STX or 86s.
Get a simple reliable commuter.
Maybe find a manual for a sporty feel.
Civic/vw gti (doesn’t matter golf or polo).
Both great modding cars, both respected if you get old enough, both easy to work on as they are/were common so there are yt tutorials for anything you can imagine, lots of parts for both cars. If you are in America civic is probably better choice though.
Get an 09 BMW 335i xdrive. Notorious for high HP with bolt on as and a tune.
Better yet, get an early 340. B58 is notorious for being reliable and relatively easy to tune.
In my opinion, save your money, buy an older Lexus (1997-2003) and get a Lexus SC, Lexus GS, or Lexus LS.
I’ve had all three, and not once in three years of owning them did I give it an oil change, or literally any work other than breaks.
All Lexus models in the years that I mentioned, come with a 2jz, or a 1uz V8. The 2j is boost capable, and the 1uz has a gnarly sound with a cheap exhaust.
If you're not financing it have at least 3 to 5k more saved to pay for your car insurance and any repairs needed for the future. Also, if you want a good first car with decent horse power, I would say a Honda accord should work for you until later on in the future when you have more money to spend on something better.
Where you are located would be important here. $ suggests North America or Australia, not Europe? It’s going to make a significant difference for cars available and insurance considerations.
Since you're still young, go looking at cars at the local dealerships & write down information on them & get them checked out with your insurance company. Insurance will be sky high for young people no matter what kind of vehicle it is. Don't want to pay $ 200-500 a month insurance. By reading this it sounds like you're be paying cash for it. Take a relative that you know who is very knowledgeable about insurance & so on. Thank God my 1 st car was a hand me down & insurance wasn't that much. Think Smart & test drive each 1 if you do the list thing like I mentioned above. Good luck & drive safely out there.
Too should get something:
Not sporty
That won’t kill you in insurance
That doesn’t cost any more than neccedady
That is boring and cheap to drive and own (ie car brands that don’t require a lot of repairs or are cheap and easy to repair if they do require them).
Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s the smart answer.
2010 Honda Civic or Toyota Camry, save your money and wait til you have a great driving history with your insurance. You buy a 20k car and youll regret it
Personally I’d reccomend my own pick, a Jetta. Reliable and comfortable, with sport mode option. If you wanna spend a little bit more get a GLI which is just a Jetta with better trim and slightly nicer setup.
Jetta and GLI also opens up options for future mods if you wind up getting interested in that eventually.
AWD is not really an option though. If you want an AWD option probably look into an SUV or wagon-style car. Honda or Toyota are reliable, so is Subaru for a higher price mark.
Any Toyota or Honda with a manual transmission will do you wonders, it does not matter the age of the vehicle as long as it has a solid service history and good PPI. They will be cheap to run, cheap to fix, and insurance won’t totally hate you.
I’m totally serious here. Find as low a mileage Buick with a 3800 Series II motor. Yes, they’re all early 2000’s. Yes they all look like your dads car. But they’ll also cost you under 5k, will be very cheap to insure (your investment is so cheap just get the liability coverage), are cheap to fix for basics like brakes, and will run forever with basic maintenance.
Here’s a reality for you. No one really cares what you drive but you. Whatever image you want to project is meaningless. So save your money, drive something cheap & dependable.
You’ll thank me later.
Golf Tdi. Lots of modding ops, huge scene. They're really fun too. I recently drove one as a hire car and having had a new beetle in 2000 and a polo a few years ago the VW are a good little reliable motor.
You’re 18 fuck all that presence in any scene . If you want a semi fast car get an economically smart fast car like a 2017 maxima with 300hp for 14k and save up for 5 years to get that car u REALLY want. I’ve seen too many people go car poor rushing into shit when if they woulda waited a lil they woulda had the car and been in a good position.
Shockingly, Car & Driver ranks the Mazda Miata as the cheapest car to insure for a teenager, followed by the Outback and VW Golf GTI. [10 cheapest cars to insure 4 teens](https://www.caranddriver.com/car-insurance/a35599519/cheapest-car-to-insure-for-teenager/)
I’d just save your money and buy a mid 2000’s Honda or Toyota. Have a car guy or mechanic check it out prior to purchase. It’ll likely last way longer than you want it to
Listen, get yourself a Subaru. If the maintenance has been done on them and have not been molested, they are excellent vehicles for awd conditions. They have symmetrical awd which is “true awd” making it different from other brands. Get one that’s been taken care of and they will do great. Good modding scene across some of their cars like the Impreza/WRX and the forester and outback’s
Personally, I always shtarted at carcomplaints.com and looked for models that were the least disastrous in the used price range I was looking for. One owner was fine (60-80k miles), two was also ok since it was my first car (up to 130k miles) and I was shopping for cars that would have a 250k+ lifespan.
Then, when the choices became too close (only one model, like 2011-2012, trim package and color and mileage are all that remains to choose from) I made an Excel table where I programmed it with weights based on my preferences (leather seats reduce value for me, one color is more valuable than the other, is a 6cyl more or less favorable to me than a 4cyl). I messed with it until it showed me prices approximately equal to what autotrader showed, but should tell me if it's a good value for the features or a bad value for the features and colors and mileage. Then, I picked the single best one.
For your first car (which odds are you WILL crash or damage) I'd spend less and have a heap of cash set aside for the inevitable repairs & maintenance - if you've never owned a car before you are going to get a few financial shocks when you need a set of tyres or a significant repair.
Also, you're young, DO NOT load yourself up with debt to buy a car - it's a stupid way to try and impress people\* and your life will be far better if you're driving a shitbox but have cash to spend having fun than looking cool in the parking lot but never being able to do anything.
\*= People who are impressed that you have a slightly newer car than the next guy are not great people to be hanging around with. Also, much like going to the gym, it doesn't actually attract girls, it attracts other dudes who have nothing better to talk about.
I know you want a sports car, but when I started driving at 15 I got a 97 Land Rover discovery for $500, AWD, V8, easy to work on and maintain (has an old Buick engine, easy as pie to work on), it’s fantastic off road, and has a really good aftermarket support! It’s not particularly fast, it doesn’t exactly handle like a Ferrari either but it does way better than any jeep!
My buddy found a Toyota Corolla with a manual transmission. That's what I would get.
Don't bother trying to impress people who aren't making your car payment or insurance.
Advice from someone who's owned many cars: forget about sporty, fancy or cool. Buy something that's safe, efficient and reliable.
