As a teen, I always wondered what sort of car I would wind up with. I definitely did not predict that I would be driving around an early 90s Honda with over two hundred thousand miles on it. There is no other way to look at it. I drive a beater.
Yes, I certainly have a beater. It is fairly reliable, working most of the time, but issues to crop up from time to time. I seem to loose coolant hoses quite a bit, which can be irritating. I’ve had to replace an alternator. The car as a whole leaks, shakes, and does not generally inspire much confidence.
Why do I love it so much then? Because it is extremely cheap! The way I look at it, the purpose of owning a car is for transportation. This car gets me around wherever I need to go. It has even survived a couple long distance road trips. In short, it does everything I need in a car.
Yes, my car does everything it needs, at a very low cost to me. I paid $1500 in cash for the car back when I was 16, and have been driving it for 6 years now. Even factoring in the repairs I’ve had to do, its still amazingly cheap.
That’s not the whole picture, of course. I have to pay insurance, which in my case is extremely cheap. I have the minimum amount of insurance required by law, which is quite inexpensive overall. This saves me even more money month after month.
Compare this to a new car. A newer car would cost me in payments, higher insurance, and more. Of course, I would probably spend less in repairs, but any way I look at it, I am saving a small fortune over the years by driving the beater around.
Of course, this isn’t going to work for everyone. Some people need better, more reliable cars. However, most people don’t realize how much money goes into their cars, money that I save by driving a clunker. Think about it yourself, and you might just save yourself a bundle.
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