i have a good old vw golf mrk I, it's a very good first car, it isn't big, so you can park it everywhere where you want, and it's very sporty(first sport hatchback ) so if you wanted to go fast it's very controlable, but because it's a very old it is unsafer then the newer cars think about a mrk III or a mark IV, but don't buy very expensive and very strong(100 bhp is more then enough) car for first car because there is a good chance to smash it
Dude, I drive a Subaru Outback station wagon with a 165 HP H-4... and that's got enough power to have plenty of fun with. I do agree that you should get a 4 as your first car. Besides, 4-cylinders are fun since you get the power lower down. My car is only 2 seconds slower to 60 mph than my dad's 6-cylinder A6...
I find none of those cars, with the possible exception of the Mustang if it is the new model with a manual 'box, remotely interesting.
Why don't you like 4 pots? 4 cylinder cars will normally be far more fun to drive than the typical American cars with under stressed 6 or 8 cylinder engines and the typical lightweight, manual hatchback will leave anything American standing when there is even the slightest kink in the road.
I don't know what to recommend to you because American versions of cars tend to have the build quality turned down a few notches and sloppiness turned up a bit. The European (first gen) Focus is a very good car, that whilst making no marketing pretense of being sporty has extremely neutral handling and is surprisingly at home on the track, Autocar rated it (Focus 1.6) very highly in a track test saying it was more enjoyable on track than a lot of the expensive sports saloons/hatchbacks in standard form (SRT4s, M3s, Evos etc). I don't know if the American version has been bastardised or not.
Any modern European or Japanese car with a sensible engine (ie. under 2 litres) should return near to double that.
It is still an undeniably over powered front wheel drive car, it will be quite good at going in a straight line very fast but it'll be an understeery mess the moment you take it for a spirited drive.
OT: Have you looked at a honda (or acura as you would say it) 1993-97 integra. They are light, powerful, and a good looking car. If you have the money, you could even swap the engine for a type R engine, which redlines at around 8400rpm iirc. Look them up on youtube.
Honestly dont know what the 'cousins' have got against 4 cylinder engines...they dont even like them on bikes...imagine, a 1.4 litre 2-pot! (...that gets sent home in tears by a measly 900cc 4 banger )
American V8's are sometimes useful...my Dad has one in his motor...then again, his vehicle is 38ft long and weighs 13 tonnes!
Another argument...MGB GT V8 vs Lotus Elise or Rover 3.5 V8 (same engine as MGB GT) vs any straight 6...OK, its old vs new tech, but you could argue that big American engines have hardly changed much in 40 years!
Well, thanks for all the help so far. Its not that I have anything against 4 cylinder engines. Its just and American thing I guess. When it comes to power a stock V8 can get, depending on the car, over 450 hp. A modified v8 can get up to and over 1000 hp. I do like a few of the 4's though, civic and lancer for 2 And also keep in mind that a very small car is out of the question. I'm 6'2" and can have trouble being comfortable in one of them.
Power figures don't mean very much really, you've got to take weight into account and you will use full power so rarely in a powerful car it is irrelevant for real world motoring. Why do you need lots and lots of power it will almost certainly reduce the amount of fun you can safely have on the road and typical V8 equipped American cars are normally automatic, heavy and have wallowy suspension, not exactly drivers cars.
If I lived in America I'd probably buy a V8 over a 4 pot, just for fun really. Sure it won't go round corners and drinks fuel, but meh. What I'd never do is buy a V6 model of a V8 car, such as a Mustang, that seems stupid.
Can't actually advise a car myself, but I wouldn't massively value the opinion of someone from Europe telling you to get a 4 pot because you don't need the power etc. Maybe you want the power.
Insurance i would pay no matter what cuz i got to but would like to be as low as possible. I like any drivetrain, only concern there is AWD takes more gas, rear is bad in winter. As for any cars i wouldnt drive, VW bug.
I've known several people who made a Ford Taurus as their first car. Most were the 3.0 or 3.8 v6 with auto tranny. I made mine the 220hp, stickshift version. SHO for those in the loop. Cheap insureance, cheap buy-in price, decent on gas. Keep in mind that the SHO was comtetition for the 5 series Bimmer back in the day. When it was introduced, they were near the top of the heap of sports sedans.
A nice SHO would run you $2000. Mid 20s combined mileage. I pay $35 a month insurance. You're out near Pittsburg, right? I know a couple guys out that way that stockpile used parts.
Good luck, and for the love of god, stay away from v6 Mustangs and Camaros. That is, unless you've got a set of tits.
You will find a decent S14 on Zilvia with an SR dropped in it already or maybe the KA-turboed. The S14 is such a marvelous machine and track potential. All that shouldn't cost you more then 9k. Look for coilovers, no rust, a nice body and a clean swap. I don't even want to start with how this is an awesome car.
2. Honda Civic EK9 hatchback with a K20
I have a Civic at the moment. It is VERY cheap on gas. I can do 6L/100km on smooth traffic days. I don't have the K20 but K20's are going for about 3-4k US$ nowadays, 1k to drop it in, and a base EK9 costs about 3k. You still have money for coilovers, subframe braces, a 4 big brake upgrade, and some nice lightweight rims. With your budget, don't waste money to get those B16 or B18 swaps, the B-series are old and the 21st century tuning will be focused on the K20. If anything ever do break on the K20, visit your local Acura or Honda dealer and get the parts.
