I got it about 3 to 4 months before my 16th birthday. It was a ‘95 Jeep Wrangler YJ. It was basically just a rusty body on a good solid frame. My dad and I stripped the frame, cleaned it up and sent it out to be sand-blasted and powder coated. Then a new sheet-metal body arrived and we put it in place and I bolted it down. When the motor arrived, dad supervised, but I had to do all the work in building the motor. With only the “tub” and motor in place, we sent that and all other body panels to the paint shop to be painted with my own designed yellow (based on a mixture of millennium yellow, and velocity yellow used on corvettes). Then I assembled the remaining body panels, hood, the new front &rear differentials, transfer case, dad tied the electrical systems, brakes, and steering. My dad paid to add things like antilock brakes and other safety features. And with a few days to spare my Jeep was complete! The only thing that I could not have was a 3” lift and bigger wheels, since my mom learned that lifting a Jeep can make it much easier to flip! But that was my first car! Although I bought a like new 2018 Wrangler JK w/6000 miles when I went to college, my yellow “Zombie Apocalypse Jeep” is resting comfortably in my dad’s humidity controlled warehouse, where he keeps his car collection. I absolutely love “Zaj” (Zombie Apocalypse Jeep), and I doubt that I will ever sell her (again) *I did actually sell her after I began college, but I instantly regretted it and with my dads help we bought her back!
January this year😊 (was 21 at the time)
I changed jobs and would've needed to take at least 2 busses otherwise (absolutely horrible since they're super unreliable there ain't so many busses u can take at 4/5 am😬)
I started looking online for one December 21 (as did the whole family😂), found a used one (wasn't even a year old) in January, drove 2h with my dad, tried it (he checked everything else, yk looking for scratches/bumps, asking the smart questions etc). We finalised the documents and came back after 2 weeks to take it home. Bro getting my car got me more emotional than graduating😂
I started off by deciding what i NEED my car for: drive a short distance, not waste a lot of fuel, be able to drive up a hill with ease etc
So i was looking for something smaller, but not as small as a smart, and definitely with 4/5 doors
So i started looking up brands and editions, decided on a few i liked/was ok with
what EXTRAS i wanted: in my case bluetooth and navigation, colour etc.
And just searched on different sites until i found my baby☺
Since i was gonna buy it myself, my sis said i could as well get a new car but I'm relatively new to driving (well, got my license 4 years ago, but never really used it) so yeah, putting bumps/scratches on your car hurts emotionally, but putting them on a NEW car hurts even more😂 (especially if someone else doea it to your car🙃)
Wish you luck!!!
My first three cars were gifts from my parents.
I got my license as soon as I turned 16 in Jan. 1970. My mom got her first license just before me. So my dad bought us a car to share. It was a pristine, cherry red, '65 Corvair convertible with a black top and interior.
She drove it to the mall one day before I had my license and it got stolen. I only drove it once with my learner's permit.
So my dad got me a '66 Rambler American two door hardtop.
Like this one except blue with matching interior and a white top.
It lasted a year or two but developed one problem after another, so we sold it and my dad gave me his '63 Buick Le Sabre two door hardtop. I LOVED that car and had it for quite a few years. It was an ultra dependable and sturdy land shark with a 401 cu in engine and four barrel carb. I christened it the Bismarck. I had so much fun in that car!
Like this except midnight blue with a white top.
After that, I bought a 1969 Chevy El Camino with my own money when I was probably 23 years old or so.
Like this except kind of a light green.
Cars are really expensive right now, as is everything, but (even though I don't own one) would strongly recommend buying a used one. That is unless you are forced by law to use an electric/hybrid one, depends where you live, but again... public transport is better for big cities. You first need to choose how much space you need (car segment/size) and then gasoline (better for shorter distances) or diesel (better for long trips). Visibility is better in an SUV, but if that isn't a major concern, don't get one, everything else is, in general, worse. Good luck!
Opinion
61Opinion
used is best...
a pre-certified dealership is the best we have found.
my husband has only ever bought one new car. Every thing we have now was used.
I have never bought a car before. Where i lived, we had a great bus system and i dint have the money to lay out on a car.
