I want to get my own car but i dont make that much money do you have any reccomendations?
Then your best bet is to save money for a while and then buy a decent used car after doing a lot of footwork.
It’s better to drive a paid for, decent 1500 dollar used car than be upside down for the next millenium in car payments and flushing interest money down the toilet while wishing you had never entered an arrangement like that to begin with.
I’ve been driving for 42 years and only came close to buying a new car once, and that was over 25 years ago. For me, it’s do the footwork and buy a 5-7 year old car that checks out well. All of my cars are kept for a long time and see high mileage and I have never, ever regretted my policy.
My current 14 year old Lincoln Mark was purchasd for a fairly cheap price and it still looks great along with running and driving like new at over 225k miles. First of next month it’s going to Colorado for a few days of hiding out and fly fishing.
One of my other daily rides, a SAAB Turbo, was purchased over 2 years ago for a measly 20 bucks (bad fuel pump and I already had a pump so…) and it’s still serving me well today.
Another trap is the BHPH (Buy Here, Pay Here) car lots. Anything inexpensive is going to be iffy, high interest, and very bland; usually cheapies from the dealer auctions. Save some cash first and then start looking is your best bet. JMHO anyway.
I totally agree with OK. Great advice.
I second OK4450’s advice. He’s right on.
Ditto to OK4450’s comments. When I got my first professional job–as a teacher–in 1970, my father insisted that I drive his car to and from work until I could save enough money to pay cash for my own car. In this way, he prevented me from falling into the trap that is known as financing.
After a year or so, I was able to save enough money to buy a brand-new Dodge Charger SE–for cash. Of course, the car only cost ~$3,200., if I recall correctly, but that did represent about half of my annual salary at the time. By living with my parents and by saving diligently, I was able to pay cash.
I realize that the price of new cars nowadays likely makes it impossible for you to buy a new car, but the longer that you can hold off on buying a used car, the more you will be able to save, and the more likelihood that you can find a decent used car without a huge number of miles on the odometer.
And, remember that the cost of owning a car also involves paying for insurance, maintenance, GAS, and repairs. In other words, it will actually cost more than you currently think that it will. If you have to add finance charges to the list of expenses, the total cost may well be more than you can afford, so it is vital to try to avoid having to finance a car.
Save as much money as you can before you jump into buying a car, and remember to have a car inspected for mechanical problems by an independent mechanic prior to purchase.
Don’t worry abut brand, just about condition. Find an out of favor used car and pay cash for it. It will probably be a larger car. If a senior citizen is selling it, the car was probably ell taken care of. A Buick LeSabre comes to mind, with the 3.8L V-6. But that’s just one example.
Crown vic, sable, grand marquis, town car, some buick, maybe an Acura, but not the coupe. Coupes in general cost more to insure, so getting a large sedan will help on insurance costs as well
edit: I’ll add this: Perhaps a newish Ford Ranger. parts will be pretty cheap, shouldn’t be too hard to find someone to work on it, and it’s pretty versatile if you get the v6 you could tow a trailer around