Does anyone else here besides me drive a beater car?

[idgiehkt]

I have a '96 Geo Tracker. The front bumper is held on by duct tape, and I have a soft top that the zipper on it is broke and it's fastened together with safety pins. Anyone else have a not-shiny, not new car?

[The Straight Story]

1. A friend loaned me his 1984 volvo

My daughter calls it the hobo car

He can't drive right now and we needed a second car. Said he would sell it to me for $1500...uh no. Brakes squeak, no AC (and I live in the desert), radio does not work, and there is some warning light that is on which I have no idea what it means

[idgiehkt]

5. my 'check engine' light has been on for seven years.

I've had it at three dealers and they can't figure out what is wrong with it. After a while, if it doesn't quit, just keep on a-going, lol.

[BrotherBuzz]

16. Volvos make excellent beater cars

Our 1990 Volvo was stolen then recovered 'damaged', so the company wrote it off, paid us a good chunk of money, and sold the car back to us for 98 dollars. We plan to drive it until the tires fall off.

[idgiehkt]

25. yes they do

those old volvo stations wagons are the perfect car.

[fizzgig]

51. i've got an 82 volvo wagon

probably 252k on it (not sure, the odometer broke about six months back). she's not pretty (dents, rust, creased hood from when a school bus backed into me...) but she just keeps on running. sure, there's no ac (sucks in the summer) and she burns just a bit of oil, but she still gets pretty good gas mileage

i've driven that car for nearly 10 years and will cry when i finally have to give her up

and yes, my car is a she

[idgiehkt]

56. I hear you

I always wanted a volvo, from the time I was about ten years old. I was such a damn nerd. Other kids wanted mustanges, I wanted a perfectly square volvo, lol. I never got one and now I don't like the way they look anymore, I like the older models. Maybe the universe will send me one someday.

[SmokingJacket]

75. Offer $400.

I love those old Volvos. They last forever. Breaks are a cheap fix, just crank open the windows, and those warning lights so go off whenever they feel like it.

However, $1500 is a bit steep.

[supernova]

2. I did until last year

For the last 10 years, I drove a 92 Chevy conversion van. It had 136, 000 when I stopped driving it. The carpeting was coming up under the pedals, the trim on the dashboard was broken in 1/2. It sounded rough. Needed serious work done on the trans and the suspension. Yeah, it was time to stop.

Last year I replaced it with a 2002 Honda CRV.

[idgiehkt]

6. that is a lot of miles for an American car

Good on ya.

Sigh...the Honda CRV is my dream car...not to big, not to small. What kind of mileage does it get?

[supernova]

10. I get about 22/city and 28/hwy

[TOhioLiberal]

3. Oh yeah...

...I have a 94 Chrysler LHS. It used to be a nice looking car, but it has rust, accident damage and this weird white stuff all over the hood top and trunk. It's now officially a P.O.S.

[idgiehkt]

4. lol

"weird white stuff"

I can so relate to that.



that is why I used to LOVE that show "Pimp My Ride" on mtv. My favorite was the kid who had that old cadillac that he had to wear goggles to drive it because the foam from the ceiling would rain down when he was going down the road.

[TOhioLiberal]

8. it's on the outside...

...so no goggles needed here. I suspect it's acid rain damage.

[AlCzervik]

19. we used to have a 95 Camry and it has "Weird white" stuff that was from our sprinkler

system, thats how the hard water is here. Anyhow poor camry was nice when it was new but after being sent to texas from ma. it never did seem the same and then we moved to california and the car just got worse and worse, my husband has a front end accident and the terrible, terrible body shop that fixed it never aimed the headlights quite right so the car looked cockeyed when it was nighttime. Well after my car got stolen in 2004 we used the insurance money and the camry as a down payment on a Honda accord, the dealer was "Really looking for ward to seeing your trade, such low miles and a toyota!" that was until i got to the dealer and i gave him the keys, he goes out to the parking lot and comes back in like 5 seconds later "Are you sure you parked your camry out there?" "Yup, it's the green one" and then he says "Oh, i was hoping i was wrong, yes i saw it" Anyhow we got a laughable amount for the trade in, we are probably the only people that actually lost money trading in a low mile Camry.