We have:
the new car he bought with cash: 1997 mercedes C280
Ford Escape 2012 - only had 20,000 miles and we bought it in 2018
Ford F150 4 door Platinum edition 2010.. it had 120,000 miles on it.. we got it used for $18,000 and had our mechanic shop do $2,000 in repairs.. it is now perfect... it sold originally for $80,000 to $90,000
I got my first car at the age of fourteen. I went car shopping with my dad since he was going to get a new car. So while he was looking I also decided to look. I found this neat 1983 firebird and I wanted it, but knew I couldn’t have it. Mainly because I was to young and also I couldn’t afford it. I told my dad about it and showed it to him. The salesman was standing there with us. My dad tells me I was to young to get a car. The salesman told me to check out the car while he talked to my dad. After they got done talking my dad asks me if it was what I really wanted. Of course I said yes. Then my dad goes however there is a few big buts. First the firebird needs a new engine and other work, but you got two years to fix it. So two year latter I was driving my firebird I helped rebuild.
First car was a little little truck. The motor was so bad it blew up in a week of driving it. I wish I just got a new motor the truck was amazing! Then got a Malibu got burned down on a Native American Indian rez, then got another truxk, ran that low on oil, and it got scrapped should’ve just fixed…. Then got a mustang let my dad drive it and he crashed it, bad bad bad bad bad, luck with a suv, now I have a 74pontiac I’m trading it for a 97 chev and $500 on the weekend and putting that $500 towards getting another truck 85 bronco I got to put a motor in it with a bud and I got to fix the transmission on the 97 probably gonna give that one to the wife even though it’s the nicer of the two and I’m paying for it. Actually they’re both nice we’ll see who puts more into parts and has the nicer unit I suppose. She likes makeup so I got an advantage their but I probably eat 3x more then her.
I feel like you can make a movie out of just the experiences with your cars alone lol
I bought my first car nearly 2 years ago. It's a used car, one owner, and surprisingly it was under 100,000 miles. I bought it at some dealership, although I think it was some garage where they buy used cars and fix them up before selling. I saved up for it and I also had my savings that my grandparents had opened for me since I was a baby, so that helped too. My car is a 2008 subaru impreza. It's a good car. Had to get a few things fixed on it, got new tires, cleaned it up and decorated the inside with seat covers, steering wheel cover, and air freshener on my mirror to make it look and smell nice. Now I just need blind spot mirrors.
I bought my first and only car 2 years and half ago, it was February 2020… and march 2020 we’ve been all locked at home for 5 months 😂
Sad stories apart, I bought a km 0 car, so it’s second hand but is almost new. I bought it without a loan, I used all my wages of first year of work, so I could buy it in a single rate and didn’t have to pay more than the original price.
When I was in middle school my parents would give me money for lunch. Most of the time I would have enough to save half of it, sometimes I’d save all of it and starve until I get home. I wouldn’t just save but that was just the beginning, I started to resell stuff as well. Buy cheap broken phones, repair and sell them double. I really wanted a car by the time I was in high school. So I did at age 15. Couldn’t legally drive it but I had a permit and would get away with it by driving responsibly the two times I got pulled over.
I bought my first car from my dad at age 17, it was a Triumph TR6 with a 4 speed stick shift. I learned how to drive on that car. While I was in College I sold it back to my dad and bought a new Mazda MX5 Miata also with a 5 speed stick shift. After I finished College and was in my job for a while, I bought a new Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0 with a 6 speed stick shift and I love driving it.
I got mine for my 17th birthday (when you can legally drive in the UK). My dad worked at a dealership and it was a gift from him, it was quite old and he got it for a good price from work - barely any miles as well!
I’m on my third car now and got my second and third ones myself on finance
I started work at a young age. So many is not so much of an issue.
I got my first Ford Torus from my brother for free. Then the engine went.
I found my next car, a Nissan Sentra online and bought it with cash for $7k. I had a good use of it. After some years, I sold it to my relative for $3k.
I got a job at 14 working at a gas station. I saved up and my dad paid 50% toward a used Ford Mustang. Total price was $8500 at the time so I paid $4200. Work and save your money. Leasing wasn’t an option back in 1986 but if you can drive within the mileage parameters it’s a good way to have a new car.
I got my very first car in 2008, it’s a used champagne Toyota camery previously owned by my aunt. This car was with me for 3 year and then I got another one from my cousin, it’s a Honda Civic, which she bought her a new car.
The first one I bought by myself was a Toyota RAV4 at 2018. I love it so much.
