“Wooden Shoe Rather Be Dutch?” Sigh. Bumper sticker humor aside, the Subaru Legacy had 140k miles on the clock and a well-maintained powertrain (records in the glovebox). The hardback book about Abraham Lincoln under the driver’s seat gave me hope that the owner was equally conservative with his driving. After a bit of tire kicking, I slowly concluded that the old girl had plenty of life left. Fortunately, the kicked-in driver’s door and smelly interior made the other dealers turn-up their nose when the Subie went across the block. For $500, the Legacy became mine… all mine. BWAHAHAHHA!!!!
Welcome to the wonderful world of the $500 car. From public auctions to impound lots to private sales and eBay, they’re there for the taking. We’re talking old Fords that hardly ever fail, to mondo mileage minivans with the interiors to match. The cost of today’s ‘affordable’ commuter has rapidly sunk to the point where it’s nearly equal to the price of a new scooter. Even better, as the old saying goes, “They ain’t building em’ like they used too.” They’re building them better.
Thanks to huge advances in mechanical engineering, materials and manufacturing, the average vehicle has a remarkable ability to sustain itself well in six figures on the clock and double decades on the calendar– given the right owner and proper maintenance.
In my daily work as a dealer, I see the results of this every day: old Camrys old enough to drink in all fifty states that run as well as a twenty-year-old sewing machine; old Volvo wagons that you can’t kill with a stick, SUVs built for durability instead of bling that can still climb every mountain, conventional family sedans that have watched an entire generation grow up and head off to college, ready for grandchild duty.
For a true indication of the average car’s added endurance, look no further than Canada. Our neighbors in the Great White North recently reported that the number of 15-year-old vehicles on their roads had skyrocketed from just 800k in 1990 to 2.8m today. They’re not hanging onto to their vehicles longer because they’re poor. They’re doing it because they can. And the money saved is phenomenal. But the $500 car? How can that be a good deal?
First of all, understand this: the $500 car always has something wrong with it. Examples: the Subaru had a foul odor and a severely dented door. A $100 door and a $50 detail brought it back to its rightful glory. A 1989 Toyota Camry and a 1993 Eagle Vision I bought for $500 apiece needed nothing more than a $190 paint job (called a “scuff and shoot”). Two 1989 Volvo 240 Wagons, a 1988 Isuzu Trooper and a 1991 Ford Explorer Sport needed… well… nothing actually. They were just unpopular and ‘old’. Finally, a 1977 Mercedes 350SE bought for $250 needed a/c, new tires, and an alignment.
That old Merc was a freakish, right place/right time deal. But all the others had dozens of eyes on them and nary an interested buyer in sight. But why did all these sell so cheaply? Most car shoppers (and dealers) judge a book by its cover. Fashion rules. A damaged door or other body panel, peeling paint or lack of functional air conditioning stops most buyers in their tracks.
In time though, most folks pretty much just treat their cars as appliances. If it breaks a little bit, but it still works, they figure why bother even fixing it? Car buyers prefer to trade-in or sell their problems instead of fixing them, predominantly because they believe the repair cost is simply too much to bear.
That’s where the challenge and opportunity lies. Paint is cheap, parts at the local recycling yard (check car-part.com) or parts store are a fraction of dealer prices, and the time spent calling a few shops to get a direct quote for the labor on a specific repair costs you absolutely nothing. Enthusiast sites for specific cars are great at telling you the weak spots of any particular model, and what to look for during the test drive. Again this costs nothing but time and the willingness to learn.
For those of us who buy for the long haul, or just want a good cheap car to play with for a while, my advice is to look at the ‘scratch and dent’ side of the market. There are a lot of cheap old cars out there that had owners who did the maintenance, but not the cosmetics or the seemingly big repair. A little homework and a good independent mechanic can truly give you a ‘keeper’. It will also stave off the five figured financial scourges of depreciation, higher ad valorem taxes, and insurance while keeping your car hobby affordable and fun.
A great article.
And absolutely correct.
You do need two beaters to make one reliable car “unit”.
But I hope I never get as bad as one of my buddies in the 70s who had 5 beaters but only one good battery he rotated between them……
As a bloke that fixes ’em I concur wholeheartedly. I have a fleet of customer loaner cars. I haven’t ever paid more than $150 for any of them. Some have been with me for several years. Once they’re ten years old, there’s no sales taxes to pay. True, I’ve had to invest in safety related repairs and send a tow truck out to rescue one or two, but on the whole, we’ve had wonderful service from our beaters. And this in Eastern Canada, where the environment is about as hostile as it gets, anywhere in the world.
