So I've thought for a while to start play violin. I am 18 years old, maybe a lil late to become extremly good, but violin makes so beautiful music, I just have to try!

What kind of violin should I buy? I am 5'3'' / 160cm.
I'm going to take classes in it but I would prefer getting a violin before starting. But I know exactly nothing about what I should get. And I'm a student so I can't buy the most expensive one, tho I will pay what I need to get a decent violin for beginners.

Help is very appreciated!

1st thing, try in a proper violin shop if you possibly can. That way, you should at least get a working instrument. It is best avoiding antique instruments for now. Those things are friends for life and if you do not even play then you are in no position to choose one (ignore that advice if you happen to see one you like the look of of course).

Things that can be wrong include:
pegs not fitted properly.
bridge not fitted properly.
fingerboard not shaped properly.
nut not shaped properly (thats the things the strings touch before going on to the peg).
Neck out of line.

If these things are wrong then it will probably cost more than the instrument to repair. As far as I can tell, a reputable violin shop will check the stock on receipt and reject the bad instruments. I understand from some of the proper violin shops that faults are very common. I will leave it as an exercise for your imagination what happens to the rejected ones...

It would be foolish to pay more than you really need to because the chances are that after a couple of years you will need to change the instrument anyway.

Once you get an instrument then replace the strings with proper ones. The strings fitted at the factory tend to have more in common with cheese wire than violin strings. Dominants are a good bet.

If you are tempted to buy a second hand instrument, obviously you want one that has been looked after, but maybe not one that has been too well looked after if you see what I mean. One that has been well used obviuosly works and the owner is selling it because it has been outgrown and not because it is useless. One that looks new may be in that condition because the owner gave up straight away. A common reason for giving up is the instrument was faulty ...

Hope this helps