by Newton Abrahams

Created on: March 09, 2009   Last Updated: March 29, 2009

It's very hard to decide what car you want as your first car. All sorts of ideas run through your mind. Performance, reliability, looks, price. All these things are important for the young driver but when choosing your first car the secret is to find the balance between all these characteristics. If you want performance you can get yourself a muscle car but then it will usually not look too cool, be big, impractical and will usually break down at the first sign if stress. If you are looking for the cheapest car you will usually end up spending so much more repairing parts and maintenance that you might as well have bought a new car.

The secret to choosing a good first car is to find the balance between all these characteristics. As a young driver myself I believe for a first car it is ideal to get a car with the following characteristics.

1. 2 Door coupe

Anything more than 2 doors and you will always see yourself giving people lifts from place to place which is not always ideal for the young driver as money is usually scarce and its always irritating to cart people around. People tend to rather stay away from the 2 door cars as they are a hassle to get into. You only need 2 doors. One for yourself and one for your girlfriend / boyfriend.

2. Performance

A car with decent performance is vital to the young driver. As a young driver it is certainly not "cool" to have a slow car. If your car cannot keep up with the standard, you will start resenting the car for being slow and this will lead to you also not enjoying your first car.

3. Reliability

Reliability is very important. That cannot be stressed enough. Young drivers are usually short of cash and don't always have money for car repairs so it is critical that you test the car for reliability and to check if its in good condition. Taking the car to the dealership for a checkup before purchase is also a good indication or the cars condition. Low mileage is also a good characteristic to look for as the car will have been used less so you can be more or less sure that the parts are in reasonable condition.

4. Design

The way a car looks is very important. No one wants an ugly car, period, especially a young driver

5. Cost

Young drivers should never opt for an expensive car. If you are young, the chance of an accident is higher. So do not waste your money on an expensive car that you will end up scraping on the walls or pavements. You should also be comfortable in your first car. The car shouldn't add more stress as I am sure young people have more than enough to stress about

6. Extras

At the very least have power steering and air conditioner. Nothing else matters when you are tired on a hot day

At the very least, meet these 6 requirements and you will in no time be driving a car that you will never forget.

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