[davsand]

7. Does my Escort Wagon count?

It is about 14 years old and parts of the pin striping and the plastic covering on the trim is peeling off. It has been charitably described as a "social embarrassment" but I love that car because it is frugal with a gallon of gas and I can haul a couple of kids AND all the team's softball gear in it.

I'm worried it will not go much further, but I have LOVED that car for the time I have had it.



Laura

[Kali]

14. those were the BEST frigging cars

my mom's could haul more shit than a pick-up truck.

[davsand]

21. Yep, they will hold a bunch of stuff.

Seems like they just keep running, too. Have you ever noticed how many really beat up and ugly Escort wagons are still on the road? It amazes hell outta me, but I also think it is other people like me that just love the daylights out of that car.



Laura

[idgiehkt]

17. "social embarassment"

I relate more to folks who drive their cars til they quit than ones who drive new ones. At this point I don't see myself ever having a brand new car.

[Hand]

83. It sure does--and so does mine!

Hatchback, actually--1994 and still running strong! No wonder they stopped making them.

[MountainLaurel]

117. We have one as well

It's the dog-mobile. Ours has about 70K and will hopefully live much longer.

[xmas74]

9. '93 Mercury Tracer.

Electric windows, two of which no longer roll up or down. (One is permanently down and until I can afford to fix it has plastic on it.) The air no longer works and I can't afford to fix it either. There is no radio-it was ripped off and I can't afford a new one. The moon roof no longer works either but at least it's not open.

It has over 160,000 miles on it. I bought it used so someone must have put a few on it before me.

[idgiehkt]

18. woohoo, a tracer!

I used to have one of those, about a decade ago. It never really ran though, it was very messed up. 160k is great!

[xmas74]

23. It's ready to die.

I need to make some more money so I can afford the payments for something newer. I don't think it'll make it another winter.

[MissMillie]

74. I'm surprised it lasted that long

Mine was looking for a third engine after 90,000 miles. (And yes, I was good about oil changes.)

[xmas74]

98. First engine.

It's made it so far and that's with people borrowing it for drives out of state (cheaper to drive compared to their gas guzzlers).

It's time for it to rest now.

[libnnc]

11. '93 Eagle Summit wagon

Never wrecked, but some rust underneath the rear bumper. Runs like a top, but it's beginning to burn oil a little.

edit to add it's my everyday car. SO says we'll drive it 'till the doors fall off

167,500 miles

[idgiehkt]

20. I love those

Is it a woody?

I always thought they were really cute.

[libnnc]

38. No, they didn't make woodies. Mine is solid green

Bought it new. It was a manager's special. There were only two on the lot. Mine and a red one. I believe I've gotten my $15,000 out of it. LOL

[idgiehkt]

43. I thought they ysed to make them way back in the day

I must have it confused with something else. Those rock though. yes, I'd say you've definately gotten your money out of it.

[libnnc]

47. Actually, I think I know what you're talking about...

It was my FIRST car AND it was a woody.

1977 AMC Hornet

mine was like this but white (red interior)...and it hauled ass.

[idgiehkt]

50. okay

that is what I remember, except these I remember as being four wheel drive, and that one doesn't look jacked up high enough. I probably have them mixed up. I always thought those cars were so cute, it really is the cutest station wagon ever made, and with 4WD on top of that. Does the summit have 4 wheel drive?

here is the wikipage and the car I remember is sitting right in the right upper corner. I guess I thought they made woodies too. I love those cars. In the column on the left mid-page they have links for the hornet among others. Hey, they made the gremlin too, those guys were good at making unique looking cars, lol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Eagle

[libnnc]

55. Oh yeah the AMC Eagle. That came after the Hornet.

They were higher and they did come in 4WD. The Hornets didn't. Those were really sharp cars too.

