how much car is too much car?

[soopy]

Hello,

I've asked a couple of car-related questions before and I appreciate all the candid responses received. I am almost ready to buy my first car and as common sense dictates, all my shortlists are used cars. That being said, I seem to be sucker for certain nicer features like BSM or backup camera and for relatively newer cars(30000-40000 miles usage) with a highway gas mileage of around 35. The price range is in between 12-14k$.  I hope to drive it for 3 years and then sell it before I leave USA for good. Am I being  a car clown?

I make a little south of 6 figures and have about 24k $ in student loans.

[Ecky]

Yep. A $4000 Honda Fit (with 160,000 miles) will move a full sized couch (with the hatch open), deliver 45mpg on the highway, and likely only require oil changes until you ditch it. You'll probably get $3500 for it when you sell it. Plenty of examples of trouble-free 250-300k mile Fits. If you want a backup camera, you can add one with about $30 in parts from Amazon.

This is what a $3000 car looks like:




I think an argument can be made for a car in the 5-8k range, but more than that? Just luxury.