Given The CHOICE, What Would You Buy As Your BEATER?

While we all like to chat about the cars we likely can't have, are out of our reach or are simply the vehicles we'd "baby," a lot of us don't seem to give respect to the beaters out there. You know these vehicles. These are the work horses on the daily commute, the vehicles that get the most miles on the odo and certainly don't get cleaned as often as they should be.

The reason I ask this is because on a drive tonight with my second oldest brother, he insisted on showing me this side-of-the-road, for sale Dodge pickup that appeared to be fully restored.

There it was, parked, in a striking aqua paint job and freshly varnished wood on the pickup's bed.

As he started waxing poetic about how this specific pickup would be the ultimate daily driver and his little workhorse I started to wonder:

What BEATER would the Spies want in their driveway to get the job done?

lexusrox123 - 8/25/2012 1:24:41 PM

+2 Boost

Saturn SL, simply for the mileage. And what are you doing with a fully restored vintage truck as a beater? You're going to have to restore in five years again.

atc98092 - 8/25/2012 1:35:17 PM

+1 Boost

I had a truck like that for years. My dad and I replaced the Dodge engine with a larger DeSoto 6 and added a push button automatic. I found a bench seat from a mid-60s LTD for it. Between when my dad bought it and I finally sold it, we must have had that truck for close to 20 years.

ATrain - 8/25/2012 10:15:20 PM

+1 Boost

I guess beater is a realtive word. Right now, my winter beater is a 535xi. I've never put more than 30k miles on a car and I'm about to turn 70k on that one. That's my beater.

I am thinking about changing it for an R8 (V8) also as a winter beater since it's got all-wheel drive. It's low but in reality, 90% of my drive is highway so if there's 6" on the road, I can just take my Home Depot runner...

kussimek - 8/26/2012 2:19:18 PM

+1 Boost

I just purchased my work horse since now I commute 37 miles each way to work. I saw a 96 Honda Accord in a 5 speed transmission and got it for 1000 bucks. I can't explain how much fun this car is to push to its limits. Slow but fun!!! Interior is in mint condition even though the clear on the outside is going (typical with older Hondas) the rest is holding up great, super cold A/C pretty good stero and even got a 6 disc changer in the trunk lol.

Atrain, you have some pretty nice beaters if their a 535xi and thinking of a R8?

85bmw745i - 8/26/2012 10:04:08 PM

+1 Boost

an E30 BMW 3 series, preferably 325is, 325ix for snow up north

85bmw745i - 8/27/2012 10:02:22 PM

+1 Boost

LMAO! I give that the award for the #1 reply of the week

lexworld - 8/28/2012 12:24:07 AM

+2 Boost

...I still have our 95 Lexus ES300 which we bought in 2003 and had around 80,000 mi on it. It now has 259,000. This car was and still runs flawless, I think it may have been over engineered. That pearl white paint is super durable and the interior (tan leather w/ real wood trim) only has one small tear in the driver seat. This is now our 3rd car and I plan on keeping it for about another 2-3 yrs while I find another car that is as well built and beautiful as those 90's model Lexus cars and Suv's.

85bmw745i - 8/28/2012 10:58:20 AM

+2 Boost

The ES was a looker back then with those unique looking dual projector beam headlights.