They don't make the Summit anymore and they didn't make them with 4WD, mine is front wheel drive (just as good for me). It's been a really good little car. It has a Mitsubishi engine in it. The back seat comes out completely and I've actually gone camping in it. I hope it will hold out for another year.

[DainBramaged]

122. It's that REAL ruke green?

Go figure, puke

[rurallib]

12. Small pickup here. '94 Sonoma

Duct tape & screws hold it together. Got @160,000 miles.

[idgiehkt]

24. screws...hmmm

that will be next, I've got to figure out a way to get the bumper rigged back on. As long as I can keep jimmy rigging mine, I'll keep driving it. I don't know the real mileage on mine because it was turned back, probably has around 30k more than it says on there.

[Kali]

13. 1991 ford 15 passenger van

that was an abandoned vehicle (for smuggling people) and before that was a Nogales to Tucson and Phx shuttle (for transporting the same folks, basically) got the papers, bought some tires and spray painted the "Niny's Shuttle" logo white. It was good to go for some fun adventures. Including hauling a dozen Germans around northern Chihuahua.

It was sitting on our road RUNNING with all the doors open when we found it. Border patrol was chasing all the passengers around through the rocks. We live in an interesting area. I have about 20 of the damn things. (abandoned vans)

[idgiehkt]

26. that is one of the best car stories I have ever heard, lol

do you fix the vans up and sell them?

[Kali]

35. I wish, no they seem to be turning into pack rat colonies. I need more cats.

or pythons. Or someone interested in marketing pack rats or their droppings - we could get rich!

They are such pieces of crap - no seats or interiors, mega-miles, crappy tires, etc etc. We cannibalize some of the parts, but they are basically just a huge eyesore.

[Liberal_in_LA]

67. Cool story! n/t

[Joe Fields]

15. 96 Taurus

runs pretty good, though.

[idgiehkt]

27. Wow, I can't believe those are over ten years old

I remember when the new 'bubble-shaped' ones came out. Where has the time gone...

[Joe Fields]

62. I don't know where the time went, Idg, but I damned sure want it back...lol

[Fox Mulder]

22. '92 Ford Taurus.

The springs are shot. The rear drivers side brake sticks.

Yeah.

[idgiehkt]

29. you know,

when that survey came out that skinner asked to people to do and it said the most popular choice of car was ford I didn't believe it but so many people are posting ford on here that kind of makes me reconsider.

[BreweryYardRat]

28. I own an '89 Volvo station wagon.

A/C doesn't work, the paint's patching, and we just had to do $800 worth of repair work, including a new battery + new headlight lens.

Bleah. I want an upgrade.

[idgiehkt]

31. I love volvo wagons

$800 is an awful lot of money to put into a car that old though.

[BreweryYardRat]

33. Yeah. Any more necessary repairs and I'm selling the thing.

Gas mileage sucks too.

I want a Civic or Corolla.

[Gold Metal Flake]

30. I am the beater king...

I will hardheadedly try to fix anything.

[idgiehkt]

32. good for you!

I love beaters, honestly. I love to have an old eagle station wagon, and a gremlin, and a pacer, and a little Chevrolet luv truck. Then I would be happy.

[Hand]

84. Wow!

[mopinko]

34. 93 suburban. 287,000 miles

got a dent in every single body panel. just starting to get a little rusty. nothing quite as bulletproof as a chevy truck. plan to hang on to it till we hit a half mil.
(yes, it is a gas hog. i don't drive it that much. most of those miles were from it's first life as a people mover, all 9 seats full. it is covered with huge bumpers stickers, so at least while it sucks gas, it fights fascism.)

[idgiehkt]

37. that is amazing

wow, american cars are kicking butt in this thread, mileage-wise.

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. I used to, but I drive too much and too far too often to have one now.

Because I have no car mechanic ability, I need a car that doesn't need TLC, cuz I don't know how to give it.

But then, I'm also childless, so I'm just a selfish asshole shitbag fuck. Not surprising I'd have a car that's easy to maintain.

