Yes I bought my first car an MG for $2500. I put $500 down and my Dad cosigned the loan. $73 per month. Of course I was only making $80 per week at my first job.
I had an MGB, too. Lots of fun driving it...when it ran. Only had it 18 months but during that winter, we would put the top down, rolled-up the windows and turned the heater up full blast while driving on 2-lane country roads. It was a blast!
I came “that close” to buying a TR6 - loved that car!!!. But my wife was pregnant and didn’t believe me when I said I could fit the baby in the “back seat”.
I’ve always preferred smaller, sports-sized cars that had great handling vs larger comfort couches - although I did drive an Infinity - midsize model - that had decent handling.