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gleninjersey

"Beater" Car

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Do you have a "beater" car.  Just recently heard of this.  Some people evidently will have two (or more more) cars.  One is for the winter and the other are more show cars or cars that they want to keep forever that they don't want messed up by salt on roads.  So they buy a 'winter car" that they don't care if it gets beat up.

I've also heard them referred to as a "daily driver".  I guess because they don't want the other car racking up miles and / or getting dinged up.

So what makes a car a good 'beater" car? Or it doesn't matter? As long as it runs and saves the other car from miles, wear and tear, dings, etc.

 

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When I owned my Vette in 2011, I had a beater car.  Can't and wouldn't drive the Vette in the winter and couldn't use it to carry stuff from home stores, so I bought a 1998 Grand Cherokee Laredo for $2300.  It wasn't perfect, but it got me through multiple winters and hauling stuff.  Really dependable.  I put brakes, shocks and a muffler system in.  All done in the driveway.  Ran great for 4 years and sold it for what I paid to someone else who needed a beater.

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14 minutes ago, Handyman said:

Cheap, good mileage, reliable engine. If you get something like a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris you get essentially the same mileage as a hybrid for $17,000.

Nothing against wanting a beater car, but let's at least be honest about the math.  A 2018 toyota Yaris is rated at "up to" 30 city and 41 highway, while a toyota Prius is rated at up to 51 city and 53 highway.  If you drive any distances that is a significant difference.

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yes. my expedition is my beater. i drive that a lot. it's used for range(too much dirt road to get to the outdoor range i shoot at for me to be willing to take the gt. i won't drive the gt once they've put down brine till after feb when i know there's been enough rain to wash that shit all off the streets

24 minutes ago, Howard said:

Nothing against wanting a beater car, but let's at least be honest about the math.  A 2018 toyota Yaris is rated at "up to" 30 city and 41 highway, while a toyota Prius is rated at up to 51 city and 53 highway.  If you drive any distances that is a significant difference.

prius is pretty much the best as far as hybrids go. but....i'd still not own one.

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My "beater" is an Explorer.  It replaced the beater minivan when my wife totaled it backing into a tree.  It's basically the vehicle we use for anything the nice cars don't do.  It had nothing to do with gas mileage, we just needed something that would tow my trailer and could be used for things we didn't want to use the nice cars for.

I could just as easily have used the Explorer for my everyday vehicle and not have my car, but I really like my car...   

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I have a 97 Tahoe 4x4 as a beater.  I use and abuse it for hunting, hauling trash, going to the range, day to day local driving, etc.  My other three vehicles are a newer 4WD truck and a 1968 VW Westfalia Camper. and my wife's Altima.

I have always tried to keep a beater car.  When I lived in NJ the Tahoe was used for towing my sneakboxes in the winter.  This saved a lot of wear and tear on my truck.  It fits right in where I live in VA now.  

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2007 Chrysler Town & Country minivan.  It's been pretty reliable - has a small evap leak but I can just clear the CEL for a while... it's got 171k miles and is holding on.  TPMS monitor keeps flashing occasionally as the battery is low, and the body is rusty as heck... but hey - I'm going to drive it until it dies.

It's my "party van"... but man it hauls the clay thrower just fine, and it's my daily beater to drive to work.

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I always keep a Honda Accord as a beater. Current one has 238K trouble free miles. Previous one had 225K and lasted 24 years.

 

It helps to be able to do your own maintenance and keep to the same platform (like guns). Also helps that all of the issues and fixes for the car are known, documented and available on YouTube or forums.

 

It’s also peace of mind. Hitting a massive pothole, getting dinged by a shopping cart, scratched from road debris. No problem. Otherwise you can get neurotic on your daily commute in a nice car.

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I usually have some sort of beater/ daily driver truck to keep from racking up miles on my wrangler. I sold my Mazda b3000 just before I left NJ because it was 2wd. Tomorrow I'm going to look at a 07 nissan titan, if it's mechanically sound I'll buy it. I definatly need a pickup because there is no garbage service where I live, I have to take it to the local dump myself 

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6 hours ago, 1LtCAP said:

yes. my expedition is my beater. i drive that a lot. it's used for range(too much dirt road to get to the outdoor range i shoot at for me to be willing to take the gt. i won't drive the gt once they've put down brine till after feb when i know there's been enough rain to wash that shit all off the streets

prius is pretty much the best as far as hybrids go. but....i'd still not own one.

I had a pair of 2002 Prius that I bought used in 2005 when no one wanted them.  One had only 7,200 miles when I bought it.  They were the original ones that were four doors and a trunk that they made in 01-03.  They got 50 mpg.  Probably the only person to replace I hybrid with another hybrid and got 10 mpg less than the old one.  The one I have now is a very nice large car, a Sonata Limited hybrid, but only average about 40 mpg on it.

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back in the 70's we had winter cars. These were real beaters that cost $75-$100 back then. we'd put our "nice" cars away and beat the snot out of the beaters with all kinds of winter fun, sliding around and banging into each other mostly lol and whatever else the ice and snow would offer. By the end of winter whatever cars were still up and running we finished off with a demo derby and had them towed away. I can remember a few I had, 68 Wildcat, 68 Belvidere, 64 Impala 4 dr...another one i cant remember. Thats what real a beater is. Altho i will say my nice car wasnt too nice the way I treated it. My dads 68 Cougar that I threw a 71 351C into along with a tranny and custom dual exhaust. I was changing out the burnt clutches every 4-5 months lol. Back then everyone was doing burnouts all night long, sweet sound of summer......

