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how much should a new graduate with new job put towards a car?
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in a very similar situation as yours, i bought a used motorcycle for $3000. it was still reasonably new, very reliable, and with california weather, you can use it year-round. it reduced my time in traffic, and it had very low fuel and maintenance costs. the biggest expense was tires. the biggest pitfall in buying a motorcycle is auto-insurance. do your research and ask for quotes from your broker before even considering a particular model of bike. when i decided that my finances justified a new motorcycle, i was surprised that full collision coverage cost about $3000/year on a lower powered bike that had a bad accident record because it appealed to new riders. i got a much more powerful bike that appealed to more experienced riders and the premium was only $500/year. is this answer not what you were looking for? spend as little as you can on a 4-6 year old car. drive it until you can save enough cash to buy the one you really want. i'm currently driving a 2007 corolla, and i'm waiting until i can get a new civic turbo with a manual transmission to replace it. (they currently only offer them with a cvt, but next fall they'll have them with the mt, so i'm probably 2 1/2 years out from buying one used.)
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