What I wish I knew: I wish I had known how to drive a stick shift better before I bought a manual transmission :)

Advise: Stay within your means.

I'm pretty happy with my first car choices so I don't think there is another I wish I knew.

Advice: new cars are for people with money (which you dont have). Beware car salesman their goal is to sell, not make sure you can afford it. DO NOT get suckered into something you can't afford

*Take good care of your cars folks! And always budget and save up MUCH more than what you think you'll need!

*Depreciation is REAL. Especially if your car has lots of miles on it/a lot of wear and tear! I traded that Ford Fiesta in at the car dealership a little over a year ago when I bought my current car and it was only worth about $1100 afterwards!

*Make sure you find a car within your budget/that fits your needs (You DO NOT NEED a brand new, super fancy car) and DO NOT go over your budget no matter what!

• I wish I realized the true cost of car maintenance. Beyond accidents, regular upkeep is crazy expensive. Also, the younger you are, the more expensive insurance is.

• My understanding is that taking your car to do work is much cheaper out of state because of the licensures California auto mechanics need to hold. If you can swing it, take it to Nevada or Arizona with your family's permission. Get a quote before you go and make sure the shop is reputable and safe. Also, buy a dash cam! Super helpful if you need evidence against a crazy driver.

I wish I knew more about the importance of checking vehicle history to make sure the previous owner maintained the car well (make sure you have the seller provide you with a carfax report which will show any accidents the car has been in and when repairs or maintenance was performed. If the vehicle has 100,000 miles on it and there's only a few records of the oil being changed, it's likely they did not maintain it properly and the engine does not have much life left in it), maintenance/insurance costs (The newer/pricier the car, the higher the insurance premium), and the impact of driving habits on vehicle health.

Before making a purchase, do your research and take your time before committing to buying. Autotrader.com is a good site to find used cars for sale and KBB.com will give you an estimate on how much a vehicle is worth/ how much you should pay for it. Look up the average maintenance cost on the vehicle you want and compare it to other vehicles.

When I was young, I just wanted to drive something that I thought looked cool and went fast. I ended up paying for it in maintenance expenses and poor fuel economy. Now, I prioritize fuel economy, brand reliability, longevity, low interest rates if I finance, and low maintenance costs.

Read through the owners manual, especially the maintenance section, to familiarize yourself with how to care for your car to get the most mileage out of it.

Find a reputable auto shop if you ever need repairs made. Keep in mind that independent mechanic shops typically cost half as much as dealerships for maintenance and repairs. If you get an expensive quote for a repair, go to another mechanic for a second opinion.

I recommend using Valvoline for oil changes every 5,000 miles (They often have groupons for 40-50% off).

Check your fluid levels every time you get fuel up at the gas station (i.e. oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and coolant). If you're not sure how to check these, there's plenty of videos on youtube you can watch or look it up in the owners manual.

I wish I knew about the car's history before purchasing it. Make sure to ask the seller for a carfax report so you can learn what maintenance was done on the vehicle or previous accidents it was in.

My advice would be to save up and buy a used car outright. Many of my friends regretted leasing their first car because they ended up with monthly car payments that took a lot of their paycheck. Google says the average monthly payment for a new car last year in the United States was $737 with the average monthly payment for a used car being $520. Juggling a car payment + rent + other bills and costs can be very tough. Wait until you have more money to get the nicer car.

2) I wish I knew more about financing options at the time.

3) I would suggest to do their best to not finance or lease a vehicle, unless they can truly make the monthly payments. In addition, make sure you purchase automobile insurance with a trusted company and that you learn about your policy in detail, so that you know exactly what is covered and what is not covered; you'd be surprised!

I wish I would have known just how much it was going to cost me to maintain and service the car when it needed to be repaired. I thought it only required me to pay for gas and that was it!

My advice, don't impulse buy! I know buying and owning a car sounds great, but take your time to research basic information about the different cars that you are interested in. Do price comparisons. Also, think about all the additional costs that are included when owning a car like gas, maintenance, registration renewals, insurance, etc.

2) I wish I knew all the costs of owning a car, such as gas, insurance, repairs, etc.

3) My advice will be to buy a used car as their first car because it doesn't involve a monthly payment. All my vehicles have been used, and if you choose a reliable car, the repairs will not be expensive. I will eventually want to buy a new car, but right now, I want to spend that money traveling the world and not on a $300-600 monthly payment.

I wish I knew more about how to save and more easily make payments. I also feel like, in general, it would be good to know basic how-to's when it comes to cars; oil changing, swapping windshield wipers, etc.

I leased my first couple of cars. This can be really good if you don't drive a ton (ex: going out of town often) or are easily able to keep the milage under 1000 miles / month. The price per month tends to be lower and then you can trade it in at the end of the lease for a newer car. The dealership may also cover things like accidents or oil changes.