As for me, I went for a 4th gen because my parents gave me a $3500 spending limit (which is so much more than what I was expecting). But, I think that even if I had come off from a multi-millionaire family, I would have still settled for an older car. As a first car, something is BOUND to happen to it. Whether it's hitting the car in the next lane, or hitting the curb, it's going to happen.
I hit the curb on my first two weeks of driving with a license. Scraped the underside of my fascia pretty badly. Thankfully it's not visible from a normal point of view, but it HAPPENED. And all the scratches I get from kids rubbing against my car. Some people have no respect...
But alas, I digress. While I don't think anybody should get a new car as their first car, it doesn't mean they can't appreciate it. My little '98- I love it. TO DEATH. It's sporty, it handles well, and it's got enough horses to put a smile on my face. At a around 1/7th the cost of a new LS Camaro, it's still something I can enjoy like any other 17 year old kid can enjoy. It doesn't have to be new, it just has to be something you love.
And I don't think I'm spoiled for getting it; I do work for it. I'm in 11th grade taking 3 AP classes (would have taken 4 if I didn't want to go to Calculus next year) this year and 4 next year. I like to think I work hard for what my parents pay for my car, but I still feel guilty. I even tried paying for my gas for a little while, but since I didn't have a steady income, that fell through after about a month and a half. Of course, that does mean that once I do have a job, I'll pay or my own gas.
