Beaters

[TXGunNut]

Nope, not talking about making mayo or even whipped cream, that's a little further up the page. ;-) Been seeing members' beaters on other threads and enjoyed seeing them. I wondered what would happen if we had a thread dedicated to beaters. In the interests of full disclosure I don't really have one at the moment but I'm missing the one I traded for my 2010 Merc a little over 5 years ago. Merc's a nice ride but it needs an $800 part at the moment (that's the little box sitting on my dryer :-?) and last month it was a little $500 electrical part and the month before that it was a set of new Goodyears when one got ruined and the others were getting on my nerves. At 150K miles it's closing in on beater status but I'm not planning on keeping it much longer. It has an annoying habit of colliding with wildlife and letting the smoke out of expensive little boxes so it's going down the road soon.:(
Beaters, for the unenlightened, are old & inexpensive cars that seem to run forever under the careful administrations of their DIY'er owners. They generally aren't much to look at but they're faithful and their owners love them. Quite often they've been there, done that and have the scars to prove it. My last one was a 2001 Impala that I bought with my Visa card and drove for six years and over 150,000 miles for little more than tires & gas. It wasn't much to look at but it was dependable, great in the ice and snow (as long as it wasn't very deep), got decent fuel mileage and it was a nice comfortable ride.
I think beaters may soon be a thing of the past because so many of the modern cars are very difficult and expensive to keep on the road much past their intended life cycle. Even beaters eventually wear out and there will be no newer cars to replace them. That makes me sad because I really enjoy seeing them on the road.
Another disclosure thing: as some of you may recall I have a nice new F150. Like more than a few beater owners I leave the new vehicle at home most days and take the beater to work, they also do a great job as grocery getters.
So, let's see your beaters. Tell us a little about them; miles on the odo, how long you've been together, any interesting quirks. Show us your Saturns, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs and maybe even an old Mercury or Fairmont.:coffee:

[country gent]

My last beeter was a quicky purchase till insurance covered a pick up that had caught fire. It was a 1972 Dodge Polara 4 door. Bought it for $250.00 cash tax and title out the door. Drove that car for 5 years, kept it after I replaced the truck even for go to work and horseing around. I sold it to the mother in law when she needed a car quick for the same $225.00 and she drove it another 5 years LOL. Alot to be said for old detroit iron.

[rtracy2001]

By your definition, almost everything I own is a beater, but a few come to mind as standouts:

1. The Cheep
183343
I bought this one for my oldest when she got her license. A work friend was moving to another state and said I could have it for nothing if he kept the tires, or $200 if I wanted the tires. The catch? A persistent overheating problem. I solved that with a trip to the junkyard to replace the missing electric fan (those Cherokees need the mechanical and electric fan to keep cool). My daughter named it "Cheep" a contraction of cheap Jeep.

2. The Beast or "Damnyou"

183344
This one I keep because I cannot afford a new truck. I hate it, but it is the only pickup I have, so I keep fixing it. Just yesterday I discovered its latest temper tantrum: an electrical issue that affects the blower, cruise control, and 4WD. The cruise control shuts off at random, the blower only works intermittently and only on high, and when I shift into 4WD, the blower turns off, but the 4WD doesn't engage the front axle. The name Damnyou is self explanatory.

3. 1985 CJ-7 AKA Rustbucket

No photo, but it has a Chevy engine (4.3L V6 with TBI), Ford Transmission (BW T-5), 6 inches of lift, and probably more rust than steel in the tub. A blast to drive, as long as you don't need to go on the highway (starts to shake @ 65 MPH)

[TXGunNut]

My last beeter was a quicky purchase till insurance covered a pick up that had caught fire. It was a 1972 Dodge Polara 4 door. Bought it for $250.00 cash tax and title out the door. Drove that car for 5 years, kept it after I replaced the truck even for go to work and horseing around. I sold it to the mother in law when she needed a car quick for the same $225.00 and she drove it another 5 years LOL. Alot to be said for old detroit iron.

Reminds me of another Mercury I owned while my truck was in the body shop and the other person's insurance quit furnishing a rental when my old truck took too long to repair. It was an old Mercury Monarch with a 9" rear end and disc brakes. When I got my truck back I sold it to a hotrodder; seems the rear end was worth more than the car!

[TXGunNut]

Have you checked the battery (batteries?) in the Beast, rtracy? Low voltage plays havoc with modern electronics. Probably have other issues but often a good place to start.

[bstone5]

Had a 1952 jeep with a old Ford V-8 flat head motor. In stalled a modern Toyota 4 cylinder motor and drove the jeep for years. Got the Toyota motor for free out of a vehicle that had been in a flood. Sold the jeep to a friend in Louisiana, had more horsepower than required. My sons drove the jeep around the deer lease when they were 12 years old.

[Three44s]

Did somebody say they wanted a Mercury???


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY1Uz2C5Qao

Hee Haw ...... well ........... alright now!

Best regards and Merry Christmas!!

Three 44s

[rtracy2001]

Have you checked the battery (batteries?) in the Beast, rtracy? Low voltage plays havoc with modern electronics. Probably have other issues but often a good place to start.

I have checked the battery. Thanks. I need warmer weather to tear into the thing. I think it may have something to do with the ignition starter switch as it is one of the few components that would affect all three systems (as far as the intermittent power) the blower only working on high could be the blower relay, resistor, or switch. Will just have to try to eliminate one problem at a time.

[bob208]

all I ever drive. just bought a 1998 chevy 1500 last night. 4.3 v6 auto 4x4. no power door locks or windows or any of the other things that go bad. also no rust. price $2100 with everything. it is replacing a 1983 chevy c10 that 10 years ago we got for $650 with tags and transfer. it never gave any problems just rusted away.in fact I am going to use the motor and trans in another truck.

