What can I expect to pay for a beater car? Hey all. 20s college student, looking for a car to last at least 4 years. Making $1300-1500 or so a month part time, living at home so I can save pretty much all of that. I’d have to pay entirely for the car and its insurance. I’ve totaled a car before which will no doubt spike the insurance, but I can get under my mom’s coverage. I will still h…

Should I sell my car and buy a beater to maximize monthly saving? I just cracked six figures this year and started to be able to legitimately save money for the first time. I’m saving about 500 a month and I want to increase that. One of my major expenses is my car loan, also 500 a month. I have a ford maverick that I bought new in 2022. I work from home, so in the time that I have owned it, I have put only ab…

Keep buying beater cars or something new(er)? CONTEXT -25 year old -Good career (60k/yr now, 100k+ within 3 years) -work keeps me within 30min from apartment -Savings: 40k I’d like to buy a house in the next year or two, so I’m reluctant to wana drop a lot of money on a car. But part of me is sick of going through cheap sub 5k cars not knowing when it’s gonna blow up. Should I go all in an…

Recent promotion, yet unproven. Sell beater or repair? 11′ Camry with 135k. I put a whooping 65k doing deliveries a few years ago. She has body damage from before I inherited her, along with some extreme wear and tear from abusing her. Right now the biggest expense I see almost immediately is AC. Granted this could be a few hundred but I’m almost expecting a new compressor considering the deliverie…

When do you give up your beater car for a new one? Long story short I have a Toyota with almost 300k miles on it. I just replaced the transmission for 3k (kind of regret it) and had other problems come up. It works now BUT If something else comes up wrong with the car should I just cut my loses? My daughter was just born and would not feel safe driving her in it if I ever need to. Luckily wife …

Is $9k too much for a beater? I’m currently in the market looking for specifically a Blueprint Toyota corolla SE for a couple of months now, and I found a 2014 for 10k and convinced the seller for exactly 9k, I checked the Blue book and the car is valued at $10,900’ish. (I know that there are several cars from the same year and fewer miles that are much cheaper than this one…

Here’s What You Should Look For In A Winter Beater The cold grey of autumn has consumed America’s rust belt, which means it’s time to start looking for your next disposable automotive tin can trash heap to get you reliably through the coming winter. You definitely don’t want to roll the dice on a constitution saving throw for necrotic damage on your gorgeous daily… Read more…

On the fence about buying a new car VS keeping my beater 2006 Corolla Picture of the damage for reference So I’ll cut to the chase. I currently have a 2006 Toyota Corolla in great mechanical condition with 106k miles AC blows cold. The only problem is the car was hit and run parked in front of my house 3 years ago. The rear passenger door is pretty damaged and can’t be opened. It looks like wolverine shredded the…

Can someone talk me through any experience or prior math they’ve done of the financial benefit (or lack thereof) of an alternate, beater vehicle? I drive an 11 year old Honda with 160k miles on it. (Probably $7k-$9k in current value). That’s what my budget and risk tolerance allow for at this point. But, it does leave me nervous about possible emergencies. If a check engine light goes on…or the car needs to be checked out for major repairs, how do I handle that? It’s got me wondering abou…

Sony a7ii for $250? (For a beater camera) Been looking for a more portable camera I can be a little less careful with (than my Sony a7iv with Tamron 28-200mm). Found a a7ii for a good deal of $250 from a friend. Probably a bit powerful for a beater but the fujifilms im looking at cost way more. Would this be a good deal? I’ll have to buy a small lens separately (maybe a prime 35mm lens …