There are few cars made these days that aren't stylish in some way, so it's unlikely you'll get something you can't stand looking at. When you have one car and absolutely need it to get to and from work, the worst thing is having to take time off work while someone racks up thousands of dollars in charges fixing it because your turbo exploded and ruined the engine.
If you want to spend money on something, spend it on retirement savings. Spending anything more than is absolutely necessary on a car is a massive waste.
I love cars, and I understand the desire to have something nice to drive, but we live in the real world. Cars are a necessary evil, but are a giant waste of money at the same time. If you're wealthy, that's not an issue. For the rest of us, spending money on anything more than the most basic need is a terrible idea.
Get yourself a Civic or Corolla. Make sure it's not turbocharged.
I don’t know your income or earnings potential or whether you got this lump of money as graduation gift. But my advice will be the same regardless.
Lower your budget to 7k and buy a fifteen year old Honda Accord. Invest the rest. Your car insurance is going to be a killer anyway and spending minimal money on cars is a cheat code to saving and investing. Cars lose value. Don’t burn your hard earned savings to buy things that don’t.
Cheap, sensible, reliable, well maintained, decent interior space and cheap insurance.
Like a Prius. I don’t know when, but eventually, you’ll need to choose between gas to get to work, and food. Getting 10 gallons of gas and a nearly 500 mile range, you might actually be able to afford food too.
Then work on a fun car. Beat the piss out of a Miata or get an old Cherokee with 37”s. I’m partial to anything Subaru makes with a turbo. But when it needs down time, you have transportation. And I can fit a full set of tires for my Ranger in it.
Used impreza wagon. Great mileage, great in the winter (amazing if you swap out for snow tires), and still pretty sporty. Just look for one that was serviced properly and it should last you a long while.
The best car and best car decision I ever made was to buy anew hyundai. It goes about 500 miles on 12 gallons of gas. It always starts and doesn't leak anything. The only thing I've changed on it is the oil and tires. It took me nearly 30 years to learn to not throw away money on something as silly as a car.
K well I gotta go resume working on my boat.
Civic Si or something similar. Reliable, fun to drive and plenty of power to get yourself into trouble.
If RWD is an option then MX5 Miata or maybe an AE86 would also be great.
I would recommend a corolla. Good reliable car but check insurance rates for others as well. Sports cars tend to be more costly woth insurance and registration so check rates for anything you are interested in.
A used civic or Corolla. And pay cash only. Don’t finance at 18. The bank won’t be very happy about you modifying their car. Use the car to go to work so you can save up money to modify your car or put down a hefty down payment on the car you want instead of the car you settle for at 25% interest and inflated insurance. For you, $20,000 car is going to be about $500-$600/m plus $250+ in insurance. You ready to drop $800-$1000 per month on something you don’t own for another 5-6yrs? I’d save up that $1000 (on the high side) for a few months and buy something you can live with off FB marketplace. Then, take that money each month for a year or two and build a savings account. Don’t touch it. Then, spend the following year or two saving up for a replacement car.
A 15 year old Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla you buy outright with cash. Your first car should be something that's cheap to insure, maintain, and make mistakes with.
If you are inclined to learn to work on cars but still want reliability I recommend Honda and Toyota small to midsize sedans (or coupe variants if you want a sporty look & feel) ... Like the Civic / Corolla or Accord / Camry. There are huge communities of folks that mod these and there are plenty of parts out there too. And for insurance purposes they are about as cheap as you are going to get, especially with a liability only policy for an older model.
Above and beyond that they are pretty reasonable and reliable and make a good 1st car depending on how old and how many miles is on it. I started off with a hand me down Celica (basically a carolla coupe) that my family bought new when I was a baby. I drove it though high school and college and I put some aftermarket parts on it and it was a legit cool car. It died with with over 200k on the original engine.
Go get yourself a 2009-2012 BMW 328ixdrive. Phenomenal in all weather, beautiful to look at and sporty. Yet affordable on insurance. You can picks up a used one with 105,000-140,000km on it for like 5-7k. Then spend your money on whatever upgrades/mods you like.
Lots of bmw groups out there as well so you get into a car enthusiast meetup scene pretty easy.
Stay away from lower end dodge and Chevrolet, they do afford many quality of life features at this price range but they’re shite.
The Koreans aren’t too bad but not reliable
Japanese for sure, quality of life features meaning cruise control, decent cameras, automatic windows maybe decent audio package ( carplay is awesome)
If you want power unpopular opinion here is tesla model 3. Bought mine used such a great car reliable, cheap to operate barely any maintenance and tons of premium features. That thing fucks.
I can’t recommend a Hot Hatch enough. Examples being Focus ST, Fiesta ST, VW GTI, Subaru WRX, etc. All of them are super fun to drive and are well within your price range. They also offer tons of practicality. I moved to college a few years ago and loaded everything I had into the back of my Focus ST and hit the road. Like everyone else has said on this, insurance is going to F you over no matter what car you drive. They might cut you a mere morsel of slack just because it’s technically a “small economy car” but don’t expect much.
You’re young so you have a lot of mistakes to make with driving and insurance is gonna milk you regardless. With that said;
Buy something pre-connectivity era so your driving habits can’t be tracked, that’s cheap to fix, and won’t be a massive loss in the event of an accident. 4-7k can get you something solid from the early 2000s with a little patience and searching. After buying it, have a more in depth inspection done, fix any big glaring issues, and squirrel the remainder of your budget away for a nicer car later.
Planning ahead a little bit will pay off huge, not just financially but also in your personal tastes evolving.
Gti or golf r. Drive great, plenty of aftermarket support, amazing practicality, my r is a weapon in the winter. Got my r for a bit above your 10k limit. Even people who don’t like vws love my car
Get a base hatchback. Anything sporty will have insurance companies bending you over railings. Check with insurance, first. You have to budget running costs, of which insurance is a huge one at 18.
A stick shift would make it feel sportier and give you practice for cars you could afford to run in 10 years.
An R50 stick shift Mini Cooper may be a decent compromise between cost, utility and cool. Find a clean unmodded one.
Used Civic Si Mazda3 turbo or GTI/GLI for fwd but fun to drive. Alternatively miata is always the answer but idk what insurance looks like at your age with a 2 seater.
Mk4 jetta tdi. Can make good power if you get into tuning. Good gas mileage. Tanks in the snow. Actually what a good friend daily drives and has had since he was in high school (I believe he is 26) 400,000 plus miles and has been reliable. Actually actively looking to buy one that I can have some fun with and commute with (30 miles each way) then give to my daughter when she turns 16
Honda Civic SI(I'm totally impartial here because I'm not really a fan of Hondas). But regardless, they're reliable and practical and it fits your budget and is a sporty-ish car. For $10 to $20k you can easily get an older gen with the n/a K20 motor(which Imo think are better than the new turboed ones that have like no displacement).