[MaryB]

I have owned a few memorable ones. The 1979 GMC Jimmy I acquired in 1992 hat had 200k miles on it already. It was on engine 2 but the rest was original. I drove it to 350k miles and only retired it because it was so rusty it was no longer safe to drive. Replaced it with a 1979 Ford E-150 4wd van that I swapped the engine in. I drove that until 2007 when the transmission went after 200k miles on the swapped motor. It was another unsafe rust bucket by then too!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's funny this type of thread was started today. I just took Photos this afternoon, of my Truck, in Prep for selling it in a week or so, it was nice out today so I washed it ...it's suppose to rain/sleet/snow Christmas and into the week, so I wanted Photos ready, for when my other Vehicle deal happens.

I may have boasted about this Truck on the forum in the past, but as I stated in the Thread that the OP mentions where we were talking about cars and beater cars, I have a inherited penchant from my Dad ...that is the buying/selling of vehicles every few years, to change things up and drive something different. This Truck has a long story, I'll try to keep this as short as possible, but here it goes.

A friend of mine found this in ND in 2001, it had it's original Orange paint (which was in good condition) and was nearly rust free. He likes to tinker and modify vehicles...which is a real shame he got this one, and did what he did to it, cause it was a real nice running sweet original truck with 100k miles on it back then. He swapped the perfectly good motor with one from a 1970 Camaro, rebuilt that engine, put on some camelback heads, edelbrock intake and 4 bbl, stainless headers, stainless dual exhaust. He pulled off a neat type of "camper" rear bumper, and put a ugly diamond plate chrome one on. He painted the truck a eggshell white as you see here.

THEN, he proceeded to use it for a daily driver in all seasons including on the Minnesota salty roads ...for 10 years...85k miles worth. Then he sold it to me cheap, the rust had started in, there were holes in the Bed, I patched those redneck style, so if I was hauling firewood and chainsaws, that I wouldn't lose stuff through them. I drove this as a secondary vehicle and firewood hauler for 4 years now (about 4000 miles). The rockers and cab corners are pretty much rotted through now and there is one pretty good hole in the floorboards. But the motor remains strong. It's louder than I like, but some people say it sounds nice and throaty. I doubt my neighbors think that's nice?

It always starts in any weather, runs smooth, shifts great, brakes work good now :)
But there are a couple issues, that made me want to upgrade (and sell this truck).

The minor one is: heater/defroster/defogger never worked well for me, so driving it during times a defroster is needed, just can't happen safely, when I installed a radio, I fixed some of the ductwork and tubes, but there are issues with the defroster switching box, that I am unable to fix easily or cheaply.

The major one is: the Trailing Arms(on the rear suspension) have some scary looking rust, they were rusty 4 years ago when I bought it and have not seemingly gotten worse, but for some reason, I researched it online a few months ago and most say they should be replaced. So now I'm a bit nervous and don't really trust it. I still drive it around town(carefully at 30 mph or less), but my worry would be, if I were traveling at highway speeds and needed to make an emergency maneuver into and out of a ditch or something (think icy roads and other stupid drivers), I'd be afraid that could rip off the rear axle...A BIG bump could possibly do it too, if I had a load on her. I've looked into the price of parts and labor for a pair of Trailing Arms, and have decided that upgrading to a newer truck is my best decision.

There is a sweet low mileage 2000 Chev Silverado 2500 2x4 reg cab, that a friend may sell me (he has 7 other antique/restored chevys, but I can't talk him into this one in trade :( ...Either way, I want to find a replacement before I sell it.

Anyway, this is my current Beater.

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/Dvr%20side%20full_zps4wcjxmq4.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/Dvr%20side%20full_zps4wcjxmq4.jpg.html)

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/front%20II_zps5qtmoygv.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/front%20II_zps5qtmoygv.jpg.html)

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/pass%20side%20top_zpssoc4zo7y.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/pass%20side%20top_zpssoc4zo7y.jpg.html)

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/pass%20side%20engine_zpsnfuy2d4t.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/pass%20side%20engine_zpsnfuy2d4t.jpg.html)

[dubber123]

One of my favorites was a 72 Plymouth Valiant I traded $30 worth of parts for and drove home. Pulled the Slant 6 and put in a low mileage 383 4 barrel I bought for $200. Trans was a freebie that I adjusted the bands on and put a home brewed shift kit in. I found a high geared limited slip rear axle for $50. I made my own motor mounts. The trans fit right on the 6 cylinder mount, and the shifter hooked right up, (kinda surprised). It got 20 Mpg and ran 14's at the track at almost 100 Mph using only 1st and 2nd, (remember the high gears).

I beat that car mercilessly for 4 years, and only succeeded in breaking a couple U-joints. It still ran and shifted great when I pulled the drivetrain and sent it down the road due to rust issues. Not the fastest car I've built, but cheap, fun, and never made me walk. :)

[starmac]

I guess I have mostly run what would be considered beaters most of my life and still own and drive several.
Quite a few years back I got scared of the miles on a 77 supercab ranger xlt F150, but it had zero rust and not a scratch anywhere, so I builta 429 cobra jet out of a torino, and installed it along with a new C6, brakes shocks and tires. I drove it just less than 3000 miles when a lady pulled across the highway and I totalled it.
The engine was salvagable, tranny was busted, so I had another C6 built and installed it along with later model twin I beams and disc brakes, electric windows out of a 79 tbird, power steering and a thin under dash air, out of a mazda iirc. in a 66 short bed F100. The wife drove it around 3 years and I sold it to a guy that bought it for his 16 year old grandson, who promptly rapped it around a live oak.

