My first car is still a 2007 Toyota Matrix. I only put about $20 USD in a week and that still gives me driving for fun like to the mall and such. It's a reliable car and still modern enough that you can use it with Uber(if you want to do that, the car can't be older than 10 years).

But Manuals are usually cheaper, price wise and gas wise and I think everyone should learn manual anyways. But it depends on you, too. What kind of vehicle do you want? Plenty of cash cars on craiglist that will run decent for 3-4K.

Where are you located? What is your main reason for the car? Keep in mind that you might also have to do repairs on the car soon after you buy it and you still have to buy insurance.

Go GM (Chevy, Lincoln, GMC, etc.) for the reason of cheap and abundant parts because of shared platforms. I'd even throw in Honda and Toyotas into the mix too because of how cheap they are to maintain and the amazing reliability if you stay up on regular oil changes and the occasional visual inspection. Don't be like me and end up having to work your ass off just to buy the parts to make your car run again.

If you're looking for a fast stock car I'd go for the 2007 Mazda Speed 6 if it has under 160k on it.

ZZ9_x_iCapComZz wrote If you're looking for a fast stock car I'd go for the 2007 Mazda Speed 6 if it has under 160k on it.

Do not do this. Mazdaspeeds are junk and horrible unreliable. My buddy has a first gen MS3 and is on its 3rd engine with only 120k on the car, they've been stock every time.

If you want a cool car that is relatively easy to fix then get like an E36 or IS300. Both highly modifiable and have cult followings. Parts are easy to come by for both. Or if you just want 'car', get a civic or corolla.