3. BMW 323i E46
They are close to 10k in the US nowadays. BMW's have been around me all my life and if it breaks, it will cost you an arm and your left nut. Bimmers are marvelous to drive, great handling, great response, very interior. I had a E34 525i 5spd and this thing still drove like day 1. ( I had Bilstein/H&R shocks, springs though, the ultimate E34 upgrade) If you can afford something bigger like the 545i, don't get the iConfuse system. I had to go to the dealer twice (even under warranty) to get that stupid computer fixed. back on topic, don't get the 320i, it's such a rubbish, 2.0L inline 6 with no torque. 323i, or 325i are some good choices. Make sure all electrical stuff works, I mean ALL. Sorting out an electrical issue on a BMW is very expensive. But if you pick a very clean E46, the feeling is rewarding.
4. Volkswagen Passat B5
A friend has one. The B5 is based on the Audi A4. Those cars does feel like an Audi and unlike the usual belief that VW catches on fire, those are very reliable, and most important, very good build quality. Make sure the timing belt is changed before you buy one. Just like its cousin A4, the Passat is a pain in the ass to change the timing belt. For a 10k budget, you can a decent one for 6k and slap some springs/shocks ( Bilstein/H&R combo) or coilovers and some nice rims, and you're set.
5. Subaru Impreza type RS
Not the newer generation with round headlighs, the one before. They are cheaper, generally reliable and more suited for winter then the above 4 choices. It also sips more fuel then the other 4. I'd check if the transmission is in good condition. They tend to go caca after 10 years.
I would suggest a Honda S2000 but it might not be the best winter car depending on how bad the winters are where you live...I found a forum where people talk about their MPG's heres the link...
Back in the real world the Taurus is, was designed to be and always has been a cheap and tacky, poorly built and completely unsporty car designed to appeal to the American market, something that wouldn't sell in Europe but in the US of A, where car buyers don't care for quality, fuel consumption or handling (three of the big selling points of cars in Europe) but instead for cheapness, comfort and most of all physical size. When we were in California in the Summer we hired a Tarus X, brand new, literally we had to wait at the hire place whilst they removed the delivery covers from the seats. After a fortnight of motoring the entire roof lining had shaken itself loose and was hanging off the roof, the cup holders had broken and the door trim was rubbish and looked like it was going to fall off from new. I'm sure by American standards it was fine and quite well finished but by UK (and BMW) standards it was pants, we have a 10 year old E36 on the drive with the only interior fault being the glove box no longer opens smoothly (because the friction gel they use wears off after a few years), both Ford Europe cars (8 year old Galaxy and 6 year old Focus) haven't got a single issue with the interior, between them those 3 cars have less build quality/interior issues in a cumulative 24 years of abuse than the American Ford had after two weeks.
i myself would recommend a Subaru... any tbh as there generally robust regardless of the abuse they suffer due to newbie drivers but a Toyota/Lexus wouldn't be a bad purchase either.
ajp71- I'm sorry you had issues with an American car. The Taurus X has nothing to do with the original except for the name. I hope you weren't confused. Any and all comment relating 'sport' and 'Taurus' are only to be made for the SHO. The SHO and regular Taurus models had many, many differences.
welcome to 1990. Americans cars are still rubbish. So what that it beat the M5 back then? Let's see a Taurus 2008 beat a 2008 M5. Oh wait... it's got a SMG mated with a V10.
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I will openly admit: I hate American cars. I don't hate Americans, but simply hate American cars. Let's bring this discussion a bit more upscale.
Against my will, my father bought a brand new 2005 300C back in 2005. We paid a whole 47k $ with all the option, sat nav, etc. For 47k, we get a 1970 Hemi. It is great yes 340hp rear wheel drive monster for 47k. We paid 47k for half leather seats, rubber dashboard, loads of plastic, and a sat nav that wasn't working after a week. The manual mode of the transmission was all wrong, and the brakes, well, they are probably good to stop a Civic, but not a 300C. Good thing we sold it after 6 months.
With about the same money, we got a 545i, much better build quality, a real 4.5L DOHC V8, not some prehistoric pushrod V8. It was real leather seats, and awesome build quality. The iConfuse system is rubbish but at least BMW got 99.5% of the car right. My aunt drives a 323i, never had a problem, ever. Uncle drives a 330i, no problems either.
My OTHER uncle drives a Ford Fusion. Tacky, slow, slushy handling, and infested with small problems every month. A friend drives a Malibu, rubbish. The new G5, crap, i've never been in such a boring and unresponsive car. The Aveo, would struggle to get off the line with 4 people. And not to mention the Taurus. A coworker kindly borrowed me his car to do some errands. shocks, what shocks?!!! floats like a boat. On the exit ramp of the highway, the car rolled so bad. And you know what's the best example: the American's best sports car the Corvette ZR1: leaf springs. nuff said.
Just imagine cheap American cars... For all I care, even if the SHO beat the M5 in 1990, I would ( and did) still buy an 18 year old BMW over a Ford.
Now go get drunk and soap in this idea that there are other things other then American cars.
) so if you wanted to go fast it's very controlable, but because it's a very old it is unsafer then the newer cars 
think about a mrk III or a mark IV, but don't buy very expensive and very strong(100 bhp is more then enough) car for first car because there is a good chance to smash it 
(...that gets sent home in tears by a measly 900cc 4 banger 
)