Usually my beaters are about $1100/yr to insure and around $200/yr for reg. Then $1-$200 for various upkeep related expenses.
Is it worth having a third car as a 'beater'?
- Thread starter Ausfahrt
- Start date
I can't imagine life without a 'spare' car.. My beater (Mazda) gets loaned out to other folks sometimes then I have my backup beater to rely on (88 F-150) If I ever get down to driving the Samurai on the road things have gone wrong! None of them cost more than $50 a month to insure here and have proven themselves very reliable.
My state has banned the sale of new ICE cars starting in 2030. I'm going to be stockpiling "beaters", especially pickup trucks.
My 2009 Clubman is my commuter car/beater. We only paid $6,000 for it and the plan is to sell it on or before my term of office ends. I still keep it looking nice as I hate driving a car that looks neglected. After that we will be down to four cars, which works well for my wife and I.
I have had 3+ cars for most of my driving life. If I went down to two cars (one for me and one for the wife) and one needed repairs or was out for any length of time, it would be a pain in the rear for us to share. My truck gets bad enough fuel economy that having a beater commuter car costs the same as filling a truck up every couple days. So the cost is a wash for me. Plus, my beater commuter I don't have to worry about it left in the parking lot at work or if I go out of town and have to leave it in a parking lot. I like having the extra vehicle plus saves the wear and tear from commuting on my truck.
Bud_One
Site Donor 2022
For our family , yes . we have dogs and they ride in the beater car .. not the newer cars.
For over 2 decades my wife and I each had a vehicle, plus another one for "back-up". We both worked full time and had long drives. Couldn't tell you how many times having a third vehicle made our lives simpler, easier.
All our cars/trucks were older, higher mileage. I did a lot of my own wrenching. We've never purchased a new car, and doubt that we ever will.
We never did the math to figure out just what a third vehicle was costing us. Having the back-up car was so convenient it soon began to feel like a necessity - one we never imagined we could do without.
We're both retired now and have just 2 cars. Even after retirement it somehow feels a little insecure not having the back-up, even though it isn't needed.
The cost of cars and especially trucks, and insurance, is so much higher now I wouldn't begin to try and advise you what would be a good course for your situation.
Probably if you ever "put a pencil to it", it would be difficult to justify the expense. But the numbers don't always tell the story.
All our cars/trucks were older, higher mileage. I did a lot of my own wrenching. We've never purchased a new car, and doubt that we ever will.
We never did the math to figure out just what a third vehicle was costing us. Having the back-up car was so convenient it soon began to feel like a necessity - one we never imagined we could do without.
We're both retired now and have just 2 cars. Even after retirement it somehow feels a little insecure not having the back-up, even though it isn't needed.
The cost of cars and especially trucks, and insurance, is so much higher now I wouldn't begin to try and advise you what would be a good course for your situation.
Probably if you ever "put a pencil to it", it would be difficult to justify the expense. But the numbers don't always tell the story.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
I have a kid driving and another one in 6 months...So I had six, now 5 as the boy wrecked the truck. My wife's daily, my daily, the truck for towing, my son's Buick and the Trans Am isn't going anywhere.
D
Deleted member 89374
Up until last fall, I had an old beater pickup. Only used for fishing and hauling stuff, helping people move, etc. Just that and my 2018 Subaru Forester as my main vehicle. The brake lines finally rusted out and I sold it to a junk dealer, so I am down to just the Subaru.
It sure was nice to walk out for work and see you have a flat tire. Just drive the old truck and not be late. Then I smacked a deer with the Subaru and it needed fixed. Minor front end repair and fixed in a week.
Insurance company said I could rent a car and be covered $50 per day. Costs more to rent a car than that. Plus I live in a small town 20 miles from any rental places. I just drove the old truck.
Was it worth the upkeep and insurance for those occasions? I don't know. A decision you have to make for yourself.
It sure was nice to walk out for work and see you have a flat tire. Just drive the old truck and not be late. Then I smacked a deer with the Subaru and it needed fixed. Minor front end repair and fixed in a week.
Insurance company said I could rent a car and be covered $50 per day. Costs more to rent a car than that. Plus I live in a small town 20 miles from any rental places. I just drove the old truck.
Was it worth the upkeep and insurance for those occasions? I don't know. A decision you have to make for yourself.
I have a spare truck and a spare car. My wife has an an SUV and a car. So that’s six vehicles between the two of us.
I’m in the market for a seventh.
I’m in the market for a seventh.
I can insure an additional vehicle driven 12k miles per year on my policy with 500k single limit liability + 1 million umbrella and 100k uninsured motorist coverage for a little over $25 a month and I don't have a spotless record re: big speeding tickets.
Beaters are just that…Beaters!
You could sink lots of money into them
just trying to pass state inspection plus the annual insurance & registration.
You could sink lots of money into them
just trying to pass state inspection plus the annual insurance & registration.
Nope. "A gentleman never tells", LOL.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
The flip side is you drive the cheap to run car and the one that costs you the most per year to own sits. Total cost per miles per year?
That's where we are right now, the '02 Xterra is the daily driver, the '21 Sierra HD sits in the garage unless it's pulling the travel trailer. Not really interested in knowing cost per miles.
Truthfully the Xterra isn't really a beater, it's pretty nice, but it is 20 years old. I like 2 in the garage and none on the driveway to shuffle around.
That's where we are right now, the '02 Xterra is the daily driver, the '21 Sierra HD sits in the garage unless it's pulling the travel trailer. Not really interested in knowing cost per miles.
Truthfully the Xterra isn't really a beater, it's pretty nice, but it is 20 years old. I like 2 in the garage and none on the driveway to shuffle around.
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Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I'm probably not the best one to ask for this. Realistically, no, not needed.
My '14 Grand Cherokee is the daily driver.
The '07 Sonata is my car, a beater but still nice, but I bought for my little sister to drive when she gets her license soon. I've been driving it a bit since October as a gas saver.
The '00 Camry is the super beater. It's tired. Really tired. It mechanically runs good but it's had a long life, my brother has mostly driven it for like 5 years. I'm gonna just give it to him soon.
The '96 Cherokee isn't going anywhere. I drive it like once a month these days.
But, I also kind of share cars with my aunt, so her Silverado is usually at my house and I've been using it too. And I sometimes drive her '70 Beetle.
It's quite the mess shuffling through them all.
My '14 Grand Cherokee is the daily driver.
The '07 Sonata is my car, a beater but still nice, but I bought for my little sister to drive when she gets her license soon. I've been driving it a bit since October as a gas saver.
The '00 Camry is the super beater. It's tired. Really tired. It mechanically runs good but it's had a long life, my brother has mostly driven it for like 5 years. I'm gonna just give it to him soon.
The '96 Cherokee isn't going anywhere. I drive it like once a month these days.
But, I also kind of share cars with my aunt, so her Silverado is usually at my house and I've been using it too. And I sometimes drive her '70 Beetle.
It's quite the mess shuffling through them all.
It'll be nice, though, in twenty years when my present-day "nice" car is still nice and rust-free, which it won't be if I drive it every year in the winter. The salt is very aggressive here.
I think the whole "beater or no beater" thing changes when you're factoring in salty winters, or not.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
I spe
I spend 48 years in NW Rustelvania, now every day I'm thankful for living in Az.
