GC, particularly as a new driver you should not only consider the price of the vehicle but also the cost of insuring and maintaining it. I strongly suggest you to visit www.edmunds.com and do some research with particular attention to TCO (total cost of ownership) and common problems with the vehicle. Call some insurance companies and provide them with the years, and models of the vehicles you are interested on. They should be able to give you an approximate quote (actual cost depends on the particular vehicle), so you have a rough idea of insurance costs for each model.

When you are shopping for vehicles, you may want to take someone with you who knows about cars. Make sure you test drive in both city roads and highways. Ask for a carfax report from the seller. If they refuse it, suspect that something is wrong with the vehicle. In general, you may be better off with a rather basic vehicle such as a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic that have a proven record of reliability and fuel efficiency. Good luck!!