Right now, my Porsche is sleeping and I’m driving a 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity station wagon, which will haul a ten foot counter top inside or carry a 24 foot ladder on its roof. I just love this old banger and it still gives me 22 mpg (US conversion).
$500? I can do even better than that. I bought a 93 Mazda Protege with over 200K miles on it for $100. It would start, but a completely gone clutch left it beached in someone’s front yard. They were happy to see me tow it away.
A few parts, beer, and wrench time with my buddies turned it into a pretty stout autocrosser and ice racer. A couple of seasons later, it’s not only still hanging on by a thread, but giving those built Neons in STS class a run for their money.
the time spent calling a few shops to get a direct quote for the labor on a specific repair costs you absolutely nothing
Only if you have nothing better to do. In my service business time is money. Broken vehicles cost a lot more than just the repairs.
As long as I have my reliable “appliance” (i.e my lovely Toyota Yaris) shuttling me to and fro from work and the shops, then I love have a £1000 beater car (bigger budget!). It’s lovely to work on them and making them better. They have a certain charm for me. I’m currently thinking of buying a £650 Chrysler Neon as a project car. Something to thrash about. Appliance cars and soulful cars both have their place and charm in certain conditions. My appliance car is brilliant for everyday driving and I love the way she’s like a little donkey in that, she always starts first time and never lets me down. But my soulful car is great when you fancy a rollercoaster of a ride (i.e I’m going to the shops, can I get it there and back without the car overheating?!)
In fact, Top Gear did a £100 cheap car challenge, which I recommend you all watch, because someone (not saying who) wins when he sucker punches them all!
indi500fan is right in that you do need two beaters to make one reliable unit, unless of course your job doesn’t afford you the luxury of calling in one morning from the side of the road. Even a spare car won’t save you from an ass-chewing in that case. I had a string of beaters, two at a time, for a few years, and every time I had to “switch” my employer was nice enough not to care. My wife, on the other hand, absolutely positively has to be there every day, so she drives a new(er) Corolla.
Awesome article! I’m a big fan of ignored cars. My current ride is a mechanically flawless “scratch and dent” Camry.
A note about the +15 year old cars in Canada, though – while it is true cars are lasting longer and we’re thus keeping them on the roads longer, we’re actually adding to that number with tens of thousands of imports – there’s no restriction on importing +15 year old cars, so the Euro-spec and JDM import market is pretty hot these days.
Agree mostly with the article but I believe the article underestimates the costs of repair on these “beaters”.
If you are in the auto business then inexpensive and compliant labor may be available but most shops are usually unwilling to install parts the car owner brings in.
If you can do the work yourself the $500 car makes sense. I have put 100,000 miles on a 1985 Volvo since purchasing it for $500 in 1999 but if I didn’t do most of the work myself I wouldn’t consider it an inexpensive car.
One poster said “paint is cheap”. Auto paint work is not cheap where I live.
Main savings that I see when considering a $500 car vs. a 3-5 year old out of favor car is the savings on sales tax, insurance and registration which are nominal for the $500 car.
I disagree that a beater is guaranteed to leave you on the side of the road once in a while, or that you need a parts car parked in the weeds.
I have never been left on the side of the road unexpectedly. As long as you do the maintenance yourself and are absolutely ANAL about it (torque wrench, anyone?) The only thing that might take me out without warning is possibly a computer/electrical issue.
I’ve got a 95 626 with 243K on it that I would not hesitate to drive cross country. Of course I always bolt on new parts, not junkyard stuff. It’s worth it to me.
By far, THE most cost-effective vehicle I owned was a “salvage title” 1985 Buick Skylark I purchase in ’96 ans got rid of 5 years later.
The car, which had run into a barbed-wire fence, cost me $500. A set of used 13″ tires and a used windshield+ installation cost $200.
I put another $300 in repairs over 5 years into the car.
The AC didn’t work. The hood and vinyl top had deep barbed-wire gouges in them, but it always started and ran. The most major repair I can recall is replacement of front brake hoses after BOTH failed at once on a sub-zero day,luckily at low speed and with no injuries or property damage.
