MY first car was an 86 Toyota Corolla... I told my dad I wanted a car so I could give mom back her car (Dodge Neon ACR) so my dad said "get a job." I got a job, and 2 weeks and $500 later I had my first car... I have since had several vehicles (1993 Nissan Sentra XE, 1989 Jeep Cherokee 2-dr, and my current 1995 Honda Civic hatch). I treated my Corolla like crap, and have since replaced nearly everything on it (except the engine itself... only 109K) so it's nearly new... I gave it to my dad for his b-day 'cause he needed a commuter car...

Moral of the story: by a nice, older vehicle that is cheap on gas & insurance, because when you first get your liscence you will want to drive everywhere, sometimes being stupid as well. The cheaper your insurance is to start out with, the easier it will be to afford if/when you get into a wreck, b/c if you are in a wreck before your 19th b-day... chances are your insurance will go up pretty high...