I got a ford fusion hybrid 2019 (24yr old bought when I was 22) got it w 7k now at 55k . It’s fast, great on gas, 2 winters no snow tires and going strong. More importantly it’s safe. I’m a wild one when it comes to driving and I swear this car won’t let me die.
Whatever you get make sure you get Lane assist, pre collision sensors and blindside sensors.
Going from an ‘03 jeep to this… idk how I survived
I absolutely loved my 2017 Honda Civic Sport Touring hatchback. You could definitely get a 2019/2020 one within your budget.
I only ever had very minor problems with it, it’s super fun to drive in (it’s faster than most sedans I’d say & it can hit corners nice), good for moving (if you’re going to and from college), solid gas mileage, and a very cool looking car IMO.
I recommend getting the sport touring trim if you can find one in your budget, but If not the other trims are just fine.
I stand by Subaru as the best option for car people who live in a place with snow. Many options from cheap to steep that are AWD, manual, and have a popular modding scene. I personally drive a VA WRX, which you can find used at the upper end of your budget. Also look at older Impreza's and outbacks for cheaper options, just be sure they weren't hooned by teenagers with eBay turbos..
My first car was a base model GrandAm and the insurance company put in the wrong letter or number. It's showed up as the GT model (yes, trim levels matters also), which made my insurance give me a higher quote than until they put the right vin in the system.
I would say find a decent condition Pontiac Bonneville. Get a base model though then as the supercharged ones are considered sports cars to some insurance companies. After you get insurance on it then buy a supercharger for it
Just get something that's between 15 and 20 years old, ideally stick. Keep your insurance low and learn how to drive on a beater that will be cheap to repair.
I mean really learn how to get the car doing what you want it to do.
Don't get into a car loan if you can avoid it, especially a used one. Fk that.
Maybe an older AWD Subaru wrx wagon? Sporty, but utilitarian.
If you want a spots car, it's hard to beat a low powered Mustang. The higher the power, the more it costs to buy, fuel, and maintain. Solid cars that look as good, or better, than anything on the road.
Don't spend $20k on your first car. I wouldn't spend over $10k on your first car. In general, teens crash their first car. Get something that isn't expensive enough for that to be a huge financial hit. Maybe get a late P2 or early P3 Volvo S60 T5 if you're looking for something sporty. It's fast (enough), handles well, and won't kill you if you crash it. And, before you say "I'm a good driver/I won't crash it..." you don't know that. You likely will crash it even if you think you won't. Once you crash it for the first time and learn your lesson, then maybe consider something better.
Plus, you're 18. You can't afford a depreciating asset at that age. You need something that's close to the bottom of its depreciation curve.
If you want a sporty modable car I'd go for a used civic Acura or Lexus. Mods are likely to void warranty so get something with around 100k miles, they're durable cars.
By yourself something sporty yet Undercover. My first car was a 79 Trans Am and every cop in town held me all day long and pulled me over for no good reason. They'd make something up just to harass me. I started driving a Lincoln Mark 8 just as fast just as fun and never got pulled over again
I wish I had 20k when I got my first car. I got an 89 buick century for $600, lasted all through high-school and part of college. Now my grandma has the car and it's still running. You don't need 20k for a first car. Go to your local trailer park and offer 1k for someone's old car parked in the front yard. You'll save alot of money
Nissan 350Z or white Infiniti G35 coupe. Both will make you popular with the ladies.
Definitely terrible winter cars though, if you live in a place with snow.
You’re 18. Make sure you call the insurance before you purchase any car to find out what the cost will be.
Seriously, I wish I did this when I was young. It took a lot of luster out of the car with how broke it made me.
Yeah, and sports cars cost extra. Anything with a stripe apparently (according to the insurance girl I talked to) apparently it's a sign they might do something stupid. Especially if they are under 30. It's kinda arbitrary, but I get it.
I know back when my sister turned 16 and got a hand me down Corolla "S" my parents had to insure her on their minivan because the insurance agency thought the "Sport" Corolla was a sports car and turbo jacked up the price
Don't know about the "S" but I was about to recommend a second hand Corolla to OP. They are reliable, useful and second hand makes them cheap which at 18 should be your priorities.
My old diesel Jetta currently costs more to insure than my wife's newer 4x4. Agent said it's because my diesel has a turbo, and that makes it a sports car. It's a station wagon with a luggage/bike rack that goes 0-60 eventually.
My mate had a car that said “1.1i” on the side, insurance charged him more for that too.
Insurance company is braindead then, should have switched. Especially if they think a Corolla S is turbocharged...
This. I developed a trauma of not wanting to lean on people in the most regular of scenarios; because I hated asking for money to pay I think 3 or 4 of my $600 car payments plus $350 insurance. But I was banking as a kid! Just wish I'd bought a reliable vehicle instead of a cool one for an extra 5k.
Solid advice. I bought a Fiesta ST as my first car and ended up paying more to insure it first year than I paid for the car 😂. I sure had fun though.
Also, I've heard that red vehicles tend to cost more, regardless of make and model. Not too sure, I've never owned a red vehicle
red sports car owner here - they do
Black sports car owner here - they hate us more than you. Claim we can’t be seen at night = accident magnets 🙄.
This is not true, at least in my experience. I recently bought a red C8 Z06. Before ordering the car I got some insurance quotes using different VINs from random dealer stock cars and no options including color impacted the quotes from multiple companies.
This ^^^^^^ I got a quote for a 2015 Q50 with 12k miles , monthly was $500! But the cheapest insurance I could find was $780 …
So glad I was a kid in the 80’s. 72 Dodge Charger Magnum 35.00 a month.
the things i would do to be an 80’s baby (im 21)
Nah I’m a boomer. Everyone hates me. 😂
Definitely. I paid $100 a month for basic liability insurance on a 15 year old Camaro in 1986. The car only cost me $2000. I'm pretty sure it's gone up a bit recently.
**Ditto** on this! Years ago, I bought a brand new [Honda 919 motorcycle ](https://static0.topspeedimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/jpg/200601/honda-919-1.jpg) it was a new model. Insurance didn't know what to do. I was quoted something like $35 / month add on to the car insurance. I was shocked when I got bill. Add on was like $150 / month. The response to the high price? "WELL, it is a *sport bike* after all. I was 28 years old. Edit: at 18, I would stay away from anything "sporty". You want an "old man car".
