It seems weird to me somehow that anyones first car could be a 2000+ model. It's always seemed normal to me that one's first car should be something old (and thereby cheap). Mine was a beach buggy (VW with fibreglass conversion kit installed). Very unusual back then and even more so today. Also was very cheap and on its last legs. Typically my first few cars (back in the early 80's) cost in the order of a few hundred bucks and did not have huge lifespans.