Post your "beater" daily driver

My 2003 Accord. Haven't looked lately at the miles as it is currently the wife's daily while we wait for the car market to get a little sanity/supply. It's somewhere north of 260k, runs like new, uses no oil although it does have a brand new drip from somewhere that I can't be bothered to chase at the moment. I'd not hesitate to jump in this car and drive it across the country. That pic was from a few years ago, the clearcoat is in worse shape now.
 

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I'm with you...I can't ride around in filth.
I agree 100%. My wife worked as a kindergarten aide at my son's school and she said that you would not believe how nasty some of the cars were that were dropping kids off.
 
These are my beaters, all I have left really. I had two newer VW diesels but they both left me at home with the frozen intercooler issue a week apart. So they both had to go, no patience for crap like that. They both got sold outright in this crazy market earlier this year.

I apologize for all the cars being dirty, but they do get used all the time aside from the Caprice, that one is heading to the scrap yard.
 

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These are my beaters, all I have left really. I had two newer VW diesels but they both left me at home with the frozen intercooler issue a week apart. So they both had to go, no patience for crap like that. They both got sold outright in this crazy market earlier this year.

I apologize for all the cars being dirty, but they do get used all the time aside from the Caprice, that one is heading to the scrap yard.
Love seeing the Bonnevilles'. Awesome sedans- as long as they don't see salt.
 
These are my beaters, all I have left really. I had two newer VW diesels but they both left me at home with the frozen intercooler issue a week apart. So they both had to go, no patience for crap like that. They both got sold outright in this crazy market earlier this year.

I apologize for all the cars being dirty, but they do get used all the time aside from the Caprice, that one is heading to the scrap yard.
Is that a Buick Skylark I see? My Dad had a 85 2 door version with the "hot" 135hp 2.8l V6 with FI! Fun little car for its day, and I don't remember it having issues at all. I think it got traded for a 89 Grand Caravan with the "expiremental" electronic automatic.
 
Love seeing the Bonnevilles'. Awesome sedans- as long as they don't see salt.
It does have rust underneath, but nothing too bad that it shouldn't be driven. I hope to get a chance tyo go under there and clean it up and give it a good slathering of rustoleum. I know it won't totally stop it, but I will get as much as I can out of it. It is just such a pleasure to drive and so much nicer than the LeSabre even though it is basically the same car. It can just get you into a lot of trouble on the highway if you don't use the cruise control. I have looked down and seen triple digits a few times when I wasn't very careful lol. I got it for nothing (traded in a disaster on it as an even trade at a dealership). So however far it goes will be fine with me. All it needed was brake lines and basic filters and fluids to get it to a point where I trusted driving it.
 
Is that a Buick Skylark I see? My Dad had a 85 2 door version with the "hot" 135hp 2.8l V6 with FI! Fun little car for its day, and I don't remember it having issues at all. I think it got traded for a 89 Grand Caravan with the "expiremental" electronic automatic.
It is an 85 Skylark with the good old 2.5 in it, only 98k miles currently. I bought it from a person that got it from the original owner, including ALL of the maintenance records in a box lol.

He couldn't figure out the older car stuff and decided to sell it since it had a bad stalling issue. Well, I am well aware of the lockup solenoid on the tranny needing to be replaced on these. When I bought it from him, I popped the hood. He looked to see why I was digging around in there. I unplugged the plug going to the lockup on the tranny. He asked why I did that? I said " so it doesn't stall anymore ", the look on his face was priceless. :oops: :ROFLMAO: 😁 😇

Believe it or not, the engine doesn't leak anything, not even seeping around the gaskets, same with the tranny. I got the solenoid replaced shortly after buying it and it has been fine ever since. It doesn't even make the typical 2.5 rattling noise yet and the engine looks like new through the oil cap.

Aside from being ugly in many ways, the car is great. Just something special about driving something like that. It is so simple that it is actually fun to drive. Doesn't really cost me much to keep it on the road, so it keeps going. Everything on it works fine except for the a/c, might look into that at some point. Looking forward to having it flip 100k after all these years, almost there!
 
It is an 85 Skylark with the good old 2.5 in it, only 98k miles currently. I bought it from a person that got it from the original owner, including ALL of the maintenance records in a box lol.

He couldn't figure out the older car stuff and decided to sell it since it had a bad stalling issue. Well, I am well aware of the lockup solenoid on the tranny needing to be replaced on these. When I bought it from him, I popped the hood. He looked to see why I was digging around in there. I unplugged the plug going to the lockup on the tranny. He asked why I did that? I said " so it doesn't stall anymore ", the look on his face was priceless. :oops: :ROFLMAO: 😁 😇

Believe it or not, the engine doesn't leak anything, not even seeping around the gaskets, same with the tranny. I got the solenoid replaced shortly after buying it and it has been fine ever since. It doesn't even make the typical 2.5 rattling noise yet and the engine looks like new through the oil cap.

Aside from being ugly in many ways, the car is great. Just something special about driving something like that. It is so simple that it is actually fun to drive. Doesn't really cost me much to keep it on the road, so it keeps going. Everything on it works fine except for the a/c, might look into that at some point. Looking forward to having it flip 100k after all these years, almost there!

I would have driven it down the street before unplugging the TC solenoid, otherwise a job well done!
 
