What is the cheapest car to own for a low income person?

how about a bike with a motor...very cheap in any case...totaly easy to fix..... might suck in someweather...but just an weird idea. plus no insureane and no state fees for plates.

Toyota Echo. Cheaper than dirt in every respect other than build quality. Practically indestructible. The last really high quality car Toyota made, IMHO.

The original poster is in Michigan - is this where the theoretical car owner is located as well? Some of the choices (Geo Prizm or equivalent Corolla) may not exist any more in that state, they're all rusted away.

In reply to The0retical:

We also have a 97 Nissan 200sx - if you're in the rust-belt, go with the Corolla. They survive here much better than the Nissan!

G_Body_Man wrote: Toyota Echo. Cheaper than dirt in every respect other than build quality. Practically indestructible. The last really high quality car Toyota made, IMHO.

friends of mine, who are a bit on the heavy side (I am being nice) bought a brand new echo in the early 2000s... it's been through two accidents, a kid, and several trips from OK to NJ and back.. and keeps right on chugging along. It looks horrible, but runs great

stuart in mn wrote: The original poster is in Michigan - is this where the theoretical car owner is located as well? Some of the choices (Geo Prizm or equivalent Corolla) may not exist any more in that state, they're all rusted away.

Ha, yes Michigan.

I was asked to help find a car for an individual with a ~$4K budget and it prompted this thought process.

Mike wrote: Mitsubishi i-MiEV... $6,500... I recognize the i-MiEV is only acceptable in a narrow set of circumstances, but in those circumstances, it should represent a solid choice.

My brother recently bought a 2013 Nissan Leaf with under 20K miles for $8,500. It's got more utility than the i-MiEV but all the same advantages. Yes $8,500 is a lot more dough than a 15-year-old Corolla, but the Leaf is nearly new and over the next 5 years will cost next to nothing to charge and maintain. Start with a used-up, beater Corolla and 5 years from now you will have had 5 years of regret.

3.1 lumina 90-94. Dirt cheap, can't kill

In reply to petegossett:

ever changed the clutch cable? I gotta do mine and pretty sure part of the cruise control is in the way of an easy change.

Best Corolla they can afford, perhaps Camry if a family.

In reply to petegossett:

Good point. 90's Nissans do seem to want to return to the dirt especially around the rear quarters. I didn't look to see where the OP was located.

Mike wrote: There are so many variables on this question. Having low income often means you can't take the cheapest route because of a higher required initial outlay. Also, at this point, a lot of people in this thread have already put forth a lot of valid responses, like whatever you can lease for $79 a month, though insurance on a lease can be high - the one surprise with my lease was that I failed to account for the much higher insurance limit requirements when planning it out. Or, whatever cheap Sentrollavlier you find for $2000. Honda Civic Hybrid was at the top of some list a several of years ago for lowest cost of ownership. They're pretty cheap now, but someone elsewhere in the thread mentioned battery failures. I chose my CR-Z in part because of cost of ownership. I get pretty good mileage and I don't spend much on maintenance and renewables. Here's the oddball. I fear I bring this car up too often in what car threads. I do this because it has a lot of unique qualities, and it's forgotten. Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Wait, hear me out. See that car up there? That's an actual car for sale on Autotrader right now. That car is a 2012 model with about 12,000 miles on the odometer. It's almost new. You should be able to get reasonable used car financing, since it's only a 2012. It uses tiny, skinny, cheap tires. It gets something like 119MPGe. YMMV, but I can refill it completely for something like a buck twenty. The first scheduled maintenance is at 240 months, when you change the transmission fluid. 240 months is twenty years. There are no oil changes. You can't really fail to maintain it, because it doesn't really require maintenance. How much is the asking price for that car right there? $6,500. Now, hold up. You might be tempted to tell me that you drive a hundred miles a day. You tow a trailer. Yeah, this car isn't for you. It's not for everyone. If you're renting in the city, you might not be able to plug in at home. If you're renting, you might have to charge at 110v, and your daily mileage needs might not be met by the overnight charging time available. You might live in an extremely cold climate, where your range is too significantly curtailed. If you have to drive really far, haul big things, or do any of the things this car can't do, it's a terrible choice. But if you don't? If you're living in a trailer two miles outside of town? If you have two incomes and two cars, and one of them doesn't have to do long trips? If you're a retiree on a fixed income who runs errands around town? I recognize the i-MiEV is only acceptable in a narrow set of circumstances, but in those circumstances, it should represent a solid choice.

Well written, and I agree.

To help bolster your argument, here's two interesting links on it.

http://www.caranddriver.com/mitsubishi/i-miev

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_i-MiEV

4 star crash rating by Europe NCAP. That's not bad.

I'm glad you didn't find this and post it while I was shopping for a daily driver commuter special. I thoroughly enjoy my Snab. This would have forced me to really think a bit. Especially since we've a bunch of recharging stations here at work.

nutherjrfan wrote: In reply to petegossett: ever changed the clutch cable? I gotta do mine and pretty sure part of the cruise control is in the way of an easy change.