The kid was the reason I had the POS. His older siblings learned to drive in “cooler” vehicles with decent power, with expensive though not disastrous results. (This kid now owns a gen1 Scion xB that he considers a hot performer).
It was relatively heavy for its size, had 4 cylinder engine that gave decent enough acceleration in the 0-50 range but ran out of breath by 65.I felt the kid couldn’t hurt himself in it, and he didn’t.
Additionally, when I had the “new” tires mounted, my mechanic found that one rear wheel was slightly bent and showed a definite wobble @ 60 mph and did I want to use the spare tire rim, instead?
Hell no, I didn’t. Anything that made the kid nervous at speed was fine by me.
Too true. Nice editorial, Steven.
My old integra had a few ‘door dings’ that i never bothered to have popped out. And why? The odds of the car getting nailed again were high (i swear it was like a door magnet), and as the first or second most stolen vehicle in the US, anything that made it less attractive to thieves was OK by me. And I didn’t panic every time hail was on the radar… what’s a few more dents? Of course, now i’ve got a newer car, and all the worry that comes with keeping it looking pristine. Sometimes, driving a bit of a beater has its advantages.
I have gotten a few beaters in my time and my brother is quiet skilled at maybe 20 cars in the last 8 years. My favorite was an ’81 Merc 300T with 230k on the clock that I bought on eBay for $1250. I picked it up in Penn and drove it back to Atlanta and it was flawless except for the faded paint. The interior was still brand new with even that new car smell, the previous owner left the sheep skins on until right before I bought it, and the funk climate control even worked. I still miss that car.
My brothers had great luck with old Saab 900 turbos and he is now in his VW flat 4 faze(busses and bugs). He got this sweet ’85 900 turbo that was way over boosted, I still think it was faster then even my Legacy GT. He took that 300k mile car cross country twice.
Great editorial.
Oh those dastardly Japanese! First they flood the market w/fuel efficient cars and then they build them to last longer than what’s made in Detroit. By god I think I’m channelling Ron Paul! What we need here is the German TUV system: Increase the taxes on cars as they get older so people are forced to buy new ones! Isolation-cha-cha-cha-isolation-cha-cha-cha!!!
They’re not hanging onto to their vehicles longer because they’re poor. They’re doing it because they can.
And because the taxes on new cars are stupidly huge, as are the actual prices charged at the dealers. Wonder how this is helping them on their Kyoto goals?
I don’t believe in global warming, but if it exists, it’s likely caused by taxes!
KatiePuckrick:
I saw that Top Gear Episode on YouTube. I believe one of them got a car for free. Didn’t they say that they were able to get those cars real cheap because the UK doesn’t allow wrecking yards anymore and it actually costs to have an old beater towed away and recycled in an environmentally friendly manner. At least for now, if you have a desireable car with a body in decent condition, you can get over $500 at the wrecking yard for it.
By the way, it’s getting increasingly difficult to watch Top Gear over here as it is not available on the BBC station that some cable/satellite providers carry and Top Gear is vigorously enforcing their copyright on YouTube. Evidently, they don’t want Americans to see how good a Toyota Hilux is (my favoite episode is when they try to destroy a Toyota Hilux truck.)
Steven Lang: “…a $190 paint job…Paint is cheap…”
Is this a new development? Because the last time I checked a decent paint job was much, much more than $190.
Mr Lumbergh21,
It wasn’t quite free but close. To find a really good “beater” in the UK is easy. Hell, you can buy a Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo for about £2K! chrysler Neons (the one I’m interested in) can be picked up for about £500. A great car to trash and torture (in a good way!).
If you want to watch Top Gear, go to http://www.finalgear.com. Every episode of Top Gear to download by bit torrent. But for the record, piracy is bad, children. I’m just saying that they’re there! ;O)
rottenbob :
December 6th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Steven Lang: “…a $190 paint job…Paint is cheap…”
Is this a new development? Because the last time I checked a decent paint job was much, much more than $190.
Yeah, but he’s talking about the Maaco special, currently advertised for $199.99 around here. you remove anything you don’t want painted, they pretty much cover the glass and tires, so they don’t get painted much, and then they just start firing away.
Great article! A man after my own heart. I’m the same way with bikes. I sold my gorgeous but maintenance intensive Triumph in August and purchased a 25 year old Kawasaki in September. And I absolutely love it! Sure, the paint’s faded, the seat’s torn and it’s got a quarter-sized dent in the gas tank, but it runs like a top and cost me the princely sum of $800.