[idgiehkt]

40. all i know about cars

is my direct experience with parts that have broken on mine. I know when it's the alternator or the neutral saftey switch, lol. If I could afford a new one I'd get one too, a nice shiny Prius like someone here posted yesterday.

[NMDemDist2]

39. i bought one on purpose 1991 Buick LeSabre

for $1200 at the local auction house out of an estate sale

It's clean except for a couple rock dent/chips and runs like a top. 132,000 when I bought it 9 months ago and it's 135,000 now almost.

I put gas in it and have given it a couple oil changes

I love that darned car

edit to add, it's a 4 door mid sized sedan and I get 26+ MPG with it too

[idgiehkt]

41. you go girl!

that is the way to do it. I've always wanted to buy a car at an auction, and an estate sale sounds like a great place to get one of those "little old lady only drove it on sundays" kinds of cars. That is about the same mileage as I get too.

[NMDemDist2]

45. did you see the edit when i added the pic?

it's pretty clean really and the interior is in good shape

but neither of the right side windows work, I have new clips for them, but my buddy who was gonna help me got in a motorcycle accident, so that little chore is on hold a couple more months

then it will be perfect

[idgiehkt]

48. that is really cute!

It looks really clean, too. Sorry 'bout your friend, hope he's not banged up too badly.

[LaraMN]

42. Me me me!

I have a '91 Toyota minivan. We're replacing it in a couple months. We've had it for eight years.
It has 183K miles on it. I broke the handle on the sliding door.
The a/c doesn't work, nor does the radio/cd player, or rear wipers.
It's burning oil, the engine light is permanently on, and up until last week, the exhaust system was broken, and I effectively had no muffler.
It's never, ever failed to start, though; even outside, in the frigid Minnesota winter. It's also been paid off for about four or five years. We've hung onto it about as long as we reasonably could. I'll be a *little* sad to see it go. A *little*. Not alot.

[idgiehkt]

44. for Minnesota that is really impressive

My little toyota corolla lasted about nine years. Toyota's were just about unkillable for a long time. I know you are looking forward to something new, though.

[jobycom]

46. I stopped driving my 82 Mercedes diesel a few months ago.

It started costing me too much to fix everything that was breaking. When the AC went out, that did it. In central Texas, with small children, ACs are critical.

[idgiehkt]

49. yep, and it seems like the AC

is always the first thing to go. I never use mine because it takes so much power from the engine, mine is only a four cylinder. The good thing about a diesel is you can convert it to run on grease from fast food restaurants and then you get your gas for free, I think the conversion only costs a few thousand dollars.

[jobycom]

57. Sort of.

Actually, the diesel in this car will run with very little conversion, maybe a couple hundred dollars at most. I could even run it off clean veggie oil with no conversion. Very popular cars for veggie conversions. It's still more difficult than it sounds--you have to find a source for the oil, you have to store it, you have to filter it several times. Not too much trouble, but it does take a time commitment.

I got the AC fixed. I'll probably sell it, though. I bought it to make my own biodiesel (a lot more effective than running it off straight veggie oil), then moved into an apartment, so I don't have any place to make it now. Or to store waste veggie oil.

[BlooInBloo]

52. I just joined flexcar - it RULES!

[idgiehkt]

58. wow, that sounds really interesting!

http://www.flexcar.com /

didn't even know there was such a thing.

[BlooInBloo]

61. Cheap, quality, hassle-free... So many "fringe benefits" - it's just gold!

[Liberal_in_LA]

53. The shiny car people have big car payments. don't envy them.

[idgiehkt]

59. v. true

this car I have now is actually the first car I ever made payments on. I want to stave off payments as long as I possibly can.

[Liberal_in_LA]

64. Avg car payment is now almost $500. Who needs that?

Me two

[idgiehkt]

69. I have another word for that amount of money.

"Rent"

[Liberal_in_LA]

114. $500 wouldn't rent you anything in LA. ha ha.

Rent in Mississipi maybe.

