Who drives a beater?

[m2200b]

Beater B2200 saved 12/04 after failing CA smog and a front end minor collison at 150K from a charity donation by a family member. New cat, used japan motor and clutch , 2 arx. Running like new for $1000 and getting 28 mpg. Next beater redo is my oldest daughter's 1990 tercel. Seen a few runs at 1 qt OIC but its also under 150K. Using 15-40 delo in san diego to get it home this summer for gaskets and seals, ARX, the usually hoses and belts. Still over 30 mpg and has some potential to go higher.

 

[vwoom]

quote:

---

Originally posted by vwoom: Beater you ask? I have an '84 190E 2.3 TMU on the clock, inherited from my aunt back in 8/03. Invested in new Kumho tires(TireRack), new front ATE discs/brake pads/flush, Hella Euro spec W201 H4 headlights(Ebay), Bosch Plat +4s, thick gauge silicone/Beru plug wires(Ebay), some minor engine relays/sensors and interior restoration pcs(Ebay), Redline Waterwetter in coolant sys, 2 Auto-Rx regimens with a reg diet of 87 Chevron Techron and mostly 10W40 Supreme or Delo 15w40s(now does 24-27mpg from a lowly 19mpg average when first got car)... All fluids replaced and are ALWAYS at max levels. But kept the engine(blowby/journal noises), auto tranny(some slippage) and the rest of the drivetrain mechanicals in it's basically "inherited" condition. Nearly 3yrs now in possesion since and this 22yr old German iron never caused me any trouble/broke down on the road..NEVER! Now that's what you call a beater..

---

Oh btw, since my work is walking distance(hospital; Passat sits in garage), wifey drives(and prefers)the Benz to work in downtown LA..DAILY! [ March 10, 2006, 12:49 PM: Message edited by: vwoom ]

 

[T-Keith]

Oh, how I miss my beater. 92HP, 5 speed, 32 MPG, no maintenance, no worries. -T

 

[eljefino]

1995 saturn SW1 wagon, bought 2.5 years ago for $800. Just back from an hour drive picking up seven free laying chickens I scored on craigslist. Put a tarp in the luggage compartment and stuffed all the hens in two laundry baskets which went in back. It was night, they were catatonic from the lack of light, and didn't even make much of a mess. Still gets 40 mpg. Part of the "beater mystique" (no offense to mercury owners ) is a very low operating cost per mile. My worst beater was a horrid geo prizm that I got for $225. I changed the rusty colored antifreeze and it started leaking through the original 15 year old radiator. Bar's leak helped that cause. Some inner tie rod end was bad and it shook on the corners. It came with tires so bald I could see the belts; I put used tires on before driving out of the seller's driveway. The struts were blown and the plug wires were bad in the rain. The shifter was incredibly stiff for some wierd reason. Junkyards had already crushed their supply of tha body style so I couldn't make a package deal for all the parts I needed. Still got 36 MPG. Only had 110k miles. Have fixed a dodge spirit with bad headgasket, dakota with bad fuel pump, saturn with bad rings... all bought for $350 or less, were beaters when I got them, and ugly but safely/reliably running and driving when I resold them months later at profit.

 

[MC5W20]

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1sttruck: We have a 93 Taurus with 199k miles on it, private party value is about $1k per Kelly blue book. That seems like a good criteria for a beater. We have a new set of good Les Schwab tires for it, but the Michelin Alpins on it now are enjoying their last season. More importantly a new coat of Nufinish on it :^) Runs fine except for a hesistation when cold, I suspect a fuel injector as all the sensors seem to check out.

---

Last time I solved a hesitation when cold problem it turned out to be a dirty MAF sensor. I cleaned it, put it back togehter and no more hesitation.

