<prompt> Human: Not sure if theres a subreddit better for this kind of question but I am looking to get a car. Im a senior in college and have saved about 3K to use for a down payment.. Ive stashed another 3K for paymentsemergencies, etc. First and foremost, I am clueless. I dont know where to start, where to look, what I want to do. I was going to lease with the option to buy a Nissan Maxima looking at 240 monthly payment for 36 months as I feel by the time the lease is up I will be more financially stable. I am currently working 24 hours a week, 13hour, and pay 600 in bills monthly. Does that seem like a good idea? Or would I be better of financing a pre-owned car? Maybe a 3-5 year old car?I know I also have to consider interest charges, loans, insurance, etc. Thanks for reading. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! EDIT: P.s. - Is it my cake day? Serious question. Omg.  <response>: Buy a car outright for around 4-5k and drive it for a year until you know your income etc. Keep about 1k for repairs. In this price range you can find some nice cars that should last two years no problem. 