My parents bought my first one just a $3k little beater that needed a lot of work (seriously like I put at least $4k into her) She was a good little car, until I totalled her. Now I have a SUV to fit my dog. Both are used and needed maintenance work. My best advice is get used from either a dealership or a friend who you can trust at least that way you know it’s sound, or if you can afford it buy one and make payments that way it has a warranty
I was 19, and Grandpa helped me significantly to get my first car, after I was allowed to use his own one during the first year of my ''driving career''.
In return we had the unspoken deal that I'll take him wherever he needs to go - he was almost blind in the end.
I was 20 when I got my first car. It was a 2004 Hyundai Tiburon. Some military bases have a lot called a "lemon lot". The name is misleading because to sell cars on base they must pass several inspections. These cars are sold by servicemembers when they deploy/get a new car. These lots exist to make it easier for lower-enlisted to get vehicles.
I had to go look up your age. I tell people under 25 to get clunkers they can pay cash for. They’ll go broke paying collision insurance at that age. Get something cheap and reliable and drive it until the wheels fall off. My best friend’s wife bought a two year old Honda Accord just before they got married and kept it for 26 years.
I also met a woman who got a brand new VW bug when she got her first teaching job at the age of 22. When she retired 45 years later, she gave the VW to her grandson and bought a new car.
My dad let me have his old car that needed work, so I put a new engine and transmission in it. I was about 17.
Do you still have it?
Damn I’m sorry
Saved up and bought a used car and took out a small loan. Unfortunately today cars are ridiculously over priced new and used. Good luck picking something out.
I know you didn't ask, but I hope I can share some advice that's pretty universal. Get something with known reliability and decent mpg. Unless money isn't a concern here than obviously have had it, have fun, and regardless of anything else, be safe!
Oh and when was 18. I had a job since I was 12
Project cars included, or first that actually worked?
My dad bought me a rusty old jeep to fix up in exchange for a couple weeks working for him, never did get that working.
First that worked, I was 16 and bought the mustang I still have. Had a few thousand saved from working and borrowed a couple more from my dad.
I bought a used car from my next door neighbor. He was selling it because it needed a lot of work. Since I was in auto mechanics in school I bought the car and did all the work myself. I paid $40 for the car and put Time and $200 into it. This was back in the 80's. I had the car for another 4 years before I sold it for $500 and bought a newer car
My father work as mechanic for a auto dealership. I was passing through town and ran out of money. He wanted buss fair and few dollars. Dad called me up on the phone said this guy has a car and want to sell it, are you interested. I got car for $50. That was in the early 70's. It lasted me for almost all my high school years. It was a 1952 Buick coupe. It was a fun car.
My dad gave me an old car he fixed up, and after that i just drove cars that cost a few 100 and gave up on them once they fell apart. Just get a cheap thing until you can afford better
I bought my first car which was a 10 year old toyota truck, with babysitting money. I was 16 and my baby sister and I went everywhere in it. I even drove it to college for 4 years. My dad still uses it on his farm.
My first car was a hand me down from my great grandmother & it was a CHEVROLET CELEBRITY 1987 that leaked like a secret, smoked like a cigar & sometimes had heat in the winter when you hit the dashboard.
I worked during summers in high school and and bought a low mileage used Honda. It lasted me a long, long time. I’ve had many cars since then. But getting that first one was satisfying as hell because I earned it.
I saved up for my first shit bucket Chevy & when that car broke down. My taxes came and I bought a newer car at the time lol
You should drop a finance down payment on a newer version of nice I think good years with at least 50k or 70k plus miles used would be maybe 2016 and up Toyota, Honda or Hyundai/Kia most of those cars are all built to last with less issues even if used. Especially for a female, you don't wanna spend time with those scammer mechanics, they hate me whenever I came in at one point I knew not shit about cars. It forced me to learn they hate me now cause I stay arguing with them and only pay for the part and hours of labor. Not their bullshit add ons of nothing. But if you're gonna just a buy a used older passed 100k miles vehicle I would suggest a Toyota or Honda.
Thanks for your input, I'm not sure yet what I will do and no idea about what car haha my planning is really slow on this one and I first have to research way more
I was 21, and I borrowed some money from my parents for a down payment to buy a new car at a dealership, and financed it over 3 years. It was a long time ago. I don't even remember what the car was other than it was small and cheap.
I worked at a part time job during high school, took out a loan with my parents help, since I didn't have credit. Bought a used pickup truck
Definitely go for a used car. I know of so many people who took loans on cars to get the newer, better looking car, but now they are stuck in debt with monthly payments.
