I need help deciding which car i should get. there’s a 2013 subaru impreza automatic with 63k miles for $10,000 and a 2013 automatic Mercedes c class C 250 with 94k miles for $11,000.
The Impreza will outlast the Mercedes by far, and have 1/10th the maintenance & $$$ repairs of the Mercedes.
If you get the Mercedes as your first car, it may forever put you off cars, owing to the PTSD from the repair bills you’ll constantly receive throughout its ownership.
Other good options are the Corolla, Civic, Camry & Accord.
As with any used car, have it thoroughly inspected by a professional Subaru mechanic, before you buy it.
Good luck!
Get the Impreza, the Mercedes will be an endless moneypit.
Out of those two, the Subaru Impreza would be the better choice. That however doesn't change the fact that the Impreza is overpriced. I would shoot for the $7000 range or less.
View the Used Car Buying Guide for more information on buying used cars. Also check out the First Car topic tag to see what was said before.
Forget about the Mercedes. The Impreza is a pretty good car but the common problems are with the CVT automatic and excessive oil consumption.
Other good choices in your price range for a first car include the 2011-2016 Toyota Corolla, 2013 Honda Civic, Lexus ES350 (for an alternative for the Mercedes), and with the Subaru Impreza just a couple model years later with a manual transmission to avoid some problems.
Good luck!
If you would rather something a little smaller (depends on the type of driving you'll mainly be doing) a Honda Jazz (I think they're marketed as the Fit in US) would be another option.
My wife has a 2013 Fit. We've had it eight and half years without any mechanical or electrical problems. Alas, due to slumping sales (only 5K last year), Honda withdrew the Fit from the U.S. market. (Americans seems to prefer the next step up, the CR-V). Great little car, with a robust life outside of the U.S.