New Or Used?: Living In A Cheapskate Paradise

Steven Lang
by Steven Lang

I currently drive a 2005 MINI Cooper S convertible. I’ve been swapping winter/summer tires for the past few years but I was thinking that this year I might get a beater car for the harsher weather months. The combination of FWD and wear and tear on the fabric roof are my main reasons for these considerations.

I live in NJ, so most of my driving is on the highway but as part of my job as a systems admin in a datacenter, I’m occasionally called into work at times when even the highways haven’t been plowed.

Do you think it’s possible to find a cheap (around $1000), preferably AWD car that would work well for winters in the northeast? Craigslist searches so far have turned up a handful of Subarus, Volvos, and Audis Quattro.

A Former Resident Of The Garden State Says…

Yes! You can buy an AWD car in New Jersey for $1000!

Of course the car would have to be stolen or misappropriated from a government agency. Maybe both.

Then there is always the slim chance to do one of those low down payment deals and ‘negotiate’ your way through the winter months.

Something tells me that neither one of these possibilities will come true for you. Then again, I have no idea who you work for so feel free to ponder them if you like.

My real advice is two-fold…

1) Buy some top of the line protectant. TTAC isn’t in the official endorsement business. But start with this.

2) Most anything you buy these days for $1000 will require a lot of immediate maintenance… and may very well be at death’s door.

If you want to lose your savings, keep being stingy.

If you want to keep your car for the long haul, invest in it. Snow tires, protectant, and a couple of good cleanings throughout the year will yield far greater dividends than a broken down jalopy that spews oil and sucks your savings.

You can also rent if you like. Enterprise and a few other rental car companies will pick you up. Make sure you have plenty of coupons and a friendly relationship with the counter person. Good luck!

Steven Lang
Steven Lang

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  • DC Bruce DC Bruce on Jul 26, 2012

    Like a lot of posters, I'm skeptical of the idea that a $1,000 car can be purchased that doesn't have as a feature the fact that the $1000 is just the first of an unknown series of $1000 payments required to keep the car roadable. Last time I was there (a few months ago), New Jersey was pretty flat, not Kansas-flat, but pretty flat. If you have a snowfall which will stop an FWD snow-tire equipped car, it's most likely because the snow is too deep and the car doesn't want to be a snowplow. The solution to that problem is not AWD, it's ground clearance . . . like you would find in a truck or a truck-based SUV, not any of the AWD choices you mention. As a convertible owner, I can understand why you don't want to subject your MINI to road salt and other winter sludge. But in your state, if you want a winter beater, a lil' ol' lady GM car with lots of years, few miles and the 3800 V6 should do pretty nicely, even without AWD, if you buy it some snows for all 4 wheels. Or, if the MINI really doesn't suit your needs now (e.g. no effective back seat for other than a dog), then, as others suggested, trade it on something that does. I can't imagine the amount of snow in NJ is such (and I went to college there for 4 years) that road salt is going to be the same kind of problem that it is for folks in New England and the true snowbelt.

  • Gsnfan Gsnfan on Jul 27, 2012

    These are probably rare, but have you checked out Astro AWD? While looking through my local CL, I could only find 3 cars. Two were Volvos that needed new engines. The remaining one was a beater looking Astro that apparently ran decently. That should be a marginally cheaper solution than an older Volvo, Saab, or Audi.

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