Either a used Toyota Corolla or Camry, or one of the 89-96 GM A-cars (Buick Century, Oldsmobile Cutlass). The imports are more expensive to maintain, but sportier and more rewarding. They are also virtually indestructible and will run practically forever, provided you don't hit a moose or an SUV, and keep up on your oil changes. The GMs, on the other hand, are inexpensive to repair and are absolute tanks. The 3.3L V6 is a relatively strong and reliable engine. Both of those, in my opinion, would be good first cars. I would recommend against getting a newer car; you will pay more in insurance. And that's something you want to avoid with a younger driver.

Without getting into specific brand names, I'll give you things I would want to look for and have, and I am referring to a new car here, but some of this spills over to a used car also if it is not very old: 1. Excellent mileage. 2. A good warranty. 3. Good track record for reliability (Check Consumer reports and other places online for reviews of cars you like on this). 4. Excellent rating as far as safety in crash tests are concerned 5. Priced fairly, where you are not paying alot for the name of the car. Unless money is no object to you. 6. Comfortable to drive, ride and sit in. Be sure to take it for a long test drive. Drive in town, over some winding road, over some bumpy roads, and on the highway or freeway so you can see how it is as far as power, handling, steering control in winds, and other things. 7. A car that has a reliable and close dealer to where you live. This is important when you need to have service and have it quickly and without alot of inconvenience taking it in for service or repairs. 8. A car with as much for the money options-wise and safety features wise as possible that come "standard," and are not expensive "add-ons." Happy car hunting.

I don't know exactly what brand/model, but my first car was a manual transmission. This took me a little longer to learn than some of my friends, but it gave me a lot of confidence and I can drive any car. Hubby and I have invested a little bit in a car for our teeners because we want them to be safe: airbags, reliability, sturdy overall...

If you've never driven before, I always recommend starting out in something old, that already has dents and paint damage. This protects you from high insurance rates because you won't feel the need to make a claim when you ding it up learning parallel parking! Really, I'd go with a Toyota Camry.

I learned to drive using my parents' 1981 Volvo sedan! Good, solid, safe car to learn on.

A Cheverolet Chevette. It builds character. Like how to swear when the darn thing won't start. How to fit 10 people 6 ft tall and 200 lbs each in it. How to get it to defrost when the defroster only blows cold air. Trust me. It's a great first car.

I would recommend an old civic or an old cavalier/sunfire. The cavaliers can be picked up dirt cheap. Most of them already have slight damage, so you don't need to worry about banging it up a bit while learning. Also, they are cheap to maintain and run forever. I'm pretty sure the insurance is cheap too. I'd recommend getting a manual transmission and learning that at the same time. However, that's just my personal opinion. Good Luck, Hope this helps

chevy cavalair!

a low speed, strong reliable car, not the fancy ones.

A hyundai accent is a good car is small and is confotable

an old beater! if youve just started driving, you can drive the hell out of it and the damage wont mater cuz you wont be driving it for the next 3 years anyway. it doesnt matter if you get in a crash, scratch the paint, or put it in reverse when your going forward already. its a learning car and they are CHEAP!

Agreed, and old beater - you'll tear hell out of your first car if your like most young people...I certainly wrecked mine in no time.

I'd suggest a Dodge Neon. Decent milage, small car, easy to handle. You can probably find a cheap one, too.

I would suggest a car owned by someone you dont like