Who drives a beater?

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And what is it?

I decided to "downsize" last year. I had been driving a truck since 1990. Either a Mazda or a Full-size chevy. Drove a 1995 Dodge 2500 Ram for 6 months. In September, I went out and found a 1995 Accord EX and picked it up for $3k. I sold my 2000 Chevy Silverado and I do miss it.

I've put almost $1000 in the Honda, and I think I've got it where I want it, mechanically. It runs strong, gets 34 mpg highway, about 25-28 in town and doesn't burn a drop of oil. So- there ya go-

1995 Accord EX 4 cylinder, 141,000 miles, driven daily, runs great.
 
That's not really a beater.

260,000 miles, 1985 Volvo 245 turbo wagon - just sold. Miss the old beast.

1996 Volvo 855. 101,000 miles. Not a beater, but I will drive it until it is.
 
It's a beater to me. My Silverado drove like a dream (better than a Caddilac).

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My brother in law has a beater.

'97 Ford Probe SE with custom metallic purple paint.

The tranny is going (auto), the engine knocks, the seats are ripped, the a/c doesn't work, and the windows don't go down. During the last hurricane a fence fell on it and damaged the whole driver side from front to rear.

Oh, it only has 71K miles on it.
 
That's no beater, that's a smart brainer. I am fortunate enough to be able to keep my 5.4 F150 4X4 and drive something a lot better, smaller of course, on gas. I long for the days I get to drive the truck to haul or pick something up. In fact, later this month I have to drive out to Tennessee with it for about 4 days and then come back. I am actually looking forward to that trip. I hope gas starts coming down....870 miles one way @ 14 mpg equals 62 gallons of fuel, then let's say it goes back to 2.50, that's about 155 one way. OUCH. Can almost fly out there cheaper, but won't be able to haul anything back.
 
i recently sold my beater. 1990 honda civic hatchback. base model. 1.5L engine, no power steering, ect. no ac. 4 speed manual transmission. custom plywood interior. factory torque leak. 150k miles when i got it. sold it with 188k. got about 40 on the highway and 30ish around town. rescued it on its way to the u-pull it. bought it for 100 bucks and spent 150 on a new front end for it. burned a quart to every 800 miles. autorx did not help the oil burning. i miss it already. sold it to a neighbor for her son to take to college. he wanted an acura RSX. no dice, kid. enjoy the honda. its hard to beat a 250 dollar beater. his mom sure thinks so. if he pulls a 3.0 GPA i get to buy it back and he gets a better car. get good grades kid. i need my beater for hauling concrete blocks.
 
Had a 1991 Plymouth Acclaim. Sold it for $1250 w/ 126,000 miles. That junker was a true beater.

Bought a 1994 Buick Regal 3800 V6 w/ 100,000 miles for $1500. It needed new rear brake calipers. Replaced those (and pads & discs) for about $350. It now runs great w/ 127,000 miles & gets 31-32 MPG highway. Burns almost no oil, trans shifts great, everything still works...not a looker though.

Paint is peeling on the trunk, so it has that beater look. My wife refuses to ride in it cause it "smells". Whatever.

It keeps the miles off my Mustang though (ie, keeps the paint nice)...that's all I care about.
 
Getting a high mileage NIssan March. 1 liter engine, racing stripe from a guard rail, and a mismatched fender panel. DOwngrading from a Efini MS-8 with everything but CD. Car is too big, and too expensive to inspect.
 
Just sold an 87 Nissan Sentra last fall that would qualify as a beater. Put about 15K on it since my mother-in-law passed away and it became ours. Gas mileage was great, but I needed something with good mileage and the ability to carry cargo, so I opted for the new Subaru Outback and sold the Sentra and the Wrangler.
 
1990 VW Jetta 168000miles, 1.8litre , 5spd manual. Rust and dents galore bad smell until the totally worn-out seats were replaced. Threw way too much cash at it but it is really fun to drive. Gets an honest 30MPG in mixed driving. A great platform for experimenting with MMO, ATF, Niroglycerine, whatever.
 
1986 Chevy Caprice Classic - black in color (faded)
modifications:
-dual exhaust one tailpipe bent up to the bumper
-loud glasspack mufflers
-3 60's era Ford p/u chrome dogdish hupcaps
-1 60's era Chevy chrome dogdish hubcap
added 2 more sets of horns to the factory dual horns
5% window tint on all glass except windshield
glovebox door off a parts car,different color
235/75R15 whitewall light truck snow tires
issues with it:
both rear fenders badly dented as well as RF door
headliner is falling down
carpet is showing through the floor on the rhs
burns 1qt of oil in less than 500miles
cruise control quit working
8way pwr seats only work in 3 ways now
intermittent wipers go crazy at times

Car is driven around 100miles a day during thw winter months. Hopefully upgrading next winter to an 89-93 Caprice or Buick Roadmaster in a lot better condition.
 
My "beater" is a 1995 Crown Victoria LX in nearly flawless condition - purchased from the original owners (retired couple) with all maintenance records/receipts for $1,500.
 
92 Camry, 181,000 miles
Head gasket oil leak (quart every 1500 miles or so)
CV boot cracked and last mechanic could not remove the axle (stripped bolts), CV joints still good so sealed the boots with silicon gasket sealer and will keep driving until it drops, still runs great. Just passed inspection.
 
1992 caprice wagon. It is like driving with an airplane hanger behind you. Some dents, some rust thru spots. Gun metal grey. Oh yeah, 305 SBC, need I say more on why I own it?
 
Here's my beater with its new Goodyear Assurance ComfortTreds and steel wheels:

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[ March 09, 2006, 09:32 PM: Message edited by: AstroVic ]
 
'87 Suburban 3/4 ton 4x4. We bought it six years ago in superb shape with 47k on it. Now the rust and 12MPG relegates it to use in the winter and when we need the room to pick up large items. Runs better than ever with it's first Auto R-X treatment.
 
quote:

Originally posted by AstroVic:
Here's my beater with its new Goodyear Assurance ComfortTreds and steel wheels:

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That's no beater. That's a nice ride.
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A lot of people wish they had one as nice.

I bet nobody wants to pass you on the highway.
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Sorry about that picture size. I chose another (smaller) one.

Wayne, thanks for the compliment.
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I guess I'm spoiled by Crown Vics. They simply take a beating - hence I call it my "beater" - and keep on truckin'. On the rare occasion something breaks, it's dirt cheap and easy to repair.

Plus, they tend to depreciate like a rock, so you can pick up really nice used ones on the cheap.
 
My beater:
1992 Jeep YJ Wrangler trail Jeep
Not street friendly, modified for trail use.
Probably have $10,000 in the drivetrain and axles.
Been rolled 4 times and dragged on it's side.
Every body panel has dents.
Even the radio is dented.
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LOL at all the responses!!!

AstroVic,

You got a sweet beater! I'd like to pick up a CVPI that some effluent city is auctioning off because they feel the need to get some new cars.
 
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