ATLANTA, May 3, 2017 -- Graduating from college is a major life achievement, and one of the first things many graduates do after landing a new job is search for a means of transportation. Autotrader knows the car-shopping process can be intimidating, so the experts have put together their top vehicle recommendations and shopping tips for college grads preparing for their future purchase.

"College students have a lot of decisions to make after graduating, but car shopping doesn't have to be as complicated as it seems," said Brian Moody, executive editor at Autotrader. "There are more choices than ever, so to help narrow the pool, we hand-picked all the vehicles that tailor to both the lifestyle and budget of the average recent grad."