The price of a car in 1996 varied enormously depending on many factors: make, model, year (of the specific car, some were new, others used), condition, mileage, location, and options.
There's no single answer. You could have bought a used car for a few thousand dollars, or a new luxury car for upwards of $50,000 or more. To get a better idea, you'd need to specify the make and model.