As gas prices go up, look for older luxury SUVs to become the new beater bargains. I’ve already seen mid-90’s Mitsubishi Monteros (which sold for north of $20k when new) go for less than $2k in the Denver area. And having owned one of these old beasts and put nearly 150k on them without any problems, I don’t think I’d hesitate to get one. Similar vintage Isuzu Troopers can often be found for right around $1000. If you aren’t making car payments, who cares about 15mpg? Even at $3.50/gallon that $500 a month you aren’t paying to the bank can buy a lot of gas!
Great article.
I finally learned my lesson and stopped buying new cars. It was one of the smartest things I have ever done.
My last 2 auto purchases have been one daily driver (immaculate 1994 Buick Roadmaster) and one weekender (1998 Corvette Covertible).
Its great not worrying about door dings, taxes, and monthly payments. Even better, the ol’ GM B-bodies last for infinity (in absence of rust) so financing: you can kiss my @$$!! You’ll never get me again!!
Is there a contradiction here? While the best beaters for beating upon into the quarter-million mile mark are Camrys it is said, there is something said about some GM and Ford products as holding up as beaters that can be gotten at bargain basement prices.
So which is it — are GM and Ford products bad from the standpoint of very-long-term reliability, or are there particular classic models and others to avoid?
For a final note, I was once watching this really clapped-out Taurus easy into a parking lot, and this is a true story — I heard it go clunk, clunk, clunk as it went by, so there is such a thing as “an old clunker.”
I’m a 1988 BMW 528e nut. I currently have 4 of them. My newest acquisition was 550$ with 117k miles on it. This is considered nearly garage queen miles for this particular model. The one it replaced has nearly 350k on its original drive train. The cars are a joy to drive, are easy to maintain for a DIYer and parts are reasonable. The retiree was driven for 11 1/2 yrs with nearly 200k added to its original 150 k at purchase. It has made several 2k road trips and never needed to be towed. I expect to get at least a decade of use from its replacement.
Paul Milenkovic :
December 6th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
So which is it — are GM and Ford products bad from the standpoint of very-long-term reliability, or are there particular classic models and others to avoid?
The latter.
There’s a reason that Impala’s and Crown Vic’s survived so long as cabs, and those reasons translate to a great beater. Low parts cost, simple maintenance needs, decent reliability, useful space and performance, etc.
Those aren’t the only two, but maybe somebody else has some recommendations.
Anyone ever hear thousand dollar car by Son Volt
My wife and I (after much lessons-learned) have sworn off 60-month loans and car payments. I’m a huge Dave Ramsey fan and not having the debt-load is a real blessing. I joyfully hop in my 1997 Toyota Tercel with 168k on the odometer and putter off to work each day. I’ve kept up with maintenance and have no reservations about driving the little bugger anywhere. I actually laugh at people I work with who show up with brand new cars and start talking about their $400+ payments. I don’t particularly enjoy knowing I’d have paid so much interest on a losing proposition when I know I could pretty much sell my Tercel for exactly what I bought it for a year ago. Besides, even if you wander up towards the $2500 mark, you can find some really fun older cars out there, drive them for a year or so, and not lose your shorts! LONG LIVE THE BEATER!!
I think that this is one of my favorite editorials on the site. I have to say that you can have a reliable beater. My first car was a 1992 Corolla bought for all of $2500. In the 5 years I owned it, the only thing that ever died was an overdue battery once. The trick to a reliable beater is simplicity. The corolla had an engine, battery, steering wheel, and not much else. I did upgrade the ‘ice’, so that I had 4 speakers instead of two. The newer car I drive now has let me down more than that. Personally, though, I prefer the method KatiePuckrick mentioned. I am looking at buying a yaris/fit/ scion for a daily driver so that I can have air bags, good mpg, possibly traction control in the winter, and get to work everyday. Then I gave my choice of 2k rx7’s, BMW’s, Supra’s ,etc that I can buy with the money I save over a more expensive car. The bonus is that I can drive those cars like they are supposed to be driven and can do the work myself when I have the time. Try saying that about your new 45k BMW.
I saw the 1k car challenge on Top Gear. Great episode! Also, I’m surprised that no one has mentioned beaterreview.com yet. That is a great site for good picks.