 

[q2bruiser]

86 Toyota Pickup xCab. They were call pickup back then. No fancy names, just pickup. 194k, uses no oil, zero, nada. Starting to get just a hint of rust on a few places now. Everything works except my temp guage like to show hot when it gets cold outside. Drive her everyday. J

 

[HondaMan]

Finally sold my 90 Accord EX 2dr. beater... it had 192,000 miles... ran great... leaked water into the trunk and would wet the back seat alittle... A/C worked great. Rack went out on it and the old lady could not even turn the wheel when she was forced to have to drive it, so it had to go... I see the guy I sold it to driving it around every now and then ... it looks great

 

[peterr]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brikhead: My definition of a "beater" is any vehicle used for daily driving while your special vehicle sits safely in the garage.

---

Sounds like my 1994 Mazda MX-3 GS coupe, 1.8L V6, lowered suspension, Toyo Winter tires about 140,000 miles. It is a zippy little winter only car and will be garaged for 7 months as soon as the weather gets good and I can pull the Porsche out

 

[pepper32]

'92 Mazda Protege, 45,000 oringal miles. Bought new and used for work and running around town. Good on gas and low maintence.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

'85 Toyota Xcab pickup 4x4, 5-speed, live front/rear axle, rides like a bouncy ball, 280K, daily driver. 2 head gasket replacements, Cat, exhaust, shocks, tires, the usual. Slow as moses, but it works, and long since paid for.

 

[Oldswagon]

My daily driver/beater is an '85 Olds Delta 88 with a 307 Olds V8 with a 4bbl Q-jet (mechanical). The car is plain jane with almost no options, other than a rear window defrost and an ancient delco tape deck (still works). No cruise, no A/C, manual windows and seats. Only has about 90K miles (I bought it with low miles), but doesn't use any oil between changes. I have never had to add unscheduled oil to this car for as long as I've owned it. It's always primarly been a short trip car (AVG 3miles). Still knocks down 28 MPG highway (IMP), and it hasn't been tuned up in at least four years. Always starts even in -30 degree weather with ease, and has never left me stranded. Easy to fix and reliable. This always ungaraged car will likley see it's demise due to rust, although it's still fairly solid after 21 salty winters. It's been an Ontario car since new and I am sure it'll drive to the scrap yard running like a top, but full of holes when the body finally goes.

 

[Drew99GT]

eljefino, free chickens???? I'm literally falling out of my chair in laughter!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, I'm crying. Anyhoo, I'd say my car is a beater. 94 Corolla. Mechanically it's good except for driver side inboard CV boot has jettisoned all the CV grease, AGAIN. Screw it, I'll let that one go. The front looks like it was sand blasted from all the highway driving. It's got hail dents pretty bad now; it's my storm chasing vehicle. Has some nasty valve train tick. The windshield is still original, looks like it'll blow in at any moment. Still gets about 33 in town and 36 highway and runs fine. A/C is cold as ice. The shifter/trans though. Wowa, the differential pinion bore in the transaxle has got some "clearence" shall we say; it's a problem with many Corollas. Sometimes when I let off the gas, the whole car goes CLANG, every single time I give it throttle or let off the gas. I'll let it go till she blows. Below 0, your looking at 5 to ten second shifts into 2nd gear sometimes.

 

[Lazy JW]

I drive a 1969 VW Bug that I call "Frank" which is short for "Frankenstein". It had a blown engine when I bought it for $250. I put together parts of at least four engines and got it running. It has Five different colors from the various fenders, doors, etc. I had about $800 in it when I got it running. Drove it about 10,000 miles and got rear-ended by a big dump truck when he pulled up too close behind me while waiting at a stoplight. He forgot I was there and decided to pull ahead. His insurance totaled my Bug and paid me $1950 and I kept the Bug. I had enough parts to get it going again with very little cost out of pocket, so in effect they have paid me to own this car. Yup, it qualifies as a "Beater". Joe

 

[JohnnyO]

Ex-phone company '87 Astro cargo van. I've had it for almost 4 years, use it for work and rolling billboard. The pic is pre-lettering and I've added a ladder rack. Two low-back buckets, no A/C, it's noisy and the doors rattle a lot. I added the A/R 767 wheels and a stereo, insulated and plywooded the inside. 136k, not bad considering the age, it's the oldest vehicle I've ever owned. Doesn't give me any trouble. If some rust peeks out I touch it up with a spray can of white Rustoleum, and I don't mask anything off. Max Life 10w-30 and NAPA Gold.