Also, if it's your first car, remember that first time is the worst time, and keep in mind that you might accidently wreck it. Better safe than sorry!
still working on it. My parents are penniless and moved out to avoid their maxed out debts.
I'm looking forward to get me a Toyota RAV4 (hybrid) second hand from autoscout24. But first i need to obtain a drivers licence but before that i need to save up quite the money.
When: now!
How: my stupid aunt "mortgaged" it 3 weeks before she died to have more money to give yo scammers and now, I'm paying it off so I can have a car to get around in, once I get a license.
My first car was a stolen car and I was 13 years old. I swapped the plates with a "non-stolen" car and drove it like a maniac for around 3 months before it got taken and burned by a rival gang. Got that bastard in the end, as sure it was a stolen car - but it was loved...
Anyway, the first car I actually bought was when I turned my life around, and got into higher education. It was a Nissan Almeria GTI
My first car was gifted to me by my parents when I was 18. The first car I bought on my own I was 21.
Got a used one from my dad that was falling apart so he just gave it to me and I did the work myself and maintained it until I got another used car 2 years later
u I got it from my older brother when he left for college. I was just a few weeks away from turning 17.
I was searching for a specific model of a vehicle. My dad found a listing of a repossessed one at a local credit union. We went and checked it out and put in an offer /bid. We won out and it became my first vehicle.
Parents bought it for me and claimed it as a fleet vehicle for their company on the insurance and title. It was $1600 but they said I earned it with all the work I’ve done on the family ranch.
Got it in the fall of 2019, it was an ‘02 Ford Focus.
It was 2015 and I paid 5000 cash for it in Milwaukee. NEVER EVER buy a used car in Milwaukee under any circumstance.
No, that was CHEAP for the make and model. The issue is that apparently people in Milwaukee don't take care of their cars cause that thing was appalling.
Thankfully not. Just from Wisconsin. But we sometimes call Milwaukee north chicago cause its just as bad
At age 26 I finally purchased my 1st car (used). But I didn't realize that the previous owner had literally ran the hell out of it (I had to constantly take it in for engine problems) and I then made a purchase of a NEW car just 4 years later
17, secondhand, crashed it 31 days after my 18th 🙃
I was 17. My folks gifted me the family car they'd had for more than 10years. I bought a car shortly after, something I liked a bit more
My first car was a rusted out Fiat Spider, I was 13 years old and I paid 15 bucks for a running and driving car
I bought it a couple of months before I got my drivers license. I had been saving for a long time to buy it.
I bought my first car when I was 16 for $900.
Does taking my dad's old car counts?
If it does, i drive a Hyundai i20 2015 model.
It was a 2007 Honda fit. I bought it myself. Loved her so much. So many road trips with her. She was dying and I didn't wanna keep paying to get her fixed 😭
I got it in 2006, an old honda civic or something from my cousend for 600€. Having a cat on early 20s cost about 600€ a month for all the expenses that come with it. It wasn't worth it.
I was 17 and worked my freaking ass off and still had to get a loan.. my first car was older then me lol.. I had some great times in that car.
My parents bought me a 2004 F150 as my first vehicle when I was 16. I drove it until I was 24 when I bought my first vehicle. I bought it used. I still have it.
My parents still have the truck.
I inherited a car from my father but I don't recommend it to everyone. It was a shit car and I never liked it, nearly put me off driving. You will mainly be guided by your budget.
I found an old car for sale that needed repair, my Mother let me buy it, it sat in the driveway for months... I was safe and off of the roads... lol smart mom
Walked to work for a year, saved my money and bought a used car.
A hand-me-down from my father, A Fiat Uno, a good little car, I kept it running until it it was not financially viable to keep it.
Dad bought it for me. It was an old car and topped out about 75 MPH. I don't think that was coincidence.
When I was 22 and it was Fiat 1100 - 1955.
inherited from my grandfather. 1966 Malibu- rear defroster was a fan- I kid you not.
Classifieds. Back when classifieds in the newspaper, hell back when newspapers were a thing lol. I was 16 or 17. I bought a 1978 Pontiac Pheonix for 250 bucks.🤣
I worked my ass of & saved money to buy a 10 year old Ford.
Bought a broken down jeep when I was in high school and rebuilt it with used parts on a very tight budget.
I went out and bought one. I had several motorbikes before that and the very first one was given to me by my parents.
My first car was a 1969 Volkswagen beetle. I got it when I started going to school at 18 years old.
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