Dude a lot of us have been there. It is a learning experience. I had a couple RF HE2's for my first subs. I bought em before I got my license and hooked em up in my buddy's car. It wasn't long before we blew one of them. After that I had a 15in Power HX2. I didn't know much about subs so I bought a box from a local place in Centralia. It was like 2.4cu sealed. I overexerted that sub because it was meant for a smaller box.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned in Car Audio, is if you want there to be less problems and better results, do not get in a hurry for shit. Do research and plan.