This was around 27 years ago, I was down in the hill country last week and run into the kids dad, who told me it was still sitting out on their family ranch after all these years.

[waksupi]

I have an '88 Ford Ranger, and a '95 Mercury Tracer. Both run great, good mileage. I'll drive them until they die. I usually get at least 350,000-400,000 miles on one before I consider passing them on.

I gave $1300 for the pickup seven years ago, $1200 for the car five years ago. Find them on Craigslist.

[JSnover]

Mine is a 2000 Explorer with 288,000 miles.
183364

[Hickory]

My last beater was one that grew into that state due to old age and miles.
Back in 1988 I bought a 1984 Chevy S10 with a 2.8, V6. It had around 80,000 miles on it, and after 17 years it left home to a new owner with 398,000+ miles on it and rust holes you could throw cats through. I got my monies worth out of her.
Then I bought a 2002 S10 with a 4.3 with less then 20,000 miles. Sold it to my son-in-law this summer for a song, he really likes it even though he's a Ford guy.

[jonp]

Growing up we always had beaters for winter and good ones for summer. The only requirement on the winter beater was the defroster had to work and a heater could do the job. Now it seems everyone needs a new car to drive around in all of the time and beaters are slowly going the way of the dinosaur.

[jonp]

"Back in 1988 I bought a 1984 Chevy S10 with a 2.6, V6."

Wow, Hickory. That was a rare engine

[mold maker]

The new 73 3/4 T Suburban, with over 300K was traded for a new 03 Dodge. It's my beater now.
I don't trade often and imagine this one will be the last.
Both have taken me where ever I wanted to go, and always brought me back.
Merry Christmas
mm

[Hickory]

"Back in 1988 I bought a 1984 Chevy S10 with a 2.6, V6."

Wow, Hickory. That was a rare engine
Come to think about it, it was a 2.8.
My wife says my memory is slipping.

[Ickisrulz]

Now it seems everyone needs a new car to drive around in all of the time and beaters are slowly going the way of the dinosaur.

So is the idea of getting a house paid off and living debt free.

[popper]

Beat up 125 Suzuki I got for $50, sold for $60. Gas tank rust kept it from running, got tired of cleaning the carb. Rabbit that got the main jet glued in and a new head ~ 2k mi. Finally needed tires at 90k, interior was shot, replace throwout pusher but sold it to a friend, cheap. He drove it another year as a work car. 65 Falcon 4dr. 250ci 6cly. Looked into fixing it, new car was cheaper. Looking back, most turned into 'beaters' after <50K mi, several only got 20K.

[Bookworm]

So is the idea of getting a house paid off and living debt free.

We paid off the house about 8 years ago. No debt. Amazing how much money is in the checking account, when you're not writing checks to every bank and credit card company every month.

as for beaters - my last pickup I sold with 245,000 miles on it, and I put 200K on it myself. I would have gotten in it and driven it across the country. Slant-6 Dodge, with the 4spd OD manual trans. And the kid I sold it to wrecked it within a month.

Mrs Bookworm has a daily driver with 216,000 easy miles on it. It's a 2001 Dodge Stratus that we purchased used in 2002 (with 3000 miles on it).
We purchased a newer used car, and since her daily commute is a 100 mile round-trip, she uses the Stratus. The Stratus still gets 28+ MPG, everything works. I've maintained it well, and it still looks as good as a Stratus can.

The thing is, that Stratus is worth more to me than to anybody else. If I sold it, I would get maybe $1500 out of it. I can't replace it for that. And, more miles isn't going to de-value it, as it would our newer car.

A no-brainer to me.

[robg]

Never spent more than £1000 on a car ( loads on motorbikes) they used to usually rust out now its the electrics that fail .work on the principal if they last more than a year they've paid for themselves.and I've paid of my mortgage with the money I've saved .don't have to worry about someone scratching /damaging/ stealing it.
Reverse snobbery!

[gwpercle]

I'm still daily driving a 1968 Chevelle , 2 door sport coupe I bought from my wife's Aunt in 1979 for $350.00. In 2017 the car will be 49 years old ! We were doing well until China started making junk replacement electrical parts.
When I can no longer find decent parts for her we will call it a day and retire.
I went through three windshield wiper motors , the best are rebuilt AC Delco units rebuilt in their Mexico plant...these are getting hard to find.
China is going to cripple us by making junk electrical parts and flooding the market with them. I've taken so many China parts , brand new out of the box and they didn't work....forget Quality Control , they haven't a clue and don't care.
I never thought I would say " the best parts are made in Mexico ".
Gary

[Poygan]

I'm a retired budget counselor. One thing I told clients was, "Never go into debt for a depreciating asset". My truck is a '92 Chev four wheel drive and my car is a '95 Olds, both around 100,000 miles. We did buy a new Subaru Forrester for my wife about two years ago - the used ones were quite expensive! However, with the low miles she puts on it, it will most likely be her last vehicle. And we paid for it up front.

[William Yanda]

I never bought a new vehicle-not bragging, not complaining-just stating facts. Usually cars I sell go the the recycler-I am the last driving owner. My rule for buying is look for a model that they made a gazillion of.

[alamogunr]

Very interesting thread! I don't drive beaters any more and my beaters don't have stories of what I had to do to keep them running. I'm not a mechanic. I change my own oil and wash my car at least once a year.

The last three vehicles I have bought have been Toyota's. The first was a 1996 Avalon that I sold when I bought the 2006 Avalon. That car had 200k miles with very little repair, only maintenance. The friend I sold it too loaned it to his in-laws and they totaled it. Shame! It was still a good car.