[Katherine Brengle]

81. True - our car payment (for a 2000 Cavalier, not even a new car) is like $340/month. nt

[RetroLounge]

54. I used to all the time...

My GMC Suburban had well over 200000 miles on it...

Traded it in for a Saturn.

RL

[idgiehkt]

60. those suburbans run forever, don't they

Saturns are great cars.

[astral]

63. Me too. Escort. '88.

Still runs great. Most of the doors open, all the windows work, heater, radio, defroster (well, not the back defroster . . . )and for the most part you don't get your feet wet sitting in it.

Catostrophic repair bills about once a year, but other than that, heck it runs great~!

[Liberal_in_LA]

65. Had an Escort. Know about those 'catastrophic' bills. n/t

[idgiehkt]

70. I know all about repair bills

I've been very blessed with my present car, and I'm grateful. Honestly, as long as the car gets me where I want to go I'd rather pay repair bills.

[Misskittycat]

66. '89 Toyota Celica. 126K miles. n/t

[idgiehkt]

71. I drove a 79 corolla for 9 years

Lost track of it after about '97.
That was a great car...they can run forever sometimes.

[fizzgig]

68. and as if my 82 volvo wagon isn't rad enough

my dad's backup car (which i drive from time to time) is an 88 wood-paneled buick station wagon

his name is murray

he guzzles gas like a mutha and stalls out occasionally in traffic, but hot damn! he is so cool

[idgiehkt]

72. lol, made me think of Murray on Mary Tyler Moore

I love woodies.

[tk2kewl]

73. '94 S-10 pickup 120K mi

and still gets 25 mpg

[idgiehkt]

93. I really liked the S10

that is pretty good mileage.

[CottonBear]

76. 1993 Dodge Dakota king cab 4 x 4 pickup. It's my farm truck and all purpose hauler.

I can tow stuff, haul stuff and in a pinch it seats 6!

It needs paint on the rooof and hood but otherwise it's great (except for the gas mileage of 17-18 mpg.) I do have a little sedan so I don't drive the truck all the time. I love my truck.

[idgiehkt]

94. I know those are great trucks

I hope one day to have a pickup I can use just for hauling; I've taken the upholstery and back seat out of my tracker in case I have to get hay, I can fit two bales of hay in the back and cram just about anything in there that isn't too huge.

[CottonBear]

102. Do you have a horse? I have one and my truck always has a little mud on it

and a little bit (OK, sometimes a LOT) of hay in it!

I need a new vehicle. I'd love to get a newish but used Subaru station wagon - something between a truck and a sedan. My Corolla's ground clearnace is too low for horse farm driveways.

A Tracker sounds like fun! You can let the top down in order to let the hay blow out!

A used small Toyota pick up is ideal for hauling. I really need to be able to pick up stuff fromt he feed store, go to the recycling center and pick up gardening and home supplies form Lowes, etc.
I can't imagine not having a truck. I supposed I'd could borrow one if I didn't have one.

[scarlet_owl]

77. I drive a 1994 Pontiac Sunbird.

It's rusty AND crusty.

[idgiehkt]

89. lol

'rusty and crusty'



My aunt had one of those back in the day. Black interior and it was h-o-t in the summer time.

[Seashell Eyes]

78. I do! It's a Toyota Corolla. I don't know the year.

It gets good gas mileage and has a good turning radius. That's all I care about. My dad drove a Chevette in the '70s which was a piece of crap. He continued driving it after a decent sized hole developed in the floor on the driver's side. One day when he was driving to work in the rain, he drove through a puddle and his suit got soaked. Finally, he got a new car.

[idgiehkt]

88. I drove a corolla for almost a decade

those cars used to be damn near un-killable. I am having the same issue with my present car as far as body problems developing but the engine is running great.

[CottonBear]

103. I've driven my 1993 Corolla since 1998! I love it! n/t

[acmavm]

79. People hit mine. Frequently. And don't leave notes.

I guess they think no one will notice.