As an owner of a 94 escort with 180K on the clock I can attest to the beater is better principle. Bought 7 years ago for 3500 dollars this POS has more than paid for itself over and over. Book on it is 795.00 and dropping. When it dies I’m taking the tag off it and setting it on fire as a salute to it’s service.
the smart buyer picks up a beater every 2 years for a few hundred, drives it for 10K a year and performs safety related work on it only, then offloads it to another driver for pretty much what he paid for it. You won’t get thrills and chills driving it but you do get from A-B easily enough. And keep mileage off the really cool car in the garage while doing it.
Thanks for the link Katie Puckrick. I too believe in copyright laws, etc. But, Top Gear is not available where I live, they don’t make their episodes available on their own site, and I can ot see how I am causing them any financial harm by “stealing” something that is free in England where it is produced and is not for sale here in the states. It lets me sleep at night anyway.
Been there, done that. Got the T-shirt, and the hat. And this was back when they still built ’em like they used to -e.g. crappy.
I’ve simply spent too many years trundling around in decrepit cars. Not gonna do it any more.
I’m sure Mr. Lange is correct – it’s probably possible to get a decently reliable $500 car. But you’d have to know cars and be able to tell if the tranny is about to go out and that sort of thing.
I’ll go with Landcrusher’s advice and save for my next car. No payments, and probably no new cars again, but I’m not going to this extreme. I just don’t want to re-live my teens and twenties.
For those who don’t want to drive around all the time in a beater. You should keep in mind that this is also the answer the problems with that VW you love, but learned to stay away from. Think of it as a VW emergency kit rather than a beater.
Dynamic and Landcrusher are exactly on the ball with this…save up and find a decent 3-5 year old used car and pay for it in cash. Save the massive depreciation, save the interest lost. Cars these days tend to make it to 100,000 miles without too much issue. They don’t necessarily need to be $500 beat to snot rust buckets, either. Sure makes one sleep better at night knowing you aren’t making the finance companies richer and richer.
This is the fun part about cars! I finally get to own the cars that I wanted when I was a teenager. Maybe I am stuck in 1991, but I am around a lot of nice cars in my line of work, but, after a while, they all do start to look the same. We have two ‘nice’ cars, a 1993 Miata and a Nissan NX2000, and we have a 1990 Nissan Axxess SE AWD as the beater. We have sunk some money into it to keep it going, but there is nothing like it on the market and its quite versatile. And you can park it in the seedy part of town and not worry about anyone breaking in.
We also acquired a 1986 Volvo 240DL for $100. $100!?!! We are taking it Ice Racing in the winter! Of course, there are some things wrong with it, but the junkyard trips are fun for myself and my partner. At $100, why wouldn’t you buy it? I am looking for a ‘free Tibet’ sticker to go on it beside my Pride sticker.
The fun part about the $500 is the hunt. The treasure found in someone elses ‘trash’ is quite satisfying.
Never, ever will I buy new. I can’t bring myself to spend the money!
I’ve painted a few old cars the proper way when I had access to power tools, an air compressor and a paint gun, but when I decided to spruce up my old B2000 for her 400,000 km birthday I had access to none of those and was stuck using my apartment parking spot. So I used a scraper, a bucket and detergent, hand sanding and a foam paint roller. Cost me 50 bucks and I really kick myself I didn’t do it earlier.
Documented at: http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php/topic,55261.0.html
Agree mostly with the article but I believe the article underestimates the costs of repair on these “beaters”.
If you are in the auto business then inexpensive and compliant labor may be available but most shops are usually unwilling to install parts the car owner brings in.
depends on your mechanic. Years ago, when my ’14 or 15 yo ’77 Corolla needed a new distributor, my mechanic, Adrian, went to several different junk yards to find one that would fit (he ended up putting a ’71 distributor in it, because he couldn’t find a ’77 in the junk yards).
I had bought that car at 8 yrs and 90k miles in ’85 for $450 (probably about $850-900 in today’s $). I spent 10k over the 8 years and 70k I drove it, for everything, gas, insurance, parking tickets, repairs, etc, including fixing the bullet hole in the door, as required by DC inspection service. That car served me very well.
I just got back from an auction and it’s 11:30 EST. I’ll try to contribute a bit more insight to all this.
