Good price for a beater car

[GurinderM]

Looking to buy a winter beater, ive been driving my CTR and she obviously doesnt like the colder temps. Creeks rattles, buzzes and even my first 2nd gear grind!

im looking to spend about 1500-1800 CDN on one that'll last me a few years and handle Canadian winters.

Can i get somthing decent in this range? what should I look for when buying? anyone with experience doing this and some advice would be appreciated.

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[Byron Sexton]

$6000 is a good price

 

[Jebuss]

If you can find an old toyota, they last forever as long the owner has kept up with basic maintenance. My dad had a 98 camry that lasted FOREVER.

 

[TheCanadian]

Get a 2009 Civic Si.

BTW:
I would only recommend a 2nd winter car if it's still nice and within your reach. You only live once, might as well enjoy the 45k CTR versus being stuck on the side of the road in a 2k beater in - 20C

 

[zcEF]

I went to a used car dealership and found a mint condition 2002 CRV with 4WD for 1400 CDN. Put 52000kms on it so far without issue. It's great in the snow so it makes a perfect beater and it's decent on gas.

 

[GurinderM]

I went to a used car dealership and found a mint condition 2002 CRV with 4WD for 1400 CDN. Put 52000kms on it so far without issue. It's great in the snow so it makes a perfect beater and it's decent on gas.

was it safetid/certified when you bought it? That’s awesome dude.

 

[zcEF]

It wasn't but I had a quick look over/under when I was at the dealer. In the summer I'm actually tempted to pull the motor and replace all the seals and gaskets and probably the timing chain just to ensure I get many more years. Check kijiji, these things are all over it for 2k or less, even some safetied.

was it safetid/certified when you bought it? That’s awesome dude.

 

[whytfwontthiswork]

Get a 2001-2002 Toyota Corolla. Ive had 2 as past beaters (rough canadian winters) and they are SOLID. Nothing breaks and if something does its dirt cheap to fix. Small rims allow you to get high end winter tires for minimal prices. My current beater/daily is a 2014 corolla and its gets the same gas mileage my 01 did and the 01 was more comfortable

Edit - Ill just add that I suggested 01+ because thats when they introduced VVTi. The only *major* issue some of the 01-02 had was oil burning (both of mine were ok 300k kms+) a easy way to verify on a potential buy is check the dipstick. If the oil is low then no good. If its black and full then it should be ok. If its gold and full it could have been recently topped off/oil change recently done so harder to tell. Worst case, its a beater, carry some oil in ur trunk

 

[TheGreekFreak]

she obviously doesnt like the colder temps. Creeks rattles, buzzes and even my first 2nd gear grind!

Man, I just realized how much mine does this too in the cold weather lol literally every plastic trim piece in the dash/center console pops, rattles, or buzzes on really cold days. Doesn't bother me as I knew what I was getting into and why I bought the car to begin with but it is surprising how my GTI, which was like $15K cheaper new, had none of these interior noises.

As for a beater.....unfortunately $2K doesn't buy you much these days, especially around where I live. Newer cars have gotten so expensive that people who just need cheap A to B mobiles snatch up anything that's cheap and reliable once the owner even hints at it being available for sale. Good cheap corollas, camrys, civics, and accords don't last long. If anything does hit a used car dealer, its marked up so much it isn't worth it anymore.

There's like a 90s civic piece of shit with a "for sale" sign at a nearby gas station for $1200, could probably grab it for $800 cash. That's about the cheapest running shitbox I've seen around here for a while.....and I doubt it is ready to pass inspection or doesn't require some work as is.

I would only recommend a 2nd winter car if it's still nice and within your reach. You only live once, might as well enjoy the 45k CTR versus being stuck on the side of the road in a 2k beater in - 20C

I generally agree with this.....but there is a freedom in having some dirt cheap but reliable shitbox to plow through the really nasty days in the winter when you have any kind of nice car. I used to have an older 90s chevy sedan that lingered around from the family that I would use on really awful days. Thing was a tank....just detailed my car and woke up to a slushy mess of a day? Take the chevy. Just got dumped with 12 inches of snow and the morning commute was going to be a sea of sliding idiots? Out comes the chevy. Need to haul stuff from Home Depot and don't want to get my interior dirty? Chevy time. Heater worked perfect and it was a very squishy comfortable ride.....just a little embarrassing to get in and out of given its rusted shitbox looks with a nicer car at home ? but who cares.

With that said, I could never see my CTR being my dedicated babied nice weather only car. Alot of its appeal is its daily practicality. If I wanted a garage queen, there are much better candidates out there to fit the bill. Even having the chevy around for a very small need didn't make sense after a while. If snowy winter weather was that big of an issue for my commute for a good portion of the year, I would own a different car or learn to live with CTR + snow tires.

 

[chattanoogaR]

im looking to spend about 1500-1800 CDN on one that'll last me a few years and handle Canadian winters.
Can i get somthing decent in this range?

For that price, you can inherit someone else's nightmare.

