Overhaulin'

teenager needs some advice with cars.....?

ok so i have a job, i saved 2500 dollars to put a down payment on a car. and here are my plans for a car. -i wanted to buy a brand new car because my mom said when she was my age she worked and got a new car and stuff, but after some research i realize tht buying one is kinda stupid since im 17 and work part-time. and plus times were different back in the 80s - i wanted to lease a car but idk if thts a good choice for a 17 year old -then i wanted to get a used car from 2005-2011 but the cars are almost the same price as a new one. wth? someone please direct me in tithe right directions. when did you buy your firstcar and how?

Public Comments

1. Lmao 05 new w/2.5k? Go 4 a rusty 98 Dodge neon or somethin
2. New cars are very expensive and are rarely a good investment, especially for a teenager. Not to mention insurance rates on a new car. Leasing a car is going to cost you a lot of money in the long run. What you want to do is buy a used car. The prices are not the same between 2005-11, look more closely or somewhere else. Get a used car from a dealership. You may not have enough money for a very new car, so you may have to go back to the early 2000s, which is perfectly fine. I know someone who drives a car from 1991, so you can definitely go with a 2003-04. DO NOT spend all of your money purchasing the car, as after that you will have to pay insurance on the car.
3. I'm also buying my first car (in fact I'm going to a dealership today). and my budget is also $2500 (australian $$). I've done alot of research and basically for that kind of cash you can buy a 2nd hand car up front that will last you about 2-5 years depending. If you look hard you'll find some better ones from 1990 to about 1997 but they will have over 160,000 kms on them in general. That's ok though, just be wary if it has over 210,000 kms because generally cars tend to start having problems once they have more than 200,000 kms on them. The other thing to think of is that it's better to buy from a dealership because they include government charges, sometimes include rego and RWC (or the equivalent in other countries). They also sometimes help you with finance if you want to work out a payment plan for a more expensive car. Plus they take the hassle out of paperwork. Search the net for car dealerships in your area. good luck
4. You need a bigger down payment to afford to buy a car that is between 2005-2011. With $2500 look for a car that's around 7k. So you are looking at a car that will be late 90's to early 2000's.