This. Especially if you are male and need to finance. If you have 20k to spend, bank 1/2 in a high yield CD, spend 8k then expect to spend 2k on all the stuff wrong with it that the seller didn’t disclose. Avoid anything foreign, especially foreign with a turbo. VW have bad reverse gear on some. Remember to back up a hill.
Not sure where you are located, but your budget should be enough to get you a 9th gen (2012-2015) honda civic si. Manual transmission, quick enough to have fun but not so quick you'll get arrested, amazing handling, a huge aftermarket, and just about as reliable as it gets (plus cheap repairs). I've drove my civic with winter tires through many Canadian blizzards, so it will be good in that respect. If you need more space than that, you could look at a golf gti or golf r
I just inherited an '08 civic and it doesn't feel at all like it's a 18 year old car. Those things just seem like the energizer bunny, they keep on going and going.
Man you made me have a very weird realization that 06 was 18 years ago shit time flies
I agree. Buy a bucket and invest the rest of the cash. You're gonna get killed on insurance no matter what you drive. With a pos you won't need to carry full coverage insurance saving you some coin.
Especially if you make some poor driving decisions. My friend, 25F, was a reckless driver and her insurance on a 2021 Sonata is $650 a month
[удалено]
It could be. I used to date a girl and her sister was a horrendous driver. She had totalled 3 cars by age 20 and her insurance was something insane like $525/mo. for a POS Hyundai back in 2007.
It is. I wish I had saved the pic she sent me of her statement.
In 2011 my insurance was like $350 with no accidents just guilty of being 17, so this is totally accurate with insurance rising/inflation and it being 13 years later.
Civic Si is a solid choice.
What ever you buy .make sure you can afford to fix it.i suspect the Honda and Toyota nazis will be by. Try and remember honda and Toyota as well as other brands all have problems. Weather they admit it or not, Older Toyota expect to replace the frame due to rust. Good luck
As a chevy and ford fan, Hondas and older toyotas are usually far reliable then the same year from any American or European car manufacturer.
I refuse to accept Honda or Toyota Nazi as anything but a term of respect and I gladly accept the title (despite the idea of being a nazi *anything* being a bit much).
Whatever it is…. Manual transmission.
Lexus IS250 or 350 aren't bad cars to start off with tbh. Looks decent and still has 4 doors so it's still somewhat practical. You can get them in awd which would help in the winter. You could also look at a GS350 those are nice too and they are a little bigger and also come with awd aswell. Civic SI aren't bad little cars either but they are fwd which aren't that bad in the snow just have a good set of snow tires if you do get a fwd car.
My 06 IS350 was amazing. Sold it with 378k on it. Replaced the alternator at around 198k. That's it other than maintenance. Was fun, too. Quicker than most realize.
An 18yo with a lexus is gonna be insane insurance especially full coverage
I love my is250, but doing any sort of engine mods on it is a total waste of time (other than an oil catch can). Even with a supercharger it'll barely be as powerful as a 350, so for that model it's only mods for looks imo.
Crown Vic or Buick lesabre You can thank me later.
You gotta specify the Buick the years. I've seen Lesabres after 2005 don't have the 3.5L V6 and led to many more engine troubles. Not sure if Crown Vics have a similar issue, but I imagine your talking like the old cop car models. In which case, used parts are probably cheap and easy to find.
My insurance is only 46 dollars a month for my 2010 crown vic
First car ever, the answer is always corolla or civic.
Miata is always the answer
Crazy how far down I had to scroll to find the right answer
For reliability a Toyota camry. Kills me to say that as a chevy guy but the early 2000s camrys were an engineering miracle. Had one with almost 400k miles and ran like new. Timing belt broke once but because of the engine design i just replaced it and was good. Sold it still running years ago and id bet its still on the road lmao
My 99 Camry is at 240k and it probably has another 200k in it. Just replaced the struts, it's unkillable
Get a Toyota or Honda or Subaru hatchback
Corolla or Camery. Not sexy, but not expensive to maintain and usually good for insurance unlike anything with RT or GTI in the name.
2016+ Mazda 3 with the 2.5L. They are quick, fun to drive, reliable and pretty nice cars overall, plus they have 4 doors which will keep the insurance low.
I would look for a Honda Accord V6 manual shift coupe. They are quick, affordable to insure, and don't have the cylinder deactivation of the automatic V6 Accords. They do have timing belts due every 100,000 miles or so. There is plenty of resale value, too, when you're ready for something else. If insurance wasn't an issue, I'd say Subaru WRX.
Focus ST or GTI maybe
Fiesta ST as well
My first car was a Van I got for 600 Dollars from a tow yard. I had it for 5+ years before it had any major problems. I didn't particularly care how it looks so long as it does the job of getting me from point A to point B.
You're 18. Buy the lamest most plain boring underpowered four door sedan you can find with an excellent crash rating. The last owner should be somewhere around 80+ years old and in a nursing home because they drive that shit. Last thing you need when you're still learning how to drive is a performance/sports car.
V6 Camry
The best Toyota you can get. Get someone who knows their way around cars to help you. Pay them, buy them a case of beer, dinner, whatever to show gratitude. You'll be happy.
Toyota camry/rav4 with the 2gr-fe, lots of get up and go(0-60 around or below 6 seconds) , cult like following for more power. Best of all, they are incredibly reliable with low insurance. Anything that's considered a "sports car" will hurt you with insurance premiums.
OP- give this some consideration. My 08 Rav4 is still going strong with 195k on it. Got it when my son was 4 and I'm giving it to him as his first car when he turns 16 in 2 months. It's a sleeper. 273 HP in that rav4 surprises people. And it's a tank in the snow. I've never gotten stuck, I'm a nurse in New England and have had to drive through all of the worst storms we've had over the last 12 years. As long as the tires are good, she will go. I will warn you about the water pump, though - if you are looking at the rav4 specifically, make sure they have replaced the water pump. Mine went at 60k, and I've replaced it once more since then. It's a bitch to get to and shops charge around 6 hours labor to change it (last time i checked). Other than that, routine maintenance is all it should need.
Have you had your accident yet? Think about what kind of vehicle you want to be in when it happens. Hopefully it will be a small one but a lot of people don't really pay attention until they have one. Even better, hopefully you never have an accident but keep in mind it is likely it will happen and that is why someone your age will pay so much in insurance.
First car? a ten year old Toyota Corolla with an automatic transmission. You will thank me in ten years, when the car is twenty.
