First PlayStation, first racer. Bought COD, Black Ops with the PS but only fired it up once. Now I'm addicted GT5.
Being brand new to any of the PS type stuff, I fought my way up from my first used Honda Civic to Lammo's, Beemers, and on up. I've always got 11,000,000 in points hanging around now.
You can get "but serious" about this game, or just have fun with it (like I do). If you go online to race, I guess you should be a lot more accomplished than I. I'm constantly bumping into people (sometimes on purpose), but I'm getting better. I find I have more fun racing cars that are closer to real world stuff that I might own, than racing the uber-fast exotic Star Wars speed cars. Easier to control, and it just seems more realistic to me. Guess I'm a woos at heart - ha.
But, if you're in to the other cyber-fast cars, there's plenty to choose from here. You have to build up to them, of course, by winning lots of races at the bottom end of the tier. However,that's the fun of it. Progressing up the fame and fortune ladder.
You can also choose to create drivers who (like Greyhound) you let do all the driving. I use these saps to earn money/points for ME when I haven't got time to sit in front of the TV all day. You just pick the race, pick your driver, hit "Start", and let him do his thing. Periodically I check to see where he stands and tell him to pick up the pace if necessary.
All in all, I gotta say "I LOVE THIS GAME!" I can even get my wife to play in the split screen mode sometimes. Just be sure she has a Martini nearby - ha.