I'm glad they let you return it! I think a good rule is not to borrow more than 20% of your annual income for a vehicle. So if you make 40k, don't get a car if you have to finance more than 8k of it. This will keep you out of bad debt and free you up to travel and invest. Also, if you're paying more than like a 6% interest, I would go to another bank (local credit unions are best) after a few months and see if you can get a better rate.