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My current car is a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix.  126k and still runs good.  Oldest daughter will be driving next year.  We'll share it as I hardly drive.  I walk to mass transit for work commute. 

Maybe I'll buy a nicer Grand Prix.  With a super charger, leather interior and sunroof.  Keep my '04 as a 'beater" or just to see how long it last.  The engine in them are very reliable.  And starting to do my own work on it as not worth paying someone to do it.  Car is only worth $2kish.

I like the idea of a "beater". New idea to me though.  

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3 minutes ago, gleninjersey said:

My current car is a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix.  126k and still runs good.  Oldest daughter will be driving next year.  We'll share it as I hardly drive.  I walk to mass transit for work commute. 

Maybe I'll buy a nicer Grand Prix.  With a super charger, leather interior and sunroof.  Keep my '04 as a 'beater" or just to see how long it last.  The engine in them are very reliable.  And starting to do my own work on it as not worth paying someone to do it.  Car is only worth $2kish.

I like the idea of a "beater". New idea to me though.  

Man you love the Grand Prix .

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On 7/13/2018 at 2:51 PM, Howard said:

I had a pair of 2002 Prius that I bought used in 2005 when no one wanted them.  One had only 7,200 miles when I bought it.  They were the original ones that were four doors and a trunk that they made in 01-03.  They got 50 mpg.  Probably the only person to replace I hybrid with another hybrid and got 10 mpg less than the old one.  The one I have now is a very nice large car, a Sonata Limited hybrid, but only average about 40 mpg on it.

my whole thing with cars like the prius.......and even the non hybrid poop-boxes like the yaris, fit, etc.......not a single one of them is worth the extra fuel mileage if you look out your window, and say.....well....at least it's getting good fuel mileage. screw that. i'll take a 400+hp factory hotrod that gets 28mpg at 80mph any day of the week.

 

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On 7/13/2018 at 6:22 PM, Zeke said:

Man you love the Grand Prix .

I do!  Lol.  Though I think the newer Mustangs are pretty sweet looking.  Ford did a nice job with those!  Don't tell my car I said any of that though!  :)

Read up on the 3800 Engine, Series 3.  Not only is it very reliable, they get decent gas mileage for "old technology".  And there are plenty of spare parts for them in junkyards as the engine was used in Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne as well.  The Series 2 3800 was used in it seems every other GM vehicle produced at the time (Buick Regal and a few others, Chevy Impala, Camaro & Monte Carlo, lots of Oldsmobiles, Pontiac Bonneville & Firebirda.,etc. etc).  Litterally millions of those in junk yards.  

I think the Grand Prix is similiar to ARs.  A very common platform that is easy to work on and modify to your needs / tastes if you wish to.  There are also tons of YouTube videos on how to do maintance and repairs on the 3800 vehicles as well.  I'm no mechanic, but I figure if I can build a lower receiver of an AR then I can fix some of the most common problems on my own car. 

IMHO GM made a mistake doing away with Pontiac.    

This isn't mine and this is heavliy modfied (I think the kids say "modded").  Tell me that isnt' sexy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j440FEg0wKM

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1 hour ago, 1LtCAP said:

the newest stangs are among the least good looking stangs

I think you may be in the minority on that.

How are they mechanically? I would never get a four banger stang.  What's the point.  Probably the six and may be the eight cylinder if it were only a summer and fall car.  

 

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8 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

I think you may be in the minority on that.

How are they mechanically? I would never get a four banger stang.  What's the point.  Probably the six and may be the eight cylinder if it were only a summer and fall car.  

 

supposedly the 4 bangers are as quick as if not quicker than the 5.0's. ford themselves had one in the mid 12's with nothing more than a tune, drag radials, and heavy duty rear drive axles.

 when this platform was just talk, i was looking in to what i thought it wouold be based on. i believe(could be wrong) that this is based on a ford mondeo from the uk.

 the 5.0's are putting down around 420-430hp now. supposedly there's gonna be a 700hp shelby. the performance they give is fan-$#%$^%-tastic. i'd like to see one of these lap nutburgring, as compared to the slomaros. it'd be interesting, 'cause the 13 gt500 pummeled the zl1 slomaro by nearly 3 full seconds.

 

 still....to me? the best looking recently are the s197's(that's 05 to 2014). these are  called s550 platform. with the wrong combo, from the side, they look like big fat nissans.

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I have a 2014 GT.  I have to agree with Cap.  That particular body style is the best looking out of the recent models.  Idk...maybe the new models need time to grow on you.  I had a guy stop me the other day and comment how much he liked the car and he also said the new ones just look too "girly".  It may take quite a while for the new ones to change my mind.  Girly or big fat Nissans??  No choice there.  I'll stick,with my '14.

 

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On 7/13/2018 at 7:42 AM, Handyman said:

Cheap, good mileage, reliable engine. If you get something like a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris you get essentially the same mileage as a hybrid for $17,000.

Add the ability to carrry parts for the "non-beater" car. Which i many cases is not actually functionally a car most/all of the time. 

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