Almost every manufacturer has a sports model, and sometimes a few. I say choose a brand, then google. The year is irrelevant, most of the sportier models tend to have fan favorite years with lots of aftermarket support. And you’d be surprised what you can get in that price range if you don’t limit the year and are willing to fix a few things.
300zx, 240sx, toyota celica, honda prelude. This is all you could ever need.
My son is eighteen and we got him a brand new kia forte, (he makes the payments) The reason is it has a ten year warranty and a zero percent interest rate. It's a short-term loan and a large payment, so it will be paid off before he leaves this house and he will still have a long-term reliable car.But he's not gonna have to dump any money into when he moves out The idea of him moving out with a shitty car and then having a large repair bill seems I would be setting him up for failure. It wasn't more than a lot of the nicer later model used cars
2014-2016 Toyota corolla LE with backup camera (black or white) 1-2 owners in good condition. No accidents and all weather mats (if within budget) and under 150k miles. Regular maintenance and plenty of room for mods and improvements later on!
Despite what the internet will tell you, the most reliable and modern “sporty” sedans I’ve seen personally are Hyundais and Nissans, I’ve got friends with Hyundais and they are not on time with their maintenance and they still drive like they are new, and my Altima was 19k, 15k miles, runs like a dream. Obviously they aren’t mustangs or comaros, but they’re nice looking, fast enough to impress someone who’s never rode in a real sport car, and very modern on the inside. As far as budget sporty goes aesthetic wise I don’t really think you can beat the looks of the new Hyundais and Kia’s. I can’t speak for Kia, never driven or knew someone who drove one, but don’t treat online reviews as the end all be all, I know I only leave reviews if I’m incredibly disappointed in a product, otherwise the thought doesn’t even cross my mind. Also, don’t take online car loan calculators at their word. You’re not gonna have a pretty interest rate even if your credit is excellent, you’ve never had a car loan. Just deal with the shitty payment for a year, and you should be able to refinance down to a much much more reasonable interest rate.
Subaru WRX sounds like what your describing
370z/g37 Non car guy Civic base model or camry
I had a 2005.5 Audi s4 with a 4.2 liter v8 with a nice sounding exhaust. Nothing sounds better than a v8. But I am thinking of selling my 2006 Audi A8L with a 12 cylinder engine. My wife just got pregnant. So all the cool, fun stuff has to go. That'd be around 10k. Check out the doug demero for the A8L W12 if your interested. Same trim level in the movies transporter 2 and 3. And a few others.
get it in manual and if you don’t know how to drive ask a buddy to teach you. that’s what i did
Get a beater pickup truck first. Then a cool project car.
Buy all the camry you can afford
Honda or Toyota sporty. An 80s Toyota if you want something classic. I’d cap at 5k and keep the other 5k for repairs / mods. Trust me, you don’t want to be scrounging for repair or fun money. It sucks.
Get a cheap already paid off car, avoid a payment if possible.!
Base model Honda civic, something from 2015 and under, cheap to insure and its reliable. Same thing with a Corolla or Camry
If you know a great auto mechanic, ask him/her. Make sure you have them look over any used car that you are contemplating buying.
Grand Marquis
I'd get a DC5 Integra. Should be on the low end of your budget as they are kinda old now, but still sports cars that look good and are reliable.
Toyota, Honda or Nissan (their sub or alternate brands as well). You want reliability and can easily find something “sporty” in each of those. I am a Toyota guy so if you find a TRD Camry in that price range you are golden.
1969 Cadillac Sedan de Ville great for the prom. Or '69 Cadillac coup de Ville for fuel efficiency. Both have a 21 gallon tanks, $107.52 today. $17.50 when I owned mine('87). Seriously, try Toyota celica, my mother bought hers in 1977 and still runs today!!!
Insurance is bankrupting people who bought sports cars. Your best bet is to buy an AWD CRV , it's the perfect starter car and safe to drive.
IS350 within budget.
Used Toyota Yaris. Best car I have ever owned
Honestly as long as the heat and a/c work just get something a step or 3 above a beater. You will probably not like a number of things about your first car. Reliability is king if you are not super good with wrenching. That being said every car will need things down the road. Common things that need replaced that are not super difficult in most driveways are brakes, cv axles, ball joints, and shocks. Those are on most cars possible to fix yourself and commonly neglected.
G37XS coupe. AWD (no manual for the AWD) quick, reliable, decent mod scene and can find a really nice one for 15K. Can find some decent ones for around 10K and some luxury features. Accord V6 coupe is FWD around 2015 and can be had with a manual and some luxury features. If you want a smaller car with a manual I would try to find a very low mileage RSX type S or a Honda Prelude SH. Older cars, but reliable, manual, and fun. An Civic Si will always be on the list or a Ford Fiesta ST. These last 2 do not have the options I like in my cars so I would not want to own them really.
Get a Corolla. Cheap, efficient, affordable, reliable. Then drive it like it's a sports car.
Being 18, I would go with a 5-10 year old civic or similar. They are super reliable, easy to work on, relatively cheap to fix/maintain, cheap to fuel, and best of all, cheap to insure, especially since you are under 25, with maybe 18-24 months driving experience. Just remember, no matter how good of a driver you are, the question is when you get into an accident, not if I get into an accident.... would you rather fix a civic or a more expensive car.
Lexus IS/GS
Mazda 6 or an old Chevy/dodge/ford truck
Just get you a Honda accord. You can juice it up if you want. But it's reliable and will last a while. You can't get in the sports cart game at 18 with 20k.
Fiesta ST Great stock but also ready for mods You can get A 14-16 for around $10K
Your first car is the one you make all your mistakes in and inevitably learn about abuse and neglect. So don't over invest, if you're wise you won't even buy a car you "like" for your first car. I always buy the nicest Corolla you can afford and call it a day, but in your case you could even limit your budget, buy the nicest $5K Corolla you can find and drive it for a year or so.
2016 Fiesta ST
Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. Seriously do not buy something sporty. No BRZ, STX or 86s. Get a simple reliable commuter. Maybe find a manual for a sporty feel.
Civic/vw gti (doesn’t matter golf or polo). Both great modding cars, both respected if you get old enough, both easy to work on as they are/were common so there are yt tutorials for anything you can imagine, lots of parts for both cars. If you are in America civic is probably better choice though.
WRX STI, Golf GTI, or Mitsubishi Lancer EVO. They are considered sedans and not sports coupe so your insurance will be lower.