[idgiehkt]

87. I know what you mean, lol

I once witnessed an accident in my old corolla and I was standing next to the cop when he called it in as a 'three car collision'. I was quite offended, being that there were two cars that hit each other and mine wasn't involved. That is around the time that I finally started thinking about getting a newer car.

[Katherine Brengle]

80. We had a real POS until it died last summer - it was awful.

A really dingy banged up Toyota Camry that started smoking like crazy as I was driving to the gym one day.

We bought a newer used car that day and I won't go back to car like that ever if I can help it. It's not worth that horrible sinking feeling of "when will it die" that goes along with it.

Hopefully our next car will be a new or only slightly used hybrid.

[idgiehkt]

90. I know that

'horrible sinking feeling' well. Between my die-hard corolla and the one I have now I went through two cars and a truck in quick succession. Not a pleasant time in my life.

[Katherine Brengle]

106. Yeah - it's nice not having a car payment, but the other costs... argh.

No warranty when that transmission/brakes/tires/fuel pump/what-have-you needs replacing.

It was alright when I was younger but when you need to be able to rely on your car, not such a good deal.

[guitar man]

82. I have a '95 Lincoln mark viii

I don't know that I'd call it a "beater" but it is almost at 200k miles and she's starting to show her age. She's paid for, si I'll drive her til the wheels fall off...

[idgiehkt]

91. 'til the wheels fall off'

Amen to that.

[guitar man]

105. you bet

she gets around 26 mpg on the highway, so sans payment, that's not too bad economically, considering I ride my motorcycle at 50+ mpg every day the weather is good enough. I should get another few years out of her anyway.

[greymattermom]

85. Mildred

We have a 1994 Mercury Villager with 190K miles, named "Mildred". People keep hitting Mildred, a big gray tin can. Her first minor collision netted $900 and her latest collision gained us $1800. She's quite banged up now but still runs. Wanna hit Mildred again? She's parked in front of my house for 6 weeks. We could use the money for our next car, hopefully a Prius.

[idgiehkt]

92. I had a friend that actually happened to

He had a red compact car and it had some problem that ended up being not fixable without a huge expenditure which he couldn't afford. A drunk driver hit it in his driveway and totalled it during the night and left the scene. He called the cops and walked around the neighborhood looking for his color paint on someone's bumper and found the guy's truck that had hit him; the guy was asleep and didn't even remember hitting anything. He was able to buy a newer car with the insurance money, which was cool, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

[catmandu57]

86. I don't drive anymore, but when I did

That was about all I owned. Cars that when you came to a stop light you had to throw into neutral keep one foot on the gas and the other on the brake. Cars that would die unexpectedly in the worst places like in the middle of a busy intersection while making a left turn, and wouldn't start again until the choke was propped open either with a screwdriver or ball point pen top.
I've drove rolling toolboxes, in fact right now my back porch is housing all the tools I used to have to make sure I didn't leave home without.
I'm a genius at repairing cars made in 1977 down, these new ones though I just look at and say well there's an engine there somewhere.
These days I'm glad I gave up driving, it's amazing how much money goes into keeping junk on the road.

[idgiehkt]

96. it really is, isn't it

I'd have to be really really rich to think about having something with a huge payment; of course if I was that well off I'd just pay cash for the car. Of course I have an ex that always liked new vehicles because she said that she wanted something reliable. I can understand that, but triple A and a cell phone takes care of it even though it is kind of scary if you are a female alone and your car leaves you stranded. I've been really blessed that most of the time I've either had someone I could call or lived close enough to work that I could walk or bike to work, or home if I had car trouble.

[pitohui]

95. yes i do

too embarrassed to describe it tho, it's older than 96

[idgiehkt]

97. you are in good company

lol, maybe we need a beater car group at DU, lol.

[Adsos Letter]

99. Sometimes...

When my wife has the Nissan and my daughter has the truck I will drive the Trooper...not even sure what year it is, but it's pretty beat. I actually kinda' like driving it...reminds me of some of the military vehicles I used to drive...it does have that unexpected rollover problem, though.