When I bought the 2013 Tundra, I sold the 1998 F150 to a friend for his son. It got totaled when he was T-boned by some idiot that ran a stop sign. He got twice as much from the insurance company as he paid me. Understandable since the son polished that truck up like a new penny.

Next week we are going to shop for a new Avalon. The '06 is still in very good condition but the wife wants a new car. She also wants to give the '06 to younger son and DIL. It only has 140k. We are getting older and don't drive as much so the new car will probably be our last.

As I said, I don't work on cars and really like cars that don't have problems. The Tundra will probably still be running when I have been in the ground ten years. At 3½ years old it only has 21k miles. That 15 year old F150 only had 95k miles. I have to say it was a good vehicle. The trouble now is most F150's have so much bling and "technology" on them that they cost $50K+. The Tundra has very little technology. The only concession is blue tooth hookup so I can answer the cell phone while driving. It must be a cheap add on. The grandchildren think it is funny that I can't text unless I hold the phone in one hand and punch letters with one finger of the other. I had to learn to do that because they won't answer a regular phone call. Don't jump on this. I don't text while driving.

All this has been off topic since the F150 is the only vehicle that came close to being a "beater" and it really wasn't except that it looked like one.

[Plate plinker]

I'm still daily driving a 1968 Chevelle , 2 door sport coup I bought from my wife's Aunt in 1979 for $350.00. In 2017 the car will be 49 years old ! We were doing well until China started making junk replacement electrical parts.
When I can no longer find decent parts for her we will call it a day and retire.
I went through three windshield wiper motors , the best are rebuilt AC Delco units rebuilt in their Mexico plant...these are getting hard to find.
China is going to cripple us by making junk electrical parts and flooding the market with them. I've taken so many China parts , brand new out of the box and they didn't work....forget QC , they haven't a clue and don't care.
I never thought I would say " the best parts are made in Mexico ".
Gary

wow if that car isn't all rusty you know it will sell well to somebody when your done with it.

[Driver33]

I guess my 85 f250 with the 6.9 idi diesel would be my beater . It ain't purtty but it runs good an only has 142k miles on it

[HeavyMetal]

Currently driving a 97 jeep Grand cherokee, had a few issues when I bought it but finally figured out some Moron replaced the coil connecter with a non stock item with both the wrong gauge wire on one side and used solder less connectors and tape to install!

Chrysler electronics do not like high resistance in the system and it was blowing out CPU, went through 6 in 7 months, when I replaced the last one I was determined to find the cause and was yanking on the wiring harness to try and make it mis behave when I felt the bogus connection under the plastic covering of the harness.

Hit the junk yard for the current plug and gauge wire, cut it long enough to have plenty of slack, and actually soldered it in place!

That was December 2014 and I have only had the hood up since then to check oil and water 228K on it and it doesn't use a drop of oil!

Last beater was a 1999 Contour, only reason I replaced it was a drunk parked in the trunk at a stop light, he was watching a fire truck go by and didn't see the other red light, LOL!!

Seems every 7 or 8 years I get rear ended here in LA and I decided $2000 dollar beaters was the way to go, However as I get older it seems to be easier on my back to have service done rather than do it myself and I have a reasonable mechanic close to the house for those things I just don't fell like doing.

I do realize that I may buy a new rig when I retire, doubt it but it could happen, because I just won't be up to major rebuild stuff any more.

Odd's are I' ll find a nice 4 well drive with either low milage or a new engine in it and make a deal for that.

Meanwhile Good Beaters are hard to pass up!

[jmort]

1978 Chrysler Cordoba 168 k miles
$600 1983
70 k miles later sold for $500
Only problem was starter went out in parking garage. Changing that out, no jack, was below average. Could barely fit under it and worked blind. Never want to do that again. Great car and the 318 engine was a good design.

[waksupi]

It is nice to have the internet when looking for vehicles. You can enter the make and model, then Edmond's Customer Reviews. You get all the feed back on problems, and get a real good idea if you are buying a lemon.

[CastingFool]

I would say my '96 Silverado, 2wd, with a 5.7 liter engine with 283K miles qualifies as a beater. Been driving it since Jan 2000. Drove it daily to work, until Sep 2008. 76 miles round trip. Now it mostly sits for days on my driveway. It's my hauling/hunting truck. It starts like a dream, even on cold days, but unfortunately, with all that sitting around, the body is slowly rusting away. Most everything on it still works, except the a/c, which has a leak, and I have not bothered to fix it. As far as maintenance required, the two biggest issues were having to replace the intake manifold gasket twice, and the fuel pump (at 200k) Never had any problems with the transmission.

[beemer]

In the mid 70's I bought a 67 Pontiac Catalina with 40,000 miles on it, the body was getting rough. That was the best car I have ever owned, I drove it for 16 years with minimal problems. It never left me beside the road although it was close a few times. The speedo quit working at about 275,000 or so but I drove it for several years after that. I would guess that it had well over 300,000 before I wrecked it. A friend ask if I totaled it, I said it had been totaled for years but I ruined it because I couldn't drive it anymore. It had a big block 400 with a 2 bl carb, It was a great engine. It just lumbered along smoothly and got 20-22 mpg, I just drove it and didn't jerk it around.

Looking back I think it was a fortunate that it gave such service. For many of those years I had a tuff time and most of the problems it gave I could handle.

Most of my cars have been beaters, some of them have been good cars. My favorite now is a 85 Dodge that my Mother bought new. It has a few dings but was rust-proofed when new and has a solid body with 129,000 on the slant six.

