What's a good first car for a teenager?

Since I was little, my parents swore up and down that my brother and I would have to worry about our first car.
However, my parents broke that bond with my brother and pay for his car bills.
SO, they've agree'd to help me with mine.

I was thinking something simple like a Honda Civic, great gas mileage.

I do need something cheap though. Not a new car. Something I could possibly find in a used car lot or even on craigslist?
What would you recommend? I would prefer something with good gas mileage.
(Probably pushing it, but I also want something a little bigger- like an SUV (but THATS HORRID GAS, i know. ^_^)

BQ: What was your first car?
BQ2: What's your dream car?

TATA NANO

I just got my first car! I got my license tomorrow, and I got my car about a month ago. It's a 2001 Nissan Sentra. 120k miles.

It all depends on your budget. I got my car for around 2500 dollars because my brother in law is a diesel mechanic and went over it top and bottom. No issues he could see, he got under it and everything. My parents and I agreed not to spend over 3k, considering this is my FIRST car. And if something were to happen I don't want to feel terrible and be in debt.

I myself actually wanted a civic! But here is why I decided against getting any kind of Honda: they're really expensive when they do break.

Honda's for one the parts are way more expensive compared to Toyota [which longevity wise are right up there with Honda's minus the price] and the same thing with Nissan. And some of their fluids are also more expensive and have to be "special" meaning you have to buy the fluids made especially for Honda's.

The biggest things to look for when you buy a car:
1. MILEAGE- Depending on how much you're willing to put into a car and how much you want to drive [which the two go hand in hand most of the time] you need to keep a good eye out on millage. If you plan on driving alot and want a used car as a first time driver. I'd advise looking for something with under 130k miles on it. The lower the miles, the less likely you are to need maintenance on it. And typically the lifespan of the highest rated cars are around 280k-320k miles.
BUT that leads into 2.
2. MAINTENANCE!- Ask for service records, and if they don't have any at least if you're buying from a private person feel them out. Ask about maintenance. Changing the oil regularly and checking fluids is KEY to longevity in a car, it is absolutely terrible if the person hardly changed the oil or did any maintenance. My brother in law brought a code scanner, and checked for any codes, there were none on my car. But obviously not everybody can have that done, but if you can. Do it!

Big tip: Seriously, I advise so hard not to go to a used car lot! They mark up the prices so they can turn a profit. I got my car off of craigslist, ironically enough the guy I bought my car from was also a diesel mechanic and worked on trains, he was going to give the car to his son but the son didn't like how it looked. Which it's no sports car, but I think it's cute, and it runs smooth, relatively low miles, and since having it on my permit I've drove it about 500 miles going 70mph on the highway for 3 hours at a time, and it's drove right along. And you can't beat the fuel economy of a small car. It's "rated" at 30 but I get about 32-34.

Another huge tip: My first two wants for cars were civics and celicas, coupes on both but… Coupes have higher insurance rates sometimes! Something to consider.

I really advise toyotas, nissans, and [some] chevy's. Cavaliers are good first time cars. Our family car is a 2004 Corolla S and it has 190k miles on it, and has never had any maintenance needed besides regular fluid changes. Same thing with my sisters 99 Avalon with 240k on it.

my dream car is honestly a tesla or dodge challenger. Maybe the challenger if the gas was free for life!
Hope I helped.