Happy Friday, Autopians! We’ve stuck with nice cheap cars all week, and all of our finalists run and drive well, so let’s pit them all against each other and see who comes out on top. Four beaters enter; one beater leaves. Welcome to Clunkerdome.
It’s a little earlier in the day than I usually call these races as I’m writing this, but yesterday’s Bimmer battle looks like a foregone conclusion. The old scruffy 7 Series appears to have an insurmountable lead, and it’s my pick anyway, so I’m declaring it the winner.
The E39 5 Series is a hell of a nice car, but its possible transmission issues put me off, and bothered some of you as well, from the sound of it. Besides, the E23-chassis 735 just has more of a classic BMW feel to it.
Most of us are in the fortunate position of no longer needing to shop for $2,000 cars just to get around. But let’s imagine for a minute that you did need such a car, just something that will last a year or so, to avoid having a car payment, or to keep miles off your nice car, or whatever. You find a used car lot that’s going out of business, and these are the last four cars left. It’s up to you to decide which one you’re taking home.
2006 Ford Focus ZXW SE – $1,850
The case for it: It’s a wagon, the most practical form of small car there is. Its engine is Ford’s version of the Mazda MZR, a delightful twin-cam motor that also happens to be dead-reliable. And even though it’s a little beat-up outside, the inside looks cleaner than most cars in this price range.
The case against it: With an automatic transmission, the driving experience is about as exciting as a rice cake. And there is a chance that the rust is more advanced than it looks like from the outside.
2003 Honda Accord EX – $2,475
The case for it: It’s a Honda, which means reliability and durability are baked right in. It’s also a manual, which makes it more entertaining (and arguably longer-lasting) than it would be if it were an automatic. And it’s the fancy model, with all kinds of goodies inside, along with nice leather seats.
The case against it: Other than being the most expensive option, nothing, really. Unless you can’t drive a stick, in which case, this is a good car to learn on.
1994 Chevy Cavalier Z24 Convertible – $1,500
The case for it: Good convertibles aren’t often found in this price range. Plus, it has a certain retro ’90s charm to it, which pushes all kinds of nostalgia buttons if you’re my age. And mechanical parts are cheap, easy to find, and not likely to disappear any time soon.
The case against it: It’s a 90s GM product, which means its build quality rivals a dollar-store toy. And the top mechanism is a little stubborn.
1989 BMW 735i – $1,700
The case for it: It’s a BMW from back when that meant quality, not status. And it would not have reached 300,000 miles if people weren’t taking care of it along the way. It’s also probably the most comfortable choice here.
The case against it: It’s pieced together from at least two cars. And while BMWs get cheap with age, their parts do not. This is almost certainly the most expensive car to keep on the road.
Well, there they are, the week’s finalists, as chosen by you. Which one of them makes for the best cheap used car? That’s for you to decide, and I’ll meet you back here next week. Have a great weekend!
From the way the vote is going there is no need to state my case. Honda
Has the lack of ability to buy a new car with a manual made this much of an impact on me?
Accord and it’s not even close.
Accord is the proper choice of course, but I already own one and that Cav looks like good Summer fun
Honda! I wouldn’t even call it a beater…that’s the one I like the most and the best car here. Next would be the classic bimmer, then Cavalier, then the Fix Or Repair Daily Focus (the only one I didn’t vote for)
The Accord by a country mile, it’s likely barely seen snow and never seen salt. Keep the oil changed and it’ll let you keep hustling.
That said, if you need that extra $625 to make rent this month, the Focus might keep you going for a year or two. (There are some good memories from those times in my life but I do not miss them.)
The Accord is definitely the most solid pick of the group but especially for its asking price give me the drop top Cavalier!
The BMW is just beat, the Focus is automatic trash, and the Cav is automatic semi-interesting.
The answer is 5-speed Accord and it’s not even close, as expected.
While I think the Cavalier is probably unkillable with just changing consumables and fluids as needed, the Honda is the best choice here for some who NEEDS no muss, no fuss transport, and it offers a side of fun with the manual. Spring for a decent re-spray and its really good car for the money
Give me the Cavalier for the weekend it will die.
A natural death, or for insurance purposes? 😀
The Focus wagon would actually make the best beater because it’s relatively low mileage, cheap to fix, cheap to buy and cheap to insure.
Which is to say that based on how most voted, most of you have no idea of what makes a Good Beater.
And I consider myself an authority on Beater Ownership as I am someone who never owned a car that cost more than CAD$5000 from 1996 until 2024.
The Accord would be my 2nd choice… mainly because it has 2.5 times the mileage the Focus has AND still costs $1000 more. If it had the same mileage as the Focus, then it would be my first choice.
And the BMW is the WORST of these from a beater perspective. Expensive to fix, expensive to operate, less reliable than that Focus and probably more expensive to insure than the Focus.
And old, cheap, high mileage BMW can me the most expensive vehicle you’ll ever own.
And that Cavalier Z24 convertible should be preserved, not used as a beater.
I’m pretty sure the conversion rate is 1 Ford wear miles = 2.5 Accord wear mile so that’s a wash, which makes the Honda worth the $1k premium imo.
“1 Ford wear miles = 2.5 Accord wear mile”
But that’s not accurate in this case given that this particular Ford has a lot of Mazda and Ford of Europe in it.
It’s the rust that kills the Focus. Those holes in the rockers would need fixed for my state inspection.
Not even a contest. Honda by a country mile.
The Accord is the easy choice. They’re dead reliable as-is and it’s a manual so less to worry about transmission wise and it makes it just a little more fun to drive too. Plus parts are still cheap and plentiful and they’re very easy cars to work on.
The Cavalier, people will remember what you drove up in.
Your smiling summertime convertible face.
Cheap style, yeah.
Hey want a ride?
I’ve already got a convertible—and the Honda has a manual. Done