I have my permit and should get my license in March, and I've been looking into what car to get when i get the opportunity for about a year now
I've started at looking at triumph gt6's, i know they are not the fastest car out there, but they most likely will feel fast because they are older and more "raw"
what are your opinions on this car?

my other car choices that I've narrowed it down to are
BMW E36 328i
VW golf GTI mark 4, maybe a 337
Audi A4 1.8t (2000-2002)
and the new-ish Saab 9-3 linear(2003)

do you have any opinions on those cars, or suggestions that could be similar to those cars? my price range pretty much ends at 11-12 grand
(stick shift only, i will never settle for an automatic lol)

if i were you and i wanted good old raw speed and HP I'd go with a firebird, mustang, or a GTO.... if you want cheap go with a civic.... out of the cars you posted id go with the BMW E36 328i or the audi

yeah id go with a firebird ws6 if i could afford the gas and insurance
accelerating with open headers in one of those would be like dropping through the gates of hell

gas is still pretty expensive
and I want a car that I would be able to keep through college without too much of a hassle with insurance
i hate insurance...

lol every car is a hassle with insurance.. lol i would defiantly go with a firebird but if you cant afford gas then you must not have a lot of money cause where i live its 2.50 again... lol or you live in an area where gas is still $3.00 a gallon... go with the audi if you think thats more affordable :-)... all the cars you have selected are a hassle with insurance so dont let that stop you.... if i were you id get the car i want and say **** you to all the jerks who say no... go for the firebird man..... you got a job right?

gas is still 3.50+ here

and no i dont have a job. i dont have any time these days because of sports and school. i need to focus on school because if i get a good job, THEN i can go berserk on my car choices, and even do a bit of restoring if i feel like it =]

i wish i had a job because there was a guy at my school last year who had a 2004 GTO
and he had open headers, that thing was ****ing deafening
he managed it with a job at jamba juice

The thing about the Triumph is that it is an older car so it's going to have older car issues that come with regular maintanence, so unless you have the time or the funds to keep it in tip top shape you're just going to be taking on someone else's problems, not something I would recommend for a first car. Out of the four cars you listed though I would recommend the Saab. Something that'll get you from A to B while you work up your driving ability.
I wouldn't recommend starting off with AWD like the Audi because then if you were to ever switch to a two-wheeled beast you would try driving it like you would a car like the Audi and end up spinning or understeering, and this is coming from someone who used to drive AWD. The BMW is a nice car and I've driven a few Bimmers, but it is difficult getting one with decent miles at a decent price, they hold their value well. The GTi is nice but a bit more of a pocket rocket and not really the best beginner car, especially if you want to drive your friends anywhere and expect them to fit comfortably. Plus those three cars are all German so the electrics are going to have a couple gremlins over time and regular maintanence on them would be more costly than most other cars. My roommate has a early 2000's VW Jetta and a failing ignition coil on that car was an $800 affair.
The Saab will give you decent power, a comfortable ride, ample space, and being Swedish a ton of safety features. I test drove a 9-3 Arc turbo last summer and that was probably one of the nicest cars I had test driven, good quality and great all 'round usability.

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2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SuperSport

if i was you i would buy a nice Fire Bird or a nice mustang and drive it the way it is (you could go for a GTO too) if you are really good with cars then try to get an after school job as a mechanic and buy one and pay for gas. and wow your gas prices are high.... your only driving from point A to B so drive conservatively and don't waste too much gas... and dude drop the sports if you need to.... in the long run they do nothing for you.... my half bro got a sports scholarship and if thats what your aiming for dont bother because if your not really good then they give you diddley **** for money..... p.s. im 15 and I've gotten asked to work for a tile company.... i said no and i interviewed at a computer place because thats my specialty and got turned away. next im off to interview at my school.... when im off suspension... to see if i can get a job there. with the money i will make i will go on a trip to Europe.... it costs 9000K.... and if your parents see you make an effort to earn money they might be more willing to help you pay for your first car