Saturday, February 7, 2009

Why I Love My Beater Car

By Janson Hill

As a young teen, I used dream about what kind of car I would be driving one day. I don't think I could have predicted that I would soon be getting around in a 1990 Honda Accord with over 200k miles in it. Yes, I own a beater, by any definition of the word.

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.

At almost no cost to me, my vehicle fills all my transportation needs. I paid under $2000 for the car 6 years ago, which is very little. Even factoring in the repairs I've had to do, its still amazingly cheap.

Of course, there is more to owning a car than just the cost of the car and repairs. You also have insurance to deal with. In my case, insurance is very 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.

Now, think about a new car. A brand new car would require payments, full insurance, and other expenses. While I would probably spend less in repairs, I still save a lot of money over time by keeping the clunker.

Of course, this isn't going to work for everyone. I even wish for a better car at times, but when I think how much freedom I have in my finances because of the clunker, I smile a bit to myself and continue driving. Think about it, and you might just free up a lot of cash each month. - 15224

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