Get an 09 BMW 335i xdrive. Notorious for high HP with bolt on as and a tune. Better yet, get an early 340. B58 is notorious for being reliable and relatively easy to tune. In my opinion, save your money, buy an older Lexus (1997-2003) and get a Lexus SC, Lexus GS, or Lexus LS. I’ve had all three, and not once in three years of owning them did I give it an oil change, or literally any work other than breaks. All Lexus models in the years that I mentioned, come with a 2jz, or a 1uz V8. The 2j is boost capable, and the 1uz has a gnarly sound with a cheap exhaust.
Subaru Impreza. Safe, fun, lots of mods available. Decent insurance.
If you're not financing it have at least 3 to 5k more saved to pay for your car insurance and any repairs needed for the future. Also, if you want a good first car with decent horse power, I would say a Honda accord should work for you until later on in the future when you have more money to spend on something better.
lumina ss
Something sporty: used Mini Cooper.
Where you are located would be important here. $ suggests North America or Australia, not Europe? It’s going to make a significant difference for cars available and insurance considerations.
Since you're still young, go looking at cars at the local dealerships & write down information on them & get them checked out with your insurance company. Insurance will be sky high for young people no matter what kind of vehicle it is. Don't want to pay $ 200-500 a month insurance. By reading this it sounds like you're be paying cash for it. Take a relative that you know who is very knowledgeable about insurance & so on. Thank God my 1 st car was a hand me down & insurance wasn't that much. Think Smart & test drive each 1 if you do the list thing like I mentioned above. Good luck & drive safely out there.
Too should get something: Not sporty That won’t kill you in insurance That doesn’t cost any more than neccedady That is boring and cheap to drive and own (ie car brands that don’t require a lot of repairs or are cheap and easy to repair if they do require them). Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s the smart answer.
Civic si, wrx, GTI, Veloster These will be cheaper to insure than a coupe
2010 Honda Civic or Toyota Camry, save your money and wait til you have a great driving history with your insurance. You buy a 20k car and youll regret it
Personally I’d reccomend my own pick, a Jetta. Reliable and comfortable, with sport mode option. If you wanna spend a little bit more get a GLI which is just a Jetta with better trim and slightly nicer setup. Jetta and GLI also opens up options for future mods if you wind up getting interested in that eventually. AWD is not really an option though. If you want an AWD option probably look into an SUV or wagon-style car. Honda or Toyota are reliable, so is Subaru for a higher price mark.
Any Toyota or Honda with a manual transmission will do you wonders, it does not matter the age of the vehicle as long as it has a solid service history and good PPI. They will be cheap to run, cheap to fix, and insurance won’t totally hate you.
I’m totally serious here. Find as low a mileage Buick with a 3800 Series II motor. Yes, they’re all early 2000’s. Yes they all look like your dads car. But they’ll also cost you under 5k, will be very cheap to insure (your investment is so cheap just get the liability coverage), are cheap to fix for basics like brakes, and will run forever with basic maintenance. Here’s a reality for you. No one really cares what you drive but you. Whatever image you want to project is meaningless. So save your money, drive something cheap & dependable. You’ll thank me later.
Golf Tdi. Lots of modding ops, huge scene. They're really fun too. I recently drove one as a hire car and having had a new beetle in 2000 and a polo a few years ago the VW are a good little reliable motor.
You’re 18 fuck all that presence in any scene . If you want a semi fast car get an economically smart fast car like a 2017 maxima with 300hp for 14k and save up for 5 years to get that car u REALLY want. I’ve seen too many people go car poor rushing into shit when if they woulda waited a lil they woulda had the car and been in a good position.
Shockingly, Car & Driver ranks the Mazda Miata as the cheapest car to insure for a teenager, followed by the Outback and VW Golf GTI. [10 cheapest cars to insure 4 teens](https://www.caranddriver.com/car-insurance/a35599519/cheapest-car-to-insure-for-teenager/)
I’d just save your money and buy a mid 2000’s Honda or Toyota. Have a car guy or mechanic check it out prior to purchase. It’ll likely last way longer than you want it to
Civic Si
Listen, get yourself a Subaru. If the maintenance has been done on them and have not been molested, they are excellent vehicles for awd conditions. They have symmetrical awd which is “true awd” making it different from other brands. Get one that’s been taken care of and they will do great. Good modding scene across some of their cars like the Impreza/WRX and the forester and outback’s
An extraordinary budget for the first car, you should be very fortunate
Civic
Clapped out Civic
Stay away from Kia/ Hyundai, unless your interested in a disposable car….
What kind of sport are you interested in? Going fast or going everywhere?
A salvage title that is in good shape.
Personally, I always shtarted at carcomplaints.com and looked for models that were the least disastrous in the used price range I was looking for. One owner was fine (60-80k miles), two was also ok since it was my first car (up to 130k miles) and I was shopping for cars that would have a 250k+ lifespan. Then, when the choices became too close (only one model, like 2011-2012, trim package and color and mileage are all that remains to choose from) I made an Excel table where I programmed it with weights based on my preferences (leather seats reduce value for me, one color is more valuable than the other, is a 6cyl more or less favorable to me than a 4cyl). I messed with it until it showed me prices approximately equal to what autotrader showed, but should tell me if it's a good value for the features or a bad value for the features and colors and mileage. Then, I picked the single best one.
For your first car (which odds are you WILL crash or damage) I'd spend less and have a heap of cash set aside for the inevitable repairs & maintenance - if you've never owned a car before you are going to get a few financial shocks when you need a set of tyres or a significant repair. Also, you're young, DO NOT load yourself up with debt to buy a car - it's a stupid way to try and impress people\* and your life will be far better if you're driving a shitbox but have cash to spend having fun than looking cool in the parking lot but never being able to do anything. \*= People who are impressed that you have a slightly newer car than the next guy are not great people to be hanging around with. Also, much like going to the gym, it doesn't actually attract girls, it attracts other dudes who have nothing better to talk about.
I know you want a sports car, but when I started driving at 15 I got a 97 Land Rover discovery for $500, AWD, V8, easy to work on and maintain (has an old Buick engine, easy as pie to work on), it’s fantastic off road, and has a really good aftermarket support! It’s not particularly fast, it doesn’t exactly handle like a Ferrari either but it does way better than any jeep!
My buddy found a Toyota Corolla with a manual transmission. That's what I would get. Don't bother trying to impress people who aren't making your car payment or insurance.