For many folks out there (a.k.a. buyers who aren’t passionate about a particular model, and have a fear of tackling the issues mentioned in this article), the best value range will typically be the 7 to 9 year old car that costs $2500 to $3500 retail. These vehicles will usually have around 100k to 130k, have average to good cosmetics, and should last an additional 100k. The prior owner’s driving style and maintenance regimen will have the greatest impact on the deal and….. I already have a four part series on how this can be done. Your typical depreciation under this scenario will be around $20 to $30 a month and most everything related to the running costs is far cheaper at this point (insurance, ad valorem, repair costs, etc.
Buying at this price point also enables the owner to ‘invest’ in the car with premium parts and routine maintenance for a longer period. Most folks look at a 10 year old Volvo and believe that it will indeed last another 7 to 10 years with proper care. A 15 year old Volvo will seem a bit more touch and go to the fellow who is not a DIY’er or enthusiast. They will let certain small things go as a result which will lead to bigger problems down the road.
The Toyota Tercel and Ford Escort are two of my top picks as affordable and fun vehicles. The former gets routinely criticized for being such a basic tinny car. But if you’re doing most of your commuting at 65 mph or less the Tercel is practically ideal. It’s extremely easy to maintain and, for those who want to learn about how to maintain their car, it’s a very repair friendly vehicle. I recently had two older Benzes and actually drove the Tercel more than the other two combined when it came to in-town driving.
The Escort is a HUGE favorite of buy here – pay here lots. They’re dirt cheap to buy and were made for a very long time (parts are cheap as well). They also offer far better quality than most small cars from the mid to late 1990’s; especially compared with domestics. Strangely enough, they tend to appeal more towards a more mature demographic than the Cavaliers, Neons, and Sunfires from that era as well. I see far fewer abused Escorts at the sales, and I currently have a one owner 1996 5-speed wagon, formerly owned by an older fellow, that gets close to 40 mpg. If you’re looking at economy with a moderate dose of fun and utility, I can definitely recommend those two vehicles.
The $190 price I quoted for a paint job is actually the ‘public’ price for a typical scuff and shoot. These paint jobs are designed for the owner who wants to keep their vehicle for another 5 years. I also recently painted a 1991 Toyota Celica GT-S with only 66k original miles with a higher end basecoat/clearcoat. Typical ‘public’ price for that paint job is $500 car and will most likely outlast the car.
Car-part.com is open to the public and is a literal treasure trove of 90+ million car parts. I highly recommend it to anyone who decides to keep a car for the long haul.
Radiator.com is also worth a look. If your radiator is ten years old, replace it. Most of them cost less than $150 and replacing this part is extremely cheap insurance for any owner.
From my experiences, the most important items to replace are those that are not typically mentioned in the owner’s manual. Radiator hoses should be replaced every five years, the transmission fluid should be changed every 30k to 60k (older minivans should have them replaced every 15k), and make sure you take a look at the brake fluid, power steering fluid, and battery cables at least once a year. I’ve found that most folks who believe they need a new battery or alternator simply need to have their terminals cleaned. If you can’t find the ‘time’ to do it, find a mechanic who is well established in the community. The one I deal with charges the public $65/hour and doesn’t charge for diagnosis and five minute repairs. These folks are out there. The Mechan-X files at cartalk.com is a good place to visit.
Finally, I have one more piece of advice for those who want the best bang for the buck. Find something you can fall in love with AND is within your means and current level of knowledge. Please don’t buy the 15 year old Mercedes and expect it to run like a 5 year old Camry. It definitely won’t (I’ve owned dozens) and luxury cars are particularly nasty vehicles for the automotive novice. Hell, they even scare me at times.
Also don’t go out and buy a 1970’s car on the delusional notion that you will all of a sudden be willing to learn all about a car. If that’s the case, start with something more contemporary and forgiving like a mid-1990’s Volvo. These cars offer a sense of achievement for the aspiring DIY’er, the powertrains are exceptional (but the electronics suck), and the database of online information is simply tremendous. The same can be said for most rear wheel drive domestic vehicles over the last 20 years that don’t have the names Lincoln or Cadillac affixed to them.
Enjoy your ride! I’m going to bed.
My best fish out of the water was $50 for an old rusted Mitsu Cordia “L”. (Thus, the car was very “cordial”.)
I loaned $50 to a starving actor when I was living in Chi-town, IL. Week after week he couldn’t come up with the dough, so he gave me his car, which was not running, and was costing him just to have it parked.
So I replaced the ignition module, a small crescent shaped black thingy that resides inside of the distributor cap. (A free library loan on the Chilton’s got me a trouble shoot’n.)
