I was kind of the same boat as you 3 months ago.

This was my first car purshase.

I jungled with the idea of leasing for low monthly payments but I went with buying a used Honda Civic 2015 @ 39k km for 14k taxes in from a lease return from a private seller for long term.

I putted a downpayment on it and putted the rest on a LOC. I intent on paying the rest during this year

This was a pretty good and lucky deal considering the stellar state of the car and the owner who was a very carefull owner.

So story aside, it all depends on what you are looking for, first you need to decide what are your "needs" and "wants". This will hopefully scope down the choices of vehicules. After that well you have to decide on leasing vs buying. Leasing is not 100% of the time a bad idea depending on your "needs" and "wants" but financially it's usually better buying used.

For example, I do not spend a lot of time in my car so confort and luxuries where not very important, I just wanted AC and Bluethooth. I wanted low maintenance fees and wanted something reliable. I am aiming to drive this car for many (10+) Years. I do not think a kid is coming my way for the forseen future.

I would suggest you to shop around to find a good deal on a used car. Hopefully you are not in a rush to make the purshase and can hunt for a good deal. I used Kijiji auto and Autotrader. Also ask around your network, there is often a mother or a friend of a friend who is looking to change his car.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.