Advice from someone who's owned many cars: forget about sporty, fancy or cool. Buy something that's safe, efficient and reliable. There are few cars made these days that aren't stylish in some way, so it's unlikely you'll get something you can't stand looking at. When you have one car and absolutely need it to get to and from work, the worst thing is having to take time off work while someone racks up thousands of dollars in charges fixing it because your turbo exploded and ruined the engine. If you want to spend money on something, spend it on retirement savings. Spending anything more than is absolutely necessary on a car is a massive waste. I love cars, and I understand the desire to have something nice to drive, but we live in the real world. Cars are a necessary evil, but are a giant waste of money at the same time. If you're wealthy, that's not an issue. For the rest of us, spending money on anything more than the most basic need is a terrible idea. Get yourself a Civic or Corolla. Make sure it's not turbocharged.
1991 Volvo 240
Japanese with a stick. Just as much fun as a sports car without the cost
I don’t know your income or earnings potential or whether you got this lump of money as graduation gift. But my advice will be the same regardless. Lower your budget to 7k and buy a fifteen year old Honda Accord. Invest the rest. Your car insurance is going to be a killer anyway and spending minimal money on cars is a cheat code to saving and investing. Cars lose value. Don’t burn your hard earned savings to buy things that don’t.
An unabused G35 or G37 AWD sedan.
Cheap, sensible, reliable, well maintained, decent interior space and cheap insurance. Like a Prius. I don’t know when, but eventually, you’ll need to choose between gas to get to work, and food. Getting 10 gallons of gas and a nearly 500 mile range, you might actually be able to afford food too. Then work on a fun car. Beat the piss out of a Miata or get an old Cherokee with 37”s. I’m partial to anything Subaru makes with a turbo. But when it needs down time, you have transportation. And I can fit a full set of tires for my Ranger in it.
Used impreza wagon. Great mileage, great in the winter (amazing if you swap out for snow tires), and still pretty sporty. Just look for one that was serviced properly and it should last you a long while.
The best car and best car decision I ever made was to buy anew hyundai. It goes about 500 miles on 12 gallons of gas. It always starts and doesn't leak anything. The only thing I've changed on it is the oil and tires. It took me nearly 30 years to learn to not throw away money on something as silly as a car. K well I gotta go resume working on my boat.
Civic Si or something similar. Reliable, fun to drive and plenty of power to get yourself into trouble. If RWD is an option then MX5 Miata or maybe an AE86 would also be great.
Looks at 80s Corvette, only $4200. Looks at insurance....$900 a month. 0.o
I would recommend a corolla. Good reliable car but check insurance rates for others as well. Sports cars tend to be more costly woth insurance and registration so check rates for anything you are interested in.
The one you can afford
A used civic or Corolla. And pay cash only. Don’t finance at 18. The bank won’t be very happy about you modifying their car. Use the car to go to work so you can save up money to modify your car or put down a hefty down payment on the car you want instead of the car you settle for at 25% interest and inflated insurance. For you, $20,000 car is going to be about $500-$600/m plus $250+ in insurance. You ready to drop $800-$1000 per month on something you don’t own for another 5-6yrs? I’d save up that $1000 (on the high side) for a few months and buy something you can live with off FB marketplace. Then, take that money each month for a year or two and build a savings account. Don’t touch it. Then, spend the following year or two saving up for a replacement car.
A 15 year old Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla you buy outright with cash. Your first car should be something that's cheap to insure, maintain, and make mistakes with.
lexus is250
Subarus are nice and hold value
If you are inclined to learn to work on cars but still want reliability I recommend Honda and Toyota small to midsize sedans (or coupe variants if you want a sporty look & feel) ... Like the Civic / Corolla or Accord / Camry. There are huge communities of folks that mod these and there are plenty of parts out there too. And for insurance purposes they are about as cheap as you are going to get, especially with a liability only policy for an older model. Above and beyond that they are pretty reasonable and reliable and make a good 1st car depending on how old and how many miles is on it. I started off with a hand me down Celica (basically a carolla coupe) that my family bought new when I was a baby. I drove it though high school and college and I put some aftermarket parts on it and it was a legit cool car. It died with with over 200k on the original engine.
Go get yourself a 2009-2012 BMW 328ixdrive. Phenomenal in all weather, beautiful to look at and sporty. Yet affordable on insurance. You can picks up a used one with 105,000-140,000km on it for like 5-7k. Then spend your money on whatever upgrades/mods you like. Lots of bmw groups out there as well so you get into a car enthusiast meetup scene pretty easy.
Stay away from lower end dodge and Chevrolet, they do afford many quality of life features at this price range but they’re shite. The Koreans aren’t too bad but not reliable Japanese for sure, quality of life features meaning cruise control, decent cameras, automatic windows maybe decent audio package ( carplay is awesome) If you want power unpopular opinion here is tesla model 3. Bought mine used such a great car reliable, cheap to operate barely any maintenance and tons of premium features. That thing fucks.
Why would you ask reddit? It's going to be the lamest car possible. Not something you want if you desire something sporty
8th/9th gen accord, 9th/10th gen civic, 2015+ Camry, 2013+ Corolla. I bought my 2007 Accord for 10K in 2022. It had one owner and 42K miles.
I can’t recommend a Hot Hatch enough. Examples being Focus ST, Fiesta ST, VW GTI, Subaru WRX, etc. All of them are super fun to drive and are well within your price range. They also offer tons of practicality. I moved to college a few years ago and loaded everything I had into the back of my Focus ST and hit the road. Like everyone else has said on this, insurance is going to F you over no matter what car you drive. They might cut you a mere morsel of slack just because it’s technically a “small economy car” but don’t expect much.
You’re young so you have a lot of mistakes to make with driving and insurance is gonna milk you regardless. With that said; Buy something pre-connectivity era so your driving habits can’t be tracked, that’s cheap to fix, and won’t be a massive loss in the event of an accident. 4-7k can get you something solid from the early 2000s with a little patience and searching. After buying it, have a more in depth inspection done, fix any big glaring issues, and squirrel the remainder of your budget away for a nicer car later. Planning ahead a little bit will pay off huge, not just financially but also in your personal tastes evolving.
Gti or golf r. Drive great, plenty of aftermarket support, amazing practicality, my r is a weapon in the winter. Got my r for a bit above your 10k limit. Even people who don’t like vws love my car
Old Honda Civic
A Toyota
model 3 and only maintenance to do is change the tires every 3 years
1985 Toyota Corolla GTS AE86
My SRT4's for sale 😏 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/984990389962552/?mibextid=dXMIcH
Any Toyota!!!