[smitty]

100. I drive a '94 Integra with body rust and lots of nicks and dings.

[idgiehkt]

108. I'm starting to find rust here and there on my tracker

I know there are things you can do about it, but I don't really know what or how. I'm getting ready to have some work done on the engine so that is more of a priority.

[LSK]

101. I did up until May

A 1994 GMC Jimmy that was really starting to rust badly.

[idgiehkt]

109. Okay

honestly I think the Jimmy is the most perfect car ever made. I really, really would love to have one after the experience of having the tracker, my only complaint is that it is not a hard top and I can't justify spending 1000 bucks on a hard top to put on that thing, I like the 80's model ones that are almost perfect squares, lol.

[GOPisEvil]

104. It's in pretty good shape, but I have a 1994 Infiniti with 140k miles.

I have had the car for about 5 years, and it had 30k miles on it when I got it. It's a great car, and I will drive it until it completely falls apart. It's got a dented hood and some other cosmetic issues, but it runs like a top.

[idgiehkt]

110. good grief

talk about the 'little old lady that only drove it on sundays' lol, only 30k miles in 8 years.
whatta deal. I hope i can find one of those folks when I need to buy a car again.

[OllieLotte]

107. My wife and I have three of them.

96 Taurus 180K miles - 91 Chevy Silverado 190K miles and 96 Volvo 185K miles. That way we both have something to drive when one is in the shop.

[idgiehkt]

111. wow, that's a lot of miles on each

I think many vehicles would run for a lot longer than most people think if people keep the oil changed and maintain the engine and don't get in wrecks. I need to go look at my mileage, i can't remember now what it is, probably around 130k, plus I have to add on 30 or 40k because it was turned back when I bought it.

[usaftmo]

112. 1982 Fiat Astra station wagon

Since I'm single (big surprise there) my coworkers called it "the shaggin' wagon"!

[idgiehkt]

113. lol

too funny! but if it gets you from point A to point B that is what matters.

[usaftmo]

115. Actually I junked this car before leaving Italy last year.

It had to pass a safety inspection before I could sell it. The front brakes were destroyed, and the repair costs would've been a lot more than what I could sell the car for.

That car didn't even have air conditioning! I checked that out when giving the car a test drive and felt a lot of cool air coming through. Now that I think about it, the used car saleswoman had us driving up the base of a mountain...which meant a lot of cool air.

No a/c, no power steering, no power brakes, no power windows. Scratch that last one, I did have power windows...I used the power of my arm muscles!

[MassLiberal]

116. '94 Taurus wagon

We've rebuilt the transmission and replaced a bunch of stuff. It's got some rust, the automatic door locks no longer work, the rear window wiper and defogger no longer work, the AC no longer works, the suspension is shot. But still, we don't want to (can't afford to) replace it.

[idgiehkt]

118. lol

all that stuff is just extree...

actually I don't want power anything on any car, ever, except of course brakes and steering. A friend of a friend drove into water one night in her truck (she couldn't see the water til she was in it) and she couldn't get out of her vehicle...it was a pick-up truck and luckily she had one of those little windows in the back glass that slides open. She was a very small person and was able to squeeze out of that window, so I guess if it had not been there she'd have drowned. After she got out the truck totally submerged. Since I heard that I have been afraid of power windows and doors, I'll just use my extree elbow grease thank you very much.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

119. How do you define when it becomes a beater?

Or a shitbox, as I call them?

[idgiehkt]

120. hmmm

good question. I guess when major parts of them are held on by things like safety pins and duct tape? When they have visible rust and dents? Some would say when they are older than five years, lol. Or maybe just when most of the extras are broken but as long as the engine runs you keep driving them. Definitely when they quit making the car altogether, lol.

[HuskerDU]

121. '89 Buick Century

Complete with duct tape blinker.

I once had a 4-door Jetta where the driver and front passenger door were stuck open. I literally drove that car like a horse, with reins! Had a rope strung through both of 'em which I would hold on to. Plus it was a stick shift!