Honda, Nissan, Chevy, VW, Pontiac

It gets great gas mileage and is very reliable. But some insurance companies may classify it as a sports car, thus making the insurance on it more.

Subaru is a fine small car, reliable and OK on gas, too expensive on parts and repair labour. one can also try a local US made (G5 or older Chevy/Pontiac Sunfire, Dodge Neon) or popular Japs (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla). European (VW) is way to expensive to maintain.

Yes, a Subaru WRX would be a great first car. An STi would not because of it is power. After getting used to the WRX, you could then more safely upgrade to an STi.LUCKY!!!

Enjoy!

l am not sure if a WRX would be a good first car. Yes it is awsome & very sporty, but the gas mileage is not all that great, it only gets around 20 miles per gallon. Another problem is that since u r a new driver & ur buying a sports car, ur insurance would be horrible. Another downside is that since ur driving a car like the WRX with about 300 horses & AWD u might tend to drive like a manic & think ur invincible in ur tank of a car (trust me u would, l do in my '99 Impreza & its got half the horse power. Probably the biggest reason not to get the WRX as a first car is because it would cost u (or ur parents) about $35,000 in only five years (without insurance!).

The only reason l think of why it would be good to get a WRX is because of the amazing safety ratings it & all subarus have. But the bottom line is that its too expensive & as a new driver u would destroy it. l would recommend waiting till u get out of college & getting a good job before getting one & then if u still want a 2007/2008 they will be cheaper to buy. And do not take me wrong it is a great car!

But if u do get a WRX make sure it is blue & it' manual!

Wow, lucky new driver to get such a nice car as their first car!

l have found my WRX to be reliable, very fun & very practical. l use it for daily driving, auto cross & lapping schools, & l enjoy every minute driving it. It is one of the easiest cars out there to drive fast, & has excellent vehicle dynamics.

That said, u should have a talk with the new driver to make sure they understand how awesome this gift is, & make sure they have enough driving skill & self control so they stay out of trouble

l would tone it down a little and go with an Impreza or Forester. Just as fun to drive and a little safer for the first car.

Not a good choice for a first car. Why? Because there is a 75% chance that u will wreck it in the first 6 months. Buy a cheap & rugged Chevy until u have a couple of years experience. Here is a quote on the WRX:
You see, underneath that semi-juvenile, boy racer bodywork r sophisticated all-wheel-drive systems, rally-spec running gear & turbocharged four-cylinders that make tremendous power. Performance is so densely packed into these cars that they begin to rewire the driver is brain. You drive faster. You take more risks. You howl like a demented chimp when people scoff at ur F1-size spoiler. And, u love every minute of it.

The Subaru WRX is a great first car with so much power.
The only problem about this car is that the insurance is really expensive but if you put the car under your mum is name then the insurance will be way cheaper (This is totally legal in Australia). My 2007 Honda civic sedan is under my mum is name and l got about 65% discount on my premium.

The WRX is the second most expensive car to insure for a reason, tons of kids have died in them. Not to say that a wrx is the fastest and most dangerous car out there. But inexperienced drivers can afford these cars. Drive a beater for a few years and then look into a performance car (a wrx is an excellent performance car to start with).

BAD FIRST CAR!!!!, (but subaru impreza is good).

Just get the RS (non-turbo) model, it will have all the benefits of the wrx without the ''excessive'' horsepower of the wrx (mainly just the turbo style performance).

In my opinion the turbo would make it a very bad car for a beginning driver, as the turbo boost tends to build and come on quickly/unexpectedly ( l own one), this is great for an experienced car enthusiast but not for someones first car.