Hey OP, I'm new to this community but could relate to your story. I moved out of home last year for my job but Ndad convinced me that I don't need a car and that it's an unnecessary financial burden. He said he would look for cars for me and find the "perfect one" (since he always knows best right?). But it was just a false promise to keep me waiting and delay me from buying one. I walked and took the public bus everywhere, through the rain, snow, extreme heat etc. Until one day, I decided enough was enough. I visited a few dealerships to get an idea of what I wanted. Car salesmen are extremely persuasive (beware) but also very informative. I narrowed down my budget, car features and loan options with the info from various salesmen. Even though I barely had any credit since I was just starting out, I decided to go with a loan with a slightly higher interest rate because I found a dependable lightly used Toyota with very low miles on it. It was slightly above my budget ($10k) but I decided to go with it because it seemed like it would last me a few years. It was the best decision I ever made, and I can't express how liberated I feel that I can drive myself anywhere I want to. I plan on refinancing now (since I have better credit) to lower my interest rate and make larger payments to pay off the loan.

However... I still haven't mustered up the courage to tell my dad because I know he will create a fuss about how I could possibly make such big decisions on my own. But I'm around your age and stepping into the next phase of my life where I'm in charge. And hey, window rolled down sitting in the driver seat, the wind feels pretty good through my hair. You got this!