Cars are like babies, you have to take care of them. Having an expensive car is a difficult thing to maintain, one because you have to pay a lot of money for the parts and the work, provided that you don’t do the work yourself and two, owning such a car comes with a lot of stress. An experienced car owner might even choose an expensive car and enjoy it but for a first time buyer, it is better to stick with the following cars (some of which were at a time expensive).
Toyota Corolla – E110, 120 or 120
Corollas have always been the working man’s car. You could also consider a Celica, particularly from the 1990s, because they share the same parts as a Corolla, from engine to body, except the Celica is a coupe.
Toyotas are known for their reliability, so buying a Corolla will likely get you more value than you could imagine. You could buy a newer one, but why spend more money than necessary if you want a basic driving experience and lots of reliability and cheap parts.
Volkswagen Golf 4 – The People’s Car
Pun intended, the Golfs have always been the flagships of the hatchback world. In Europe, it might be better to buy a Golf rather than a Toyota, depending on the country and the market. Golfs are everywhere in Europe and parts are easy enough to find. The Mark IV has plenty of power behind the wheel and the technology to support even modern drivers. Multimedia can be changed for something more advanced and the cars come with cruise control as an option, so check for those that have it.
Lexus ES XV10 and LS 430 – The Luxury Beginner Cars
These cars were once the mid-size and full-size luxury executive sedans, but today, they are the same, yet at a bargain. Being as popular as they are, they have mods at the ready, from audio to multimedia, to make them more modern. The cars already come with lots of features as a standard.
Being a Toyota but more luxurious, Lexus vehicles are about as reliable as they can get. A first time luxury buyer will benefit from buying an older Lexus (with a known history of maintenance).
Volvo S60 P2 – An Entry Level Luxury Sedan
Volvos are known for their utilitarian approach with a touch of luxury. You get plenty of things as a standard on the first generation of S60 vehicles, from heated seats and navigation (a gimmick at this point, given its age), to cruise control and electric seat controls and memory.
Volvos are relatively reliable, whether the 2.5 and 3.0 liter petrol engines or the 2.4 diesel engine, all three should serve you quite well over the years.
Honda Civic Eighth Generation – A Hot Hatch
Hondas are known for their reliability in the world of cars, but even more notably for their hot hatches, or rather fast hatchbacks. The Civic is one of the more well-known models. Get an Eighth gen and you will more than likely be enjoying a fast and interesting car, with plenty of features should you get a more “expensive model”.
Your first car should not be a Mustang and definitely not a Rolls Royce, but these cars should cover the different budgets and needs of every driver.
