Car Shopping

[Chrislit18]

I'll be turning 16 in the middle of the month, and since it is summer, and I have nothing better to do, I decided to start browsing for possible cars for me.

My mom and dad said by the time I have my licence in Jan that I should be able to get a car [90% for the fact I want to drive to school, and I'll probably either have a job by then, or be getting one, and 10% so I can get out and do stuff].

Right now I am so into fuel efficiency it's not even funny. I saw a Hummer today on my way home from the post office where I live [I walk], and I almost vommited.
First off, I can't see paying 100 bucks to fill up my gas tank, and second of all, I love the enviornment, and don't want to kill it.

I am looking for something that gets 20+ mpg....25 would be even better.

The hard thing for me is deciding which car. Right now on my list I have about 30 that I really like. But size is going to be a problem.
Being 5'10", it would be hard for me to get anything less than a midsize sedan, and be able to get in and out of it, which sucks, cause I'm loving the Volkswagen New Beetle Convertable, and The Yaris 2 door Hatchback. So its like, those two are off automatically.

Prius' are my favorite, but they are so expensive. My mom told me she can't see me paying 16000 for a 2004 model, when I can get a brand new car for less than that. [I am making a spreadsheet of prices at the moment.] My mom has to agree on the car before I buy it, for safety reasons basically. She hates the Yaris Hatchback, But I am dying to show her the Yaris Sedan. I love it almost as much as the Prius.

There are a few SUV's that I am looking into as well, but not huge ones.
I really like the Honda CR-V, the shape of it, and it gets good milage as well. The Mercury Mariner and the Infiniti FX are great too.

I have a price of like $13,000 I can use. Since both parents and myself will be contributing to geting a car for me. But just the thing is I kind of want a brand new car, since they do have higher safety ratings, better MPGs, and they look nicer.

I would probably have to say my top 5 [cars that I could actually get] right now are:
Honda Civic
Honda CR-V
Toyota Yaris Sedan
Chevrolet Aveo Sedan
Infiniti FX

If anybody has any advise or ideas it would be helpful. This looking is so stressful. Between looking at the different makes, models, years, prices, gas milages, colors [I'm a 15 year old girl, that is the most important thing!! lol], and making my spreadsheet, its so difficult to decide what would be right for me.
In October my mom said that she will start taking me to dealerships to look around and get in and out of the sedans and SUVs to see if I would be comfortable in them. Since comfort is important in order to drive, and I would like the acessories to be in sync to my wants and needs. Mp3 Aux. Jacks, Air conditioning, and a moon roof are my top 3 ideals, as well as power Everything.

If anyone would like to help me out or offer ideas, comments, or anything from experiences it would be great. A first car means so much, and I would like to get one that would suit me well.

Thanks!
Christine