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My daily drivers. Get lots of compliments on the truck. People always see it and come up to it. I’m guessing where they are not many of that particular style around anymore then when I tell them I have two they think it’s even cooler. Just the other one doesn’t run so it’s not a daily. Just really depends on how I feel as to what i drive. The truck kinda sucks driving in town because it’s a 5 speed and I hit town right at the busiest time and right now the power steering doesn’t work cause the pulley bearing froze up so I’ve got to put a new one in but it does fine trying to turn while driving just while parking it’s heck. And my neighbors kid hit the mirror with a basketball and broke it so it doesn’t stay in place and parts are pretty extinct as far as OEM goes and I don’t want an aftermarket mirror. It didn’t crack the glass just busted the plastic part at the base where it moved around while driving so you have to open the window and hold it in place while trying to switch lanes or anything like that. About to put some duck tape on it. Haha. I also think the white walls suit both cars very well.

I bought the truck for $1050 in 2018 it used to belong to a local bus drivers husband from my district so she would see it and have the biggest smile and wave ever haha. I have all the service records from 1989-present also as he kept records he was the original owner. 104,000 original miles on it when purchased 108,000 now. The Escape purchased in 2020 for $800 from my aunt. It’s originally from New York so it has a little rust but nothing major yet. Purchased with 167,000 now has 185,000 as I drive it 60 miles 5 days a week most of the time.
 
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My daily drivers. Get lots of compliments on the truck. People always see it and come up to it. I’m guessing where they are not many of that particular style around anymore then when I tell them I have two they think it’s even cooler. Just the other one doesn’t run so it’s not a daily. Just really depends on how I feel as to what i drive. The truck kinda sucks driving in town because it’s a 5 speed and I hit town right at the busiest time and right now the power steering doesn’t work cause the pulley bearing froze up so I’ve got to put a new one in but it does fine trying to turn while driving just while parking it’s heck. And my neighbors kid hit the mirror with a basketball and broke it so it doesn’t stay in place and parts are pretty extinct as far as OEM goes and I don’t want an aftermarket mirror. It didn’t crack the glass just busted the plastic part at the base where it moved around while driving so you have to open the window and hold it in place while trying to switch lanes or anything like that. About to put some duck tape on it. Haha. I also think the white walls suit both cars very well.

I bought the truck for $1050 in 2018 it used to belong to a local bus drivers husband from my district so she would see it and have the biggest smile and wave ever haha. I have all the service records from 1989-present also as he kept records he was the original owner. 104,000 original miles on it when purchased 108,000 now. The Escape purchased in 2020 for $800 from my aunt. It’s originally from New York so it has a little rust but nothing major yet. Purchased with 167,000 now has 185,000 as I drive it 60 miles 5 days a week most of the time.
We had an 88 (I think) B2200 long bed in the family for several years. Pretty decent little truck. I think trucks that size would sell like hotcakes today. But all we have is the latest generation of mid-size trucks that sit up high for no reason other than to make them look macho, just like the new 1/2 ton 4-door monster trucks with beds shorter than the Mazda's. A real mini-truck would certainly set apart companies like Isuzu and Mitsubishi.
 
1997 Saab 9000, 360K miles, bought in early 2011 for $1500. Don't let the relatively decent-looking photo fool you, the drivers side has rusty fenders (front patched with metal tape) and the hatch has rust, paint is not very good either. Still runs great though. No car payments for me.
 

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My daily econo box beater, 03 Pontiac vibe, I call it the “vibrator”, over 180k miles on it, still gets 30+ mpg, cheap and easy to maintain, very reliable, drove it from coast to coast and back w no issues. Just replace the struts and put new tires on it, ready for another 100k miles
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2000 Toyota Camry with the 2.2L oil burner. Burns a quart every 1,000-1,500 miles depending on the oil and how I drive. 175,000 miles, A/C works(located in alabama) and bought it dirt cheap so I’m more than happy to dump a quart in once a month. Hoping to upgrade to a highlander or older rx350 in the next couple of years. I’m 6’6 and while I sit fine in it, I’ve been spoiled by my wife’s 2018 crv and it’s higher ride height.
 

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2007 Pontiac G6 bought it new in 2008 leftover with GM credit card points got it cheap. My wife drove it for a couple years then I did. Then my daughter's first car then back to me. I drive it to work daily 5 mile round trip. It has a misfire cylinder 3 needs a tire front end rattling a bit needs bushings put just keep pushing it along after all it's a beater
Beater update it was on the ropes almost down for the count. 3 months overdue on inspection with no headlights, engine light on no brakes and baloney skin tires. I was looking for a new beater but prices insane so decided to put some coin into the beater. $1400 it's back in business. New brakes and tires all around, bunch of front end work,4 plugs cleared the codes drove it around and passed emissions luckily. Check engine light went on right after lucked out.The beater is back
 
2002 Ford Taurus 3.0l OHV V6 that produces about 180hp. 109k miles and has no rust, obviously a transplant from a state out of the rust belt. Its a sedan and can fit four people in it and still get down the road ok. The rear springs are crap, they are sagging two inches below the correct ride height, typical for these cars.
I've owned another 2002 with the exact same options. It was a complete NY high mileage rust bucket, but it made it to 300k without any mechanical failures, I was never broken down with it. Rear suspension sag also.

so far the most costly parts I've put in either cars, was a chunk of change for new strut packs all around on the older car, while it was at about 215k. KYB strut packs suck by the way. The springs got soft and sagged after 15k, and the struts were crap. Made the car feel like it drifted down the road bouncing slowly up and down at speeds greater than 50mph.
 
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