Knowing that you are financing it...
I strongly recommend getting a cheap reliable beater and paying cash. Get the best civic or whatever you can get with your CASH, and start saving your pennies so you can buy a new car with CASH.
Car loans are for suckers. Really. Go to the country club estates, ask anyone on the street walking their dog if they have a car payment... They'll all say no, car loans are for suckers. If you don't want to be poor, then don't do what poor people do. Want to be in a comfortable situation with money, do what the rich people do. Don't be in debt for ANYTHING. House mortgage is ok for a while, but pay cash or do without for everything else.
Seriously.
Eagle and Golfer have good points, but I will chime in that car loans are fine, but only with the more money/cash you can put down upon the purchase, this more than your credit score or anything else HEAVILY dictates the quality or any favor a car loan can offer you. Take Golfer's case for example, he had the cash more or less and didn't need the loan for any other reason than to build his credit score. Walked in and walked out with probabley the lowest interest rate loan available from them and for 5-years.
If you walk into a dealer and have 1/4-1/2 the cost of the car in your pocket with you, you can essentialy (within reason) write the terms of your X-year car loan (demand the lowest interest, first and or last month's payment free, whatever you can think of that you know they have or can do including throwing in freebies for your car). It's a multiple win for the dealer all around so make sure you get your deal too - they write a relatively low-risk loan (if you have a job, parents co-sign, and then your chunk of $), cleared inventory, and pocketed some cash.