I drove that car for a few years. Even took it cross country one fall vacation to the New England area. When I moved to KY I took this beater with me.
Now here is the weird part: I traded out of this thing for a new Pontiac. Bad move. The beater was a much, much more reliable car than my new Pontiac. It got to were I kept a Dahon folding bicycle in the trunk of the Pontiac as “back up”. Never felt a need for this “back up” with that old Mitsu.
I now only buy new Hondas, but if I was on a tight budget I would approach this beater acquisition process with great zeal. The alchemy of getting the greatest reliability for the least money with a beater is lots of fun, and I kindas miss it.
I’ve had a lot of beaters. Owning a car that is the transportation equivilent of a Bic lighter can be a good financial choice.
Keep up the routine maintenance and the esoteric stuff that old cars love to throw at you. The first time a major issue comes up call the junkyard and buy another beater.
Old Sentras, Buick Centuries, Crown Vics, Aerostars (or any Ford truck), Maximas, Caprices, or Thunderbirds all make great beaters.
Body damage is actually a bonus when beater shopping. I picked up a mechanically sound van for peanuts because it had been rear ended pretty hard. The lift gate and the taillights still worked so no worries. Never bothered to fix the back end and sold the van for what I paid for it a couple of years later when the exhaust manifold cracked.
Unless you’re buying the car to make a quick sale avoid the $190 paint job mentioned in the editorial. My current daily driver was repainted (and had the police equipment removed) by the state before it hit auction. A year later the paint is peeling off of the car. I like this particular beater so I’ll be spending about $1500 to have it painted this summer.
It is worth mentioning that if you are not mechanically inclined bring a friend who is when shopping for cars at this price range. Sometimes a $500 car is a great bargain. Other times it is worth its weight in scrap at the junkyard.
Though I’ve had a fair amount of luck picking $500 to $1000 cars from external sources; by far, the best beater is a 10-year-old+ car that used to be your “good car” back when it was 3-5 years old.
Fewer exciting unexpected breakdowns, but as those old Holiday Inn ads said, sometimes, “The best surprise is no surprise.” Especially at 90-above- or 20-below-zero.
Whether you go with the beater, the used 5 to 9 theory, or the anything so long as it is cash theory, you have to be mindful that you will not save money unless you save money.
The reason some people perceive that a new car will save them money is because they can’t manage money to begin with. It is almost impossible to drive a car for less than $1,000 a year in maintenanance and depreciation (over the long haul and counting value of your time). Eventually, you will need another car, or a big repair.
If you put $100 or more in the bank each month for car expenses, you will come out way ahead. If you think that a $300 a month car payment is only $300 a month, think again. You didn’t count down payment, repairs, taxes, etc. If you don’t have the cash to pay for repairs, and you then put it on a credit card, you will blow all your savings on interest.
You have to save money every month to get ahead. Being ahead financially is worth it. You have to experience it to know.
Wow, one of my favorite topics written about with zeal. My best purchase ever, though it was years ago now, was a Ford Fiesta (the good, German car) for $65 off the wholesale line of a 3rd string car dealer. Dirty and allegedly with an engine that smoked, I drove that car for something like 5 years and sold it for what I had in it, including all repair costs and a cheapie paint job! Still the best car I ever owned.
I now buy all my cars with at least 100,000 miles on them. Most people still think a car is worn out at that point, and the bulk of the depreciation has been absorbed by dumber folks. If you pick the right brand and do research ahead of time, it’s not hard to pick a reliable one.
On the subject of paint jobs, unless you know someone, it’s near impossible to get a car painted for $200 anymore. However, you can paint it yourself with plain old Rustoleum and a roller. Really. I just painted my BMW race car this way and it really does work. It’s a bit labor intensive, but nothing the average guy can’t do. $100 or thereabouts in materials and a week of evenings and weekends and you can have a car with shiny paint that looks good from 5 feet away. It’s talked about on the web pretty extensively. I was as skeptical as the next guy, but it really can be done.
The best part is not caring about dents and scratches and speed bumps. If it breaks, so what, it was a cheap junker anyway. And when approached like that, even the old Toyota Cressida (1981) I drove in my High School dayz and college too was entertaining. How many twenty something year old cars take abuse and just shrug it off. The alternator, water pump and stuff like that required replacement, but other than the time needed, it cost me practically no money. I still have reckless immature tendacies today because of the carefree days of driving the Cressida and not giving a flip.