Keep'em rolling
Dave

[Mytmousemalibu]

Pretty much all I've ever owned and drove is in the "Beater" category minus my truck and toys. Some miles on them but they are nice condition. That aside, my dailys are usually firmly a beater class vehicle. I grew up working in automotive, my family has a used car dealership and my profession until a few years ago was automotive. I am capable of doing all my own work, I have the tools, its a time & motivation thing now! But i'm too cheap to not do my own work and I don't trust anyone but me either. Product of being a BMW Master tech for 10+yrs and on to aviation now.

So I'm a huge Mercedes diesel nutcase, I freaking love them. Some of the best cars ever built are old Merc diesels. I've had a bunch and still have a few. My daily WAS an 87' 300D which was an early production of the W124 chassis diesel cars which I love the more refined W124 though a bit more to maintain than the previous tank-like W123. So mine had an early production cylinder head that was prone to cracking and mine was cracked but it still ran ok, just needed to pay attention to the cooling system level and temps. It was a very small crack that weeped pressure into the system but not water into the cylinder. It finally gave up and cracked further here about 6mo ago. So I will be replacing & swapping the 12v 3.0L turbo inline 6 for the much newer, updated and more capable 24v version but freshly rebuilt, fully ported head, worked over valvetrain, big turbo, big injection pump, etc. Capable of 500+hp if I crank the pump up. I love the car so it gets special treatment! The same day it died, my coworker bought a 2015 Golf GTi and I bought his 97 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T Spyder. I'm not a convertible kind of guy but it was the right price and it is still a desirable car. It has the 4G63 turbo 4 banger and 5 speed, scoots pretty good too. I've has to fix a few things to keep going but most of its needs are cosmetic things. I'll clean it up for resale or for parts after I get another of my vehicles running.

Sometimes I feel like saying screw it and buying something new and hopefully reliable but I just don't want the overhead... Beaters it is...

[tim338]

My "beater" is a rust free 2000 Jeep Cherokee I bought last summer off of a college student that graduated and was leaving town. It was filthy, dirty and wasn't maintained to my standards but with a little elbow grease it should be a great vehicle. I hate car payments so I try to avoid them by looking for deals like this.

[30calflash]

The best one was an 85 Olds Toronado I got from a friend. He had trans issues and needed something dependable. I ran it for about 7m miles before it crapped out, ditched the O/D tarns and put a 3 speed from a 79 Eldorado in it. This at about 125K miles. It went another 180K to 317K before I retired it.

Currently in a 96 Mazda B2300 (think Ford Ranger) std shift. The odometer stopped at 228K almost 3 years ago, I figure it's got about 280-290 on it now. Been to Maine dozens of times, NC once and as far west as Wyoming in between! Still running good but the calcium used for de icing by the state and town is really eating it alive.

[starmac]

I feel for you guys that live in the rust belt.
Rust is the one issue that I will not contemplate dealing with at all in a vehicle.

Beater covers a broad spectrum of vehicles, since I have always been able to take care of mechanical problems, minor or major, but am terrible at body work, I have always passed on any with body damage or rust.

[Hick]

1981 Ford f100 pickup. Don't have a picture of it, but It ran 560,000 miles with only one partial engine rebuild until all the smog equipment rusted out and CA rules said I had to take it off the road or spend $1000 + to replace all the smog stuff and get a special smog certification inspection (which I chose not to do). The Borg-Warner T18 4 speed manual transmission never did wear out, and I have it sitting in the garage waiting for another good truck project.

[tim338]

I hate rust. Kind of frustrating that I have to replace my work truck every few years because of rust. I refuse to drive a rusty truck for my business. Image means alot.

[Menner]

183429
Latest Beater.
Its a beater right now 1977 Bronco Sport
It will have a frame off rebuild over the next couple of years. Not really a restoration as we will make improvements and modify it to our liking. just picked it up 2 weeks ago got it running last Sunday and drove it down the road and back
This is the third Early Bronco I have owned regret letting the other 2 get away
Tony

[fixit]

since almost all I've ever driven, or owned, has been a beater, I've got a list! my current daily driver is a 98 f150 with 265,000 miles, purchased 4 years ago with 200,000 for 2500 dollars. my daughter is driving an 01 buick regal with only 160,000, which we nearly stole for 600 dollars! my last truck was a 90 chevy which was given to my nephew with 210,000 and only lasted about 6 months longer. my most outrageous purchase was a 92 olds 98 that had 320,000, which my son drove for better than 5 years, then sold. I wouldn't be suprised if that one was still running! I've had several cars that went over 200,000, or even 300,000 miles while in my possession. beaters just make sense!

[1911ly]

My first couple cars were beaters. 66 Rambler and a 71 Dotson 210. Bought the Rambler at 15years old and had to put a clutch in it. The first clutch I ever changed, and my first car. Just one of many beaters over the years.

Last summer I bought my boy (15) a pretty much trashed 2007 Buick Terraza we affectionately call the dent mobile. Paid $250.00 for it as a fixer upper. Spent a summer fixing it up. It will be his first car. Runs like a top now, new brakes, motor mounts and fixed all the electrical issues (ABS, air ride and Traction control), new rear end and a lot more. Other then some dents it's a really nice driver.

Here's the boy getting dirty.