 

[Norm Olt]

Not a "daily driver" to & from work, anymore, but I sure do get it out three or four times a week... 1973 Mercedes Benz 450SE, the 1973 "European Car of the Year" (which also happened to be the year I graduated from college) which has a mere 280+K miles on it. Bought about 4 years ago, two AutoRx treatments for the engine, one for the tranny. Using (now, anyway) a mix of a gallon of Delo 15W-40 and 4 quarts Chevron Supreme 10W-30. It had almost new 70K guaranteed radials, brakes are fine, one transmission service, replaced three brake lines, changed the differential lube, new battery, & keeps eating speedo cables, may be due to the fact the guy I bought it from had rolled/replaced the speedo... When I finally caught up with him, and thanks to a sting we set up with local law enforcement, he spent over 4 months in the county jail before he finally posted $13,500 (1/10th his $50k bail for the 4 Class C felonies he was indicted for in regards to this fraud and identity theft incident, 1/10th his $85,000 bail on an outstanding fraud warrant from Arizona) 2 weeks before the trial date: he then promptly scooted off to sunny Mexico... A/C works, sunroof works, power windows work, speeedo & cruise control don't. 10 mpg on regular around town. Leather seats need replacing but I thinks I'll wait another decade, or so... All I can say is that if you have never driven a W116 series S-Class Mercedes you are missing an opportunity to enjoy what made these cars some of the finest machines of their era. Cheers!

 

[97f150]

To see my daily driver/beater click on my user name and a pic will come up in my profile. 1997 F-150, base with 5-speed, 4.6 liter and vinyl floors. 196,000 miles on the clock now. I changed out tie rods and ball joints, clutch, heater core and alternator. Still runs like a champ, it stays dirty now cause I never have a chance to wash it.

 

[LeeRoy]

All those 80s and 90s cars would be new cars to me. Newest "car" I've ever owned is an '89 Toyota pickup I bought couple years ago. I keep it down at the vacation place. Next newest was '79 Mazda I had when I worked in the middle east. I drive a '72 Plymouth every day and its my only car here. I have to be at work 12 miles away at 6AM five days a week. It only gets 17-18 mpg even on the highway, but it was FREE 7 years ago! Did a complete renew of the coolong sys has been the only maintenance except service items like battery (1) alternator (1) voltage regulator (2) U-joint (1). Do it myself. Cheap registration, cheap liability, no collision. How ya' gonna beat a deal like this?

 

[Quattro Pete]

I drive a company '03 Sentra that feels like a beater to me. My point of reference is probably skewed though.

 

[darkdan]

A 1994 Ford Aspire now with 148k miles that I purchased for $500 with a really bad headgasket and a laundry list of other problems count as a beater? It's actually a very nice car.....IMO.

 

[55Test]

1992 Honda Accord. I bought it towards the end of September of last year. It's a 2 door, 5 speed model. It currently has 211000 miles and running strong. It blows a bit of smoke from time to time, leaks a little and has a bit of a stumble at idle but it'll still easily do 100 mph on the highway, and it gets 32-34 mpg at 65 mph. The only thing I've done to it so far was replace the flexible joint in the header pipe and replace the 2 front tires. Body is getting rusty, the valvetrain is a little noisy, struts may be getting soft, plus it doesn't have AC or cupholders! I actually sold this car to my stepfather and bought a 93 Crown Victoria but as it turns out, the CV is going to need a bunch of repairs to be roadworthy again. I bought the Accord back from my stepfather just yesterday. Even though it lacks AC, which is something I really wanted, I am going to keep it until it dies. As long as rust doesn't kill it, I know it's got a lot of life left in it. My stepfather has a 90 Accord EXR with 305000 miles and it still runs great.