 

[Siiick]

I picked up a 2010 Corolla with 44k miles several years ago. I put another 50k on it before giving it to my girlfriend last year. She's put another 10k on it so far and it still drives just like the day I bought it. Fantastic beater car IMO but you also can't go wrong with a Civic either My beater car these days is the Fiesta and it serves its purpose extremely well.

 

[type_ramen]

a truck complements a sports car IMHO, specially if you like to order parts for your sports car. Can lug things easy with large cargos. Find a small one that's not a gas guzzler

 

[WhiskeyTango]

Man, I just realized how much mine does this too in the cold weather lol literally every plastic trim piece in the dash/center console pops, rattles, or buzzes on really cold days. Doesn't bother me as I knew what I was getting into and why I bought the car to begin with but it is surprising how my GTI, which was like $15K cheaper new, had none of these interior noises.

As for a beater.....unfortunately $2K doesn't buy you much these days, especially around where I live. Newer cars have gotten so expensive that people who just need cheap A to B mobiles snatch up anything that's cheap and reliable once the owner even hints at it being available for sale. Good cheap corollas, camrys, civics, and accords don't last long. If anything does hit a used car dealer, its marked up so much it isn't worth it anymore.

There's like a 90s civic piece of shit with a "for sale" sign at a nearby gas station for $1200, could probably grab it for $800 cash. That's about the cheapest running shitbox I've seen around here for a while.....and I doubt it is ready to pass inspection or doesn't require some work as is.



I generally agree with this.....but there is a freedom in having some dirt cheap but reliable shitbox to plow through the really nasty days in the winter when you have any kind of nice car. I used to have an older 90s chevy sedan that lingered around from the family that I would use on really awful days. Thing was a tank....just detailed my car and woke up to a slushy mess of a day? Take the chevy. Just got dumped with 12 inches of snow and the morning commute was going to be a sea of sliding idiots? Out comes the chevy. Need to haul stuff from Home Depot and don't want to get my interior dirty? Chevy time. Heater worked perfect and it was a very squishy comfortable ride.....just a little embarrassing to get in and out of given its rusted shitbox looks with a nicer car at home ? but who cares.

With that said, I could never see my CTR being my dedicated babied nice weather only car. Alot of its appeal is its daily practicality. If I wanted a garage queen, there are much better candidates out there to fit the bill. Even having the chevy around for a very small need didn't make sense after a while. If snowy winter weather was that big of an issue for my commute for a good portion of the year, I would own a different car or learn to live with CTR + snow tires.

Man, I just realized how much mine does this too in the cold weather lol literally every plastic trim piece in the dash/center console pops, rattles, or buzzes on really cold days. Doesn't bother me as I knew what I was getting into and why I bought the car to begin with but it is surprising how my GTI, which was like $15K cheaper new, had none of these interior noises.

As for a beater.....unfortunately $2K doesn't buy you much these days, especially around where I live. Newer cars have gotten so expensive that people who just need cheap A to B mobiles snatch up anything that's cheap and reliable once the owner even hints at it being available for sale. Good cheap corollas, camrys, civics, and accords don't last long. If anything does hit a used car dealer, its marked up so much it isn't worth it anymore.

There's like a 90s civic piece of shit with a "for sale" sign at a nearby gas station for $1200, could probably grab it for $800 cash. That's about the cheapest running shitbox I've seen around here for a while.....and I doubt it is ready to pass inspection or doesn't require some work as is.



I generally agree with this.....but there is a freedom in having some dirt cheap but reliable shitbox to plow through the really nasty days in the winter when you have any kind of nice car. I used to have an older 90s chevy sedan that lingered around from the family that I would use on really awful days. Thing was a tank....just detailed my car and woke up to a slushy mess of a day? Take the chevy. Just got dumped with 12 inches of snow and the morning commute was going to be a sea of sliding idiots? Out comes the chevy. Need to haul stuff from Home Depot and don't want to get my interior dirty? Chevy time. Heater worked perfect and it was a very squishy comfortable ride.....just a little embarrassing to get in and out of given its rusted shitbox looks with a nicer car at home ? but who cares.

With that said, I could never see my CTR being my dedicated babied nice weather only car. Alot of its appeal is its daily practicality. If I wanted a garage queen, there are much better candidates out there to fit the bill. Even having the chevy around for a very small need didn't make sense after a while. If snowy winter weather was that big of an issue for my commute for a good portion of the year, I would own a different car or learn to live with CTR + snow tires.

$400 and reliable as it is ugly ?. Couldn’t buy two all seasons for the R for that price

 

[OrchidFc3]

I always manage to find my winter beaters for cheap here, I bought my 06 CRV for $500cad and works like a charm. Your budget is decent you should be able to find something to last you a few winters. I went with the CRV because I wanted the AWD but a older Civic with good studded winter would be fine also.

 

[hpbyhermann]

Get a 2009 Civic Si.

BTW:
I would only recommend a 2nd winter car if it's still nice and within your reach. You only live once, might as well enjoy the 45k CTR versus being stuck on the side of the road in a 2k beater in - 20C

I bad weather daily my 09' SI I've owned since 11' Never had any problems with it.

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