The first car I ever owned was a 1969 Chevy Impala 4-door with a 327 ci and 2-speed PowerGlide trans. It was a boat on wheels. But that is not what you asked. You wanted to know the first car we bought, and this was a parental hand me down.
My friend was selling a car for $200. He had worked on it, and now it didn't run right. It barely ran at all. Being 16, I didn't know what was wrong, so my dad came over to look with me. He pulls the air filter off, and checks the float. Seems fine. Then my dad says for me to try starting it. I give it a couple pumps then crank the engine. BOOM, it backfires out the carb, sending a fireball up to lick my father's forehead. He pulls back, banging the back of his head on the hood. I learned a few words that day. I also learned that my friend put his distributor in backwards (I still don't know why he took it out). My dad removed the screw, cussing all the while, and turned the distributor 180 degrees. In about two minutes he had the car back together, closed the hood and said, "Try it now."
The car ran like a dream. It was a 1969 Chevy Nova with a three speed on the floor. I bought it for $200, and gave my dad back the Impala.