What is the threshold for "beater"?

[Team_Mclaren]

what do you consider a beater tho? have another "nice" car that you only take out once a while? while having a dd, would that DD be considered beater?

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Anything you aren't afraid to park near the front of the parking lot at the mall.

[speedog]

Beaters, probably both of our daily drivers would qualify as beaters to most beyonders - mine a 1999 GMC Sierra with just over 497,000km, the wife's a 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada with 107,000km on it. Hers is pretty much mint but old, mine's older but just keeps going. Rusty, but still on all original major mechanical pieces and doesn't use oil - most of the subcontractors I know have less than 5 year old trucks used as write-offs but mine really isn't costing me much other than gas money and allows me to bank most of that payment other shave. Besides, the old beast starts in any weather and has a certain charm about it. I guess new vehicles really aren't a need or want for my wife and I and as such, beaters as dailies are just fine - been quite lucky in that anything we've owned has been very, very reliable and amazingly, they've all been GM's.

[killramos]

I consider my mustang to be a beater? I don't bother with collision on it. So I put under 10k.

Currently sitting in a giant pile of snow in front of my house

[Hallowed_point]

I must be poor. I always thought a beater was in the $500 to $1000 category.

[schocker]

I said under $5k as my volvo was $4k and it was a POS. Would buy again A++

[lilmira]

It's a beater if it can't make a pass in 2 seconds on the highway.

[killramos]

^ so my mustang definitely counts then

[Sentry]

Just a car that's cheaper, uglier, etc. than your pride and joy and you put the most miles on it.

My wagon is pretty fucking cool and fun and quick and so great to drive, but it's my beater. Nicest beater I've ever owned, and most costly at $5k, but still kinda a hooptie that I only fix the bare minimum on and flog the shit out of.

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by TomcoPDR
Realized I was rocking a beater during a trip to the junk yard open to public consumers to walk-in; and there was a dilemma whether to continue pulling parts of the junkyard car... or just to remove the wheels of my current car and slap it on the junkyard car, buy it and drive off.
$4,500 285,000km

I LOL'd.
Been there before. A big FML moment.


You're also driving a beater when you start going to junk yard and suddenly there's no vehicles of your vintage there anymore because they're too old and cheap.

[DTTB_36]

I put under 5g. My last car was 2003 Crown Vic, bought in 2011 for 2.5g at 198 km, drove it for 5 years to 250 kms. That cars was the ultimate beater, never gave me any issues but ugly as can be. Now I sold it and only have the wife's 2005 Chevy Trailblazer, I guess that would qualify as a beater too.

[mzdspd]

I would say pretty much anything with rust.. Once it gets rust, full coverage is removed or I sell it.

I have a car worth 7K and I treat that like my baby. But I have spent lots of time to make that car to be in good mechanical and physical condition.

[Swank]

Originally posted by NoPulp
The definition of beater is relative to your non-beater.

I know I'm probably the minority here but the thought of owning 2 cars seems so weird for me. It would be like owning 2 houses, living in one on weekdays and the other on weekends. I'll never earn my 'Beyond Baller AF' tatt

[Sugarphreak]

...

[NoPulp]

Originally posted by Swank
I know I'm probably the minority here but the thought of owning 2 cars seems so weird for me. It would be like owning 2 houses, living in one on weekdays and the other on weekends. I'll never earn my 'Beyond Baller AF' tatt

Why?
And how is it anything like owning 2 houses? lol

Owning a project vehicle, highly modified vehicle, collector vehicle, racecar, poor winter vehicle, non practical daily etc all pretty much require you to own a second vehicle.



Even with my beater I don't park anywhere near other people

[killramos]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

I have to ask because this is bothering me and I need to know the backstory... WHY? Why do you have a Mustang?

My wife likes convertibles, and new convertibles of pretty much any kind are hella expensive. It's honestly the worst car ever, but its got that drop top . Basically its the lesser of many evils.

[revelations]

Originally posted by RickDaTuner
I'd say the criteria is a car that you wouldn't think twice about only putting PLPD on, and wouldn't even flinch if it was stolen,

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
Anything you aren't afraid to park near the front of the parking lot at the mall.

Originally posted by mzdspd
I would say pretty much anything with rust.. Once it gets rust, full coverage is removed or I sell it.

These are my categories of "beaters". Essentially a beater is any car that you dont really care too much about - and it will show it.

You can have a 10,000$ beater if a car you care about is 100,000$ and a 1000$ beater if you have a 10,000$ nice car - so the monetary question is moot.

My Ep3 (winter DD) is worth around 3k, but I try to park away from others still.

[NoPulp]

Originally posted by killramos


My wife likes convertibles, and new convertibles of pretty much any kind are hella expensive. It's honestly the worst car ever, but its got that drop top . Basically its the lesser of many evils.

You bought a CONVERTIBLE Mustang? Why... please don't tell me its auto. and a v6. and tan interior...

[Mitsu3000gt]

I voted under $2500, OR anything with rust is automatically a beater. Most under $5K is probably also a beater but there are more exceptions.

Really though it's all relative. If you have millions of dollars, a $20K car is probably your winter beater, but then again they probably have some sort of luxury SUV for winter driving haha.

[Swank]

Originally posted by NoPulp


Why?
And how is it anything like owning 2 houses? lol

Owning a project vehicle, highly modified vehicle, collector vehicle, racecar, poor winter vehicle, non practical daily etc all pretty much require you to own a second vehicle.



Even with my beater I don't park anywhere near other people

It's probably cuz it's so foreign to me, I have no interest in any of the vehicle types you listed. Just seems that there are so many options for really nice vehicles that you can drive year round, then no headaches about extra parking or insurance, and you wouldn't need to drive in one vehicle while wishing you were in your nicer one.