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii535/w9amr/Terraza/20151015_174738_resized_2_zpsnltn78yt.jpg (http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/w9amr/media/Terraza/20151015_174738_resized_2_zpsnltn78yt.jpg.html)

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii535/w9amr/Terraza/20150828_173303_resized_11_zpspot3u4c3.jpg (http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/w9amr/media/Terraza/20150828_173303_resized_11_zpspot3u4c3.jpg.html)

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii535/w9amr/Terraza/20150830_154000_resized_1_zpsmprgwj6x.jpg (http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/w9amr/media/Terraza/20150830_154000_resized_1_zpsmprgwj6x.jpg.html)

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii535/w9amr/Terraza/20151014_171933_resized_2_zpsxvqxvbgw.jpg (http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/w9amr/media/Terraza/20151014_171933_resized_2_zpsxvqxvbgw.jpg.html)

[starmac]

LMAO, My first car was a rambler, bought it with a bad 3rd gear in the 3 spd overdrive tranny for iirc 75 bucks, when I was 13 years old. Iirc it cost me 21 bucks back then for a gear and sincro, and hammered on that thing for 3 years before selling it.
Belive it or not, I would love to have that rig back, to this day I have never seen another one, it had bucket seats, console and two chrome shifters.

[30calflash]

I hate rust. Kind of frustrating that I have to replace my work truck every few years because of rust. I refuse to drive a rusty truck for my business. Image means alot.

Yeah, I hear ya. Rust is one thing that never stops and it's a pita and costly to repair. I work on the stuff all the time and haven't spent much time on the eye appeal area on my beast.

All the brake lines, power steering lines and rear spring mounting brackets and shackles were done since I've owned it. One spring tower in front is getting kind of ugly, hope to have another running before it needs changing.

[Detroitdanm]

I had the Chevrolet version of that vehicle, a 2006 Uplander as a work vehicle until a couple weeks ago. I drove it for 2.5 years putting just shy of 80,000 miles on it. It has over 198,000 total and I finally moved out of it to a 2014 Dodge Caravan when the right front caliper froze up and mostly destroyed the rotor. We'll fix it and rotate it down to a spare vehicle for the shop, still has some miles left in it, though the trans is a bit iffy.

You've got a fine vehicle for your boy and got him started out in the right direction by wrenching on it himself.

[firefly1957]

183628Sometimes hard to beat a beater my first car would fit in 1975 I bought a 1969 Dodge Polara Station wagon for $400 Second car was 73 Charger here is a picture of my last ride in it! I had two of those chargers that one had a 10-1 compression 400 cid engine the other had a 440 cid surprisingly they got 21 and 18 miles per gallon on the highway. I also had a 72 Vega and 79 Pinto both station-wagons that for beaters were great cars. The longest driving cheapest to fix beater i had was a 1983 Olds Delta 88 i lost count of deer i hit and miles i drove it parts were in every junk yard cheap and it stopped and handled great only accidents was with the deer! It had the Olds 5 liter engine and got 24 MPG back and forth to work a bit more on the highway . The original owner messed the engine up so i had to put in a $350 one from the junk yard it ran great for years.

[MaryB]

I had one of these in that ugly olive green when I turned 16. 455 4 barrel... maybe 9 mpg...

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/370936542409-0-1/s-l1000.jpg

[lead-1]

My first car was a real beater, it was a 72 AMC Hornet wagon. It had a straight six with an automatic that made a loud, tinny sounding ping when you pulled it out of park.There was a hole rusted thru the front floorboard that would drown the passenger if the puddle was very deep and they didn't hold the mat down with their feet, with all the holes in the body, if you went down a dirt road there was as much dust inside the car as there was outside.
One day a friend was with me and the front shock tower broke off the unibody and the car fell on the wheel, it took both of us to steer the car to town on the berm. My dad helped me jack the car up to approximate correct ride height and shoved the tower into place with a port-a-power braced against the block, after welding the tower back and adding several gussets he told me not to drive it over 55.
I paid $225 for it in '82, on a positive note it never failed to take me where I needed to go which at that time was never more than a 30 minute drive.

[jumbeaux]

My daily driver is a 1999 F150 Super Cab XLT 4.6 V8...bought it in 2002 with 143,000 miles. No major repairs except some front in work. Now has 253,000 miles. Old mechanic friend says the 4.6 V8 Fords will run forever if oil and filter are changed regularly.

[paul h]

I guess my current ride would classify as a beater, 2001 Mercedes E430. I wouldn't be classified as a beater if my wife hadn't put some significant dings in it when it was her primary car as well as busting up the air dam, and my son borrowed it one night and hit a pot hole so hard he blew three side air bags, and then a week later managed to badly crease the passenger side pulling into the garage. I'm not paying $3k for new air bags as that's about the blue book value. It's got 165k on it and I'm planning to hopefully put another 100k on it. It needs new struts, other than that should be gtg with regular maintenance.

Great car, rides like a dream (or will when I replace the struts) the V8 has plenty of low end torque and it seems the faster you go the smoother it rides (yes I'm past due for a speeding ticket)

[Rufus Krile]

Bought a '63 VW Beetle w/ the big long sunroof when I was in Army language school in El Paso in 1970. Paid $300. Drove it for about 18 months... adding only a rebuilt starter ($12.50)... and gave it to my sister before going on to VN. She painted it school bus yellow so I wouldn't want it back and drove it all thru high school. I don't think she ever turned more than about 2500 rpm in it and managed to burn the valves to the point it wouldn't run. Sold it for $275. Wish I had it back.