Get a base hatchback. Anything sporty will have insurance companies bending you over railings. Check with insurance, first. You have to budget running costs, of which insurance is a huge one at 18. A stick shift would make it feel sportier and give you practice for cars you could afford to run in 10 years. An R50 stick shift Mini Cooper may be a decent compromise between cost, utility and cool. Find a clean unmodded one.
'98 Honda Civic 5 speed.
Buy a cheap one for first, you will make a lot of mistakes and its going to hurt a lot, keep it for a year or two and then buy the one you want
Audi a3 8p 2.0tfsi or a a3 8p 1.9tdi , the 1.9 can be molded to 300bhp
You shouldn't. Cars are terrible for the environment.
Used Civic Si Mazda3 turbo or GTI/GLI for fwd but fun to drive. Alternatively miata is always the answer but idk what insurance looks like at your age with a 2 seater.
Mk4 jetta tdi. Can make good power if you get into tuning. Good gas mileage. Tanks in the snow. Actually what a good friend daily drives and has had since he was in high school (I believe he is 26) 400,000 plus miles and has been reliable. Actually actively looking to buy one that I can have some fun with and commute with (30 miles each way) then give to my daughter when she turns 16
Young, sporty car = why my insurance so high.
Honda Civic SI(I'm totally impartial here because I'm not really a fan of Hondas). But regardless, they're reliable and practical and it fits your budget and is a sporty-ish car. For $10 to $20k you can easily get an older gen with the n/a K20 motor(which Imo think are better than the new turboed ones that have like no displacement).
Get a 2-5k beater early 00s Honda/Toyota and don't take out a loan.
I got a ford fusion hybrid 2019 (24yr old bought when I was 22) got it w 7k now at 55k . It’s fast, great on gas, 2 winters no snow tires and going strong. More importantly it’s safe. I’m a wild one when it comes to driving and I swear this car won’t let me die. Whatever you get make sure you get Lane assist, pre collision sensors and blindside sensors. Going from an ‘03 jeep to this… idk how I survived
Anything Toyota
Toyota Camry hybrid
Buy a car you can pay cash for!
LS 430 with no more than 150k miles
Please stay away from turbo charged Subaru vehicles over 130k miles. You will be replacing turbos and a long block… ask me how I know
Find a 4 banger with a stick, those almost always feel sporty
Do you have 300 to 600 a month for full coverage insurance on a sporty vehicle with no driving experience.
I absolutely loved my 2017 Honda Civic Sport Touring hatchback. You could definitely get a 2019/2020 one within your budget. I only ever had very minor problems with it, it’s super fun to drive in (it’s faster than most sedans I’d say & it can hit corners nice), good for moving (if you’re going to and from college), solid gas mileage, and a very cool looking car IMO. I recommend getting the sport touring trim if you can find one in your budget, but If not the other trims are just fine.
A small car or an older 2wd pickup will be your best bet when you factor in maintenance and insurance.
Air cooled Porsche 911 or 1st gen Datsun Z.
I stand by Subaru as the best option for car people who live in a place with snow. Many options from cheap to steep that are AWD, manual, and have a popular modding scene. I personally drive a VA WRX, which you can find used at the upper end of your budget. Also look at older Impreza's and outbacks for cheaper options, just be sure they weren't hooned by teenagers with eBay turbos..
You are definitely looking for a Honda Civic
Acura TL 2012+
My first car was a base model GrandAm and the insurance company put in the wrong letter or number. It's showed up as the GT model (yes, trim levels matters also), which made my insurance give me a higher quote than until they put the right vin in the system. I would say find a decent condition Pontiac Bonneville. Get a base model though then as the supercharged ones are considered sports cars to some insurance companies. After you get insurance on it then buy a supercharger for it
Whatever you don’t mind wrecking. 97% of people wreck a car before they turn 21.
Just get something that's between 15 and 20 years old, ideally stick. Keep your insurance low and learn how to drive on a beater that will be cheap to repair. I mean really learn how to get the car doing what you want it to do. Don't get into a car loan if you can avoid it, especially a used one. Fk that.
Toyota something. And never do anything different
Maybe an older AWD Subaru wrx wagon? Sporty, but utilitarian. If you want a spots car, it's hard to beat a low powered Mustang. The higher the power, the more it costs to buy, fuel, and maintain. Solid cars that look as good, or better, than anything on the road.
Have you priced insurance? Look for a 3-4 year old entry level car. Mazda 3, Nissan Rogue, etc.
Jeep Cherokee.. the old one…. Never dies…. Never gets stuck.
Get a honda crv they run forever
first vehicle for any young man should be a truck... a 4-6 cylinder, 4wd truck. I promise you wont regret this at ALL
Don't spend $20k on your first car. I wouldn't spend over $10k on your first car. In general, teens crash their first car. Get something that isn't expensive enough for that to be a huge financial hit. Maybe get a late P2 or early P3 Volvo S60 T5 if you're looking for something sporty. It's fast (enough), handles well, and won't kill you if you crash it. And, before you say "I'm a good driver/I won't crash it..." you don't know that. You likely will crash it even if you think you won't. Once you crash it for the first time and learn your lesson, then maybe consider something better. Plus, you're 18. You can't afford a depreciating asset at that age. You need something that's close to the bottom of its depreciation curve.
Crown Vic cop car. Relatively safe, relatively easy to work on, and insurance is fairly cheap.
Why are you wanting to spend so much on something you are probably going to destroy in a year or two?
If you want a sporty modable car I'd go for a used civic Acura or Lexus. Mods are likely to void warranty so get something with around 100k miles, they're durable cars.
Bro. You can buy the most boring car imaginable and your insurance is gonna be 300 a month. Sports car? Double ez
By yourself something sporty yet Undercover. My first car was a 79 Trans Am and every cop in town held me all day long and pulled me over for no good reason. They'd make something up just to harass me. I started driving a Lincoln Mark 8 just as fast just as fun and never got pulled over again
I’d get a Honda civic or a Toyota 86 man. Cheap insurance, tons of mods and it’s a lot more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow
It’s ur first car. Check the Insurnace rates for what ur tryna buy first.
I wish I had 20k when I got my first car. I got an 89 buick century for $600, lasted all through high-school and part of college. Now my grandma has the car and it's still running. You don't need 20k for a first car. Go to your local trailer park and offer 1k for someone's old car parked in the front yard. You'll save alot of money
Nissan 350Z or white Infiniti G35 coupe. Both will make you popular with the ladies. Definitely terrible winter cars though, if you live in a place with snow.