S&W 686 6". Used. NICE. Accurate as heck (I impressed several people with my can splitting abilities at distance). Bought in 1988 'ish. I was 19 or 20 years old. Traded it for a parts truck. Mistake, my International Harvester Scout II Died about 6 months after fixing it (my bad, not IHS).
I re-bought a similar revolver late last year out of nostalgia.
Auto Ordnance 1911 in .45acp cost all of $120 and was a bit of a dog (a victim of some home gunsmithing by the previous owner) but it brought much joy. It was all I could afford in those college days and the range bucket supplied the brass to feed it.