[samari46]

My toyota hatchback was stolen and crashed as the police were chaseing them the managed to hit 4 other cars the toyota took some serious hits. My father in law had a friend who had a car he no longer drove. Cost us $400 took a couple drives and figured out what some of the problems were. Furl filter in the carb, vacuum lines were replaced, new gas air and a oil change and some light bulbes. That car had the dodge slant six engine and was easy to get at most anything. I used that car for driving back and forth to work, hunting season up in Pennsylvania and god now what else. sold the car to my sister in law and they spent about another $400 to fix it up and they had it for 5 years. Still had the Michelin mud and snow tires I put on when I bought it. Car ran great used to call it the blue bomber> Frank

[RU shooter]

Pretty much all I've every owned and driven have been or could be classified in the "beater" category first was my grandpaps 72 chevy 3/4 ton , A couple 80's VW rabbit diesels wish I had those back great little simple cars that ran forever , couple early ford rangers the one I put a 302 in it man it would get and go ! Couple Toyota cars had to sell my last one wouldn't pass the emission test for our county pa sucks in that regard if I lived 2 miles south I wouldn't need emissions at all . My current is a 94 escort about 140k on it no rust and starts when I turn the key so yeah I'm completely ok with no car payments! Only ever had one car loan ever .hated it !!!! When the wheels fall off this one I'll drag another back to the house and get it road worthy and drive it till it dies too . Give me an older car with the least electronics as possible so I can still work on it and I'm a happy man .

[alamogunr]

I'm still a little off topic since I haven't driven a beater since I got rid of a '65 VW beetle back in about 1972. I bought my Dad's 1966 Ford PU(Don't know what the model designation was back then) with straight shift and 6 cylinder engine. Of course, back then, trucks didn't have anything power.

I had bought the VW when I graduated from college. "Traded" a '58 Olds 88 on it but I suspect they gave me a real $1 for it. That car would make the 360 mile drive from home to college on little more than a tank of gas. Once you got that 3 tons of iron and chrome going, it would really roll. Little things were always going wrong with it and I was not a mechanic and had even less time. The VW was a revelation to me. The Ford truck was not quite a beater but I sold it when I needed something more practical for a family w/2 young sons.

[waksupi]

In Montana, if a vehicle is over ten years old, you pay a one time fee to license it, and then you pay nothing else for as long as you can keep it running. It seems the fee ran around $120 on my vehicles.

Any other states do this?

[johnson1942]

ive only had 2 toyota pickups in the last 35 years. gave the first on away to a 16 year old nativeamerican lad who replaced the broken manifold and drove it for years. im still driving the second one. this one never ever rusted out. my wife hit a big buck with it a year or so ago, got some nice dents in it and a makeshift mirror on the drivers side. no need to ever wash it, it runs and runs. the seat finally fits my behind. like driving it better than anything we have.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Here's my baby. Best vehicle I"ve ever owned.
2002 GMC YukonXL 234,000 miles.
To date, I've not yet reach $1,000 in repairs (maintenance excluded).

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/BobinStLouis/Colorado%20Vacation%202008/YukonTrevorattheDunes.jpg (http://s85.photobucket.com/user/BobinStLouis/media/Colorado%20Vacation%202008/YukonTrevorattheDunes.jpg.html)

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/BobinStLouis/Colorado%20Vacation%202008/PicnicAreaZapataFalls.jpg (http://s85.photobucket.com/user/BobinStLouis/media/Colorado%20Vacation%202008/PicnicAreaZapataFalls.jpg.html)

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/BobinStLouis/Montana%20and%20Wyoming%20Vacation%202011/DSC_0114.jpg (http://s85.photobucket.com/user/BobinStLouis/media/Montana%20and%20Wyoming%20Vacation%202011/DSC_0114.jpg.html)

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

In Montana, if a vehicle is over ten years old, you pay a one time fee to license it, and then you pay nothing else for as long as you can keep it running. It seems the fee ran around $120 on my vehicles.

Any other states do this?

Minnesota has "Pioneer" plates and "Collector" plates.
I'm not up on the Pioneer plates, I've only seen them on Model T's and such. But I suspect they are similar to "Collector" plates.

I have "Collector" plates on my 71 Chev truck.

The vehicle must be 20 years old or older, they are a one time fee of $100. But if you transfer ownership, the new owner pays $100 or can put standard plates on. They limit you to a certain number of miles driven per year, It's something like 3000 or 1500, I don't remember?
But there is no real way to enforce it. I've also been told that those miles are to be "only" to and from car show type of events...Now I've never read that anywhere? I've only been told that, by several people,,,honestly I don't believe it.

Also, they will issue you plates that say "Collector"...OR if you can find some old plates, with numbers you happen to like...or a special year...you can submit those plates for approval, if they pass muster, you can use the old plates. My 71 Chev truck has old plates dated 1971 (Minnesota plates obviously) on it, that the previous owner found somewhere.

http://i640.photobucket.com/albums/uu127/JonB_in_Glencoe/front%20II_zps5qtmoygv.jpg (http://s640.photobucket.com/user/JonB_in_Glencoe/media/front%20II_zps5qtmoygv.jpg.html)

[Bob in St. Louis]

I love that '71 Chevy.
Someday.....

[clodhopper]

My best beater was a 97 Saturn wagon. Bought it with 68,000 miles, and squealing belt tensioner.
Yeah it needed the usual, batteries, put in an alternator, clutch at 225,000, radiator, tires.
Thought it was going to 500,000, but just shy or 300thou the idiot driving (me) dumped it into second at 55. The motor seized. That car gave plenty of good travel for the expense.

Two years later, just a few days ago, got a 2002 Saturn coupe with the same motor and tranny as the ole wagon, 124,000 miles, new windshield, body almost perfect but a couple paint scratches.

Drove it 1250 miles to Cheyenne and back with the cruise set at 80, 31 mpg.
I just love the plastic body with no rust, stainless exhaust and five speed manual. 1.9L sixteen valve four cylinder is plenty motor.

