What’s the Best First Car For a Teen?

The first car I ever used was actually a loaner from my parents. It was their old station wagon. We’re talking green with wood-grained paneling down the sides. It ran great unless you needed to back up. The reverse gear was messed up so everywhere we drove, we had to make sure to park in a way that we could just pull forward to get out. 

I wasn't quite as young as the little girl in the photo above but let's just say I wasn't totally legal to drive.

My first actual car was a humongous red Plymouth or Chrysler that looked like a boat.

It looked a lot like this one but bright red with a white top. A friend of mine purchased it for me for only $200. Can you believe that? So cheap then and now cars like this are listed for $12,000. I should've kept it. It drove like a champ. It would fly. Probably not the best first car for a teen.

When I was 18 or 19 years old I went to the Ford dealership with plans of buying a Mustang. Thankfully my brother talked me into something with much less power. I probably would have been killed in the wreck that tamed down car was in with me at the wheel.

First cars for teens in big cities would be different than here because we tend to get away with a little more in the rural areas. What do you think the best first car for a teenager in our neck of the woods would be?