Good ole Montana, you can buy a permeant license for vehicles past depreciation, (8 years) going to cost me about 150 bucks. And never have to buy license plates again for as long as I own the car.
For people with new vehicles the licensing fees are extravagant, my wife bought a used 2002 jeep liberty in 2005, the first year she had it, the license plates cost $1,500, the price slowly shrinks until the ninth license year when you reach the minimum fee. Pay double the minimum fee for permanent plates.
No restrictions, except the age of the vehicle.

Thanks to all my fellow citizens who drive 50,000 dollar vehicles, and keep my county commissioners well funded.

[30calflash]

In Montana, if a vehicle is over ten years old, you pay a one time fee to license it, and then you pay nothing else for as long as you can keep it running. It seems the fee ran around $120 on my vehicles.

Any other states do this?

Not a bad deal on your end, wish it was that way here in Ct.

In Ct. you pay annual property taxes on it, renew registration every 2 years and pay for emissions testing every two years also. If it doesn't pass testing you have to fix it, if late for testing a late fee. Registration void if it doesn't pass the inspection.

In some towns, when it gets older some smarta** tax collector wants to charge the going rate for a restored antique vehicle.

When you get rid of it you have to show that you turned the plates, transferred to another car or sold it. If not or they will continue to tax you on it until you can prove you have disposed of the vehicle.

Socialism at it's finest!

[starmac]

IN Alaska, it cost 25 bucks extra for a lifetime license, IF you ask them too, I have noticed they do not mention it unless you ask.

[bikerbeans]

Come to think about it, it was a 2.8.
My wife says my memory is slipping.

My mind slips as well and I have had my bands adjusted.[smilie=1:


BB

[paul h]

In Montana, if a vehicle is over ten years old, you pay a one time fee to license it, and then you pay nothing else for as long as you can keep it running. It seems the fee ran around $120 on my vehicles.

Any other states do this?

Alaska has proposed such a law, not sure where they are at with it. I'd certainly like to get permanent registration on boats and trailers. It's hard to keep up with all the stuff you need to register, would be nice if you could do it once and be done with it.

[starmac]

Paul, Alaska has it for vehicles ten years old or older. Like I said you have to ask for it, they will not mention it at the dmv, at least thye have never mentioned it to me.
The only restriction is you can not use the vehicle for any commercial purpose, and the tags do not g with the vehicle like regular tags when sold.

[MaryB]

I wish! My 2001 F-150 costs me $60 a year to license!


In Montana, if a vehicle is over ten years old, you pay a one time fee to license it, and then you pay nothing else for as long as you can keep it running. It seems the fee ran around $120 on my vehicles.

Any other states do this?

[Plate plinker]

Michigan has permanent trailer plates.

[jcwit]

The vehicle that cost me the least was far from being a "beater", it was a 72 corvette. I kept records for everything it cost me to own it, insurance, plates, oil & filter changes, everything, kept it for 5/6 years, sold it for just over what it cost me and what it cost me to own it for all the years to own it. In short, it never cost me a penny to own it.

[Bullwolf]

My beater stories.

My 1992 V6 black short bed Toyota 4x4 truck currently has 363K miles on the odometer. The head gaskets have been done once so far.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=183973&d=1483252006

Guess it qualifies as a beater. I use it on the Ranch to do stuff like moving stumps off the road, cut and move firewood with it and so on. I also have a lifted up 1988 Toyota 4x4 with the 4 cylinder 22RE fuel injected motor with a long bed, and less miles (180K) on the odometer. I use the long bed truck for moving sheets of plywood, sheetrock, concrete board, or when I need to haul a bit more of something. The lifted 1988 Longbed Toyota 4x4 sits un-driven for long periods, and doesn't get driven nearly much as my black 1992 Toyota does.

Had 240K miles on the ex wife's 1982 4 cylinder single carb 22R Toyota 4x4 truck, before she got rid of it for an SUV. Was nothing wrong with the truck at all. Really should have kept it, but she wanted a SUV, so she got a SUV. Replaced the Toyota 4x4 with a Mitsubishi Montero, and she had nothing but problems with it.

I put 188K miles on my old 1983 Toyota 22R 4x4, mostly doing pickups and deliveries for work, and driving back and forth commuting from the Ranch. When I sold the truck, the gentleman who wanted to purchase it handed me a compression gauge and asked me do a compression test on the engine. Each cylinder ran around 180 PSI during the check which surprised me. It was a great truck, but it had issues with the fusable links. I had to replace them twice while I owned it. The headlights would turn off at night on me, then come back on after a time when they cooled down. I ended up running accessory fog lights on a separate circuit, because the headlights went off often enough to make me uncomfortable. I was constantly replacing upper and lower radiator hoses on the truck as well, though I never overheated it. The guys at the radiator shop knew me pretty well from constantly replacing cores, since I lived off road. That was more my fault due to where I lived, and the terrain I drove on than the trucks though.

Those Toyota 22R 4 cylinder engines will run darn near forever if you don't overheat them. My uncle took over my Grandmother's 1984 Toyota standard pickup after she passed. It had the 4 cylinder 22R motor. He drove it to work into Reno daily until the body completely rusted off the truck. He went over 400K miles before that happened, but it did get a replacement motor somewhere around 280-300K.

Last one is for the Ford people out there. Purchased a friends used 1995 Ford Explorer that already had over 200K miles on the odometer, mostly from him commuting to and from work. Took it to 248K miles. May have been a few more miles than that actually, but the trip odometer broke at 248k. Just got rid of that 95 Ford Explorer this year. It was a bit rough around the edges trim and paint wise, but the motor still ran strong and never let us down. Only things I replaced while driving it (other than tires) were a serpentine belt idler pulley, and the battery and terminals after the first couple years. Those older Ford Explorers will run for quite a while with a little bit of maintenance.



- Bullwolf