Not sure if you're referring to the Corolla or 200sx, but in either case they're both automatics.

The problem with new car leases is that in addition to the monthly payments, it's going to cost more to insure each month and plate each year than an older car.

That Mistu is cheap enough that insurance may not be expensive, but I'm not sure I'd trust the car to hold up to Michigan roads/winters. For the right person, it could make a great deal of sense though.

Stuff that people always seem to forget to count

1) Cost of insuring a lease car (~$10k+) is going to be significantly higher than a cheap car. Easily several hundred per year.

2) Registration + property tax.

3) time value of money. An $11k car costs $400-1000 more a year to own (and compounding) than a $1000 beater if all else is equal. Don't tie your money up in a non-appreciating asset if you are trying to save it. If you finance this calculation gets more complicated.

One of the big reasons I sold my S2K, was that even though I loved the car and it wasn't depreciating quickly, it was still costing me > $2K a year just to own it and keep it legal.

Factoring in the no-tools/no diy, I'd say best ~$5k Camry 4cyl/auto you can find. But down in that price range things can always be a huge gamble. You may find a $500 car that will go forever, you may find a $5K car that needs an exhaust replaced in a year to the tune of $700. If gas were currently higher, or mileage driven was higher I'd say Gen2 Prius. Anvil reliable and the fuel cost can translate to huge savings in the long run.

FWIW, I paid $3000 for my SL2 with 100k on it, leather and all options except ABS, 4 years/60k miles ago. I've done some repairs, but nothing a shop would charge much for. I don't see a reason it wouldn't go another 100k.

i have $300 into my 1999 Saturn SL1- which i have named Kronos- and it got 43.7mpg before i did any aero mods...

late 90's cavalier that was owned by a grandmother.

Granny = low mileage.
THEY WILL NOT DIE
Can be serviced anywhere
Parts be CHEAP
If I am thinking right, insurance would be cheap

Yeah, sell for scrap at the end of its life, but they arent worth anything to begin with.

S10 with a 4cylinder. Only exspensive job my wifes 98 needed in 4 years was a fuel pump. Early 90s toyota if you dont have rust issues.

I also had good luck personally with older 302 powered crown vics, my sundance only cost me 1100 altogether during ownership and buy in BUT a good friend had used replacements i could buy cheap.

The blazer im currently driving is at 87.14 cents so far but im still waiting for some parts.

All of you that think a Mirage lease would be cheap, go take a look at the Mitsubishi website. $3300 down, $149/mo. Why? they have NO residual value.

A base Versa is $2000 down and $179/mo.

I'm going to throw out a vote for the XJ. Not because they're cheap, because they're often kinda high for what they are. But they will go for amazingly high miles with essentially no maintenance at all without dying, and when you're done with it, you'll get pretty much what you paid for it.

The history of my 2011 Elantra, purchased new in 2011 for $17K, to date it has 210K and has not had a single failure. I have changed the rear shocks, oil, filters, 2 sets of plugs and one set of brake pads. Gets 40 mpg and can fit a wheelchair in the trunk or a 500lb 6'8" dude inside.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/another-appliance-thread-hyundai-content/34080/page1/

patgizz wrote: 3.1 lumina 90-94. Dirt cheap, can't kill

When did Dexcool start? Every old Lumina I've come across has had catastrophic issues because someone didn't pay attention to the cooling system and it got gummed up.

Regardless, '94 is getting pretty old. Almost classic status depending who you ask

I see a lot of old Saturns running around here. They seem to be the local beater of choice because plastic panels mean no body rust. They aren't the most durable cars but easy (cheap) to fix.

Or a Camry. One of my friends has a high mileage 4 cylinder Camry and treats it like crap. I swear she actively tries to kill the thing through neglect. Yet, the poor thing keeps going. I think my cheap transportation recommendation to a non-GRMish person would be: Find the nicest lowest mileage old-person owned Camry you can.

nderwater wrote: My brother recently bought a 2013 Nissan Leaf with under 20K miles for $8,500. It's got more utility than the i-MiEV but all the same advantages. Yes $8,500 is a lot more dough than a 15-year-old Corolla, but the Leaf is nearly new and over the next 5 years will cost next to nothing to charge and maintain. Start with a used-up, beater Corolla and 5 years from now you will have had 5 years of regret.

uhhhh...wat?

aussiesmg wrote: The history of my 2011 Elantra, purchased new in 2011 for $17K, to date it has 210K and has not had a single failure. I have changed the rear shocks, oil, filters, 2 sets of plugs and one set of brake pads. Gets 40 mpg and can fit a wheelchair in the trunk or a 500lb 6'8" dude inside. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/another-appliance-thread-hyundai-content/34080/page1/

There's a number of WOW statements in that post!

I think my son played football against that guy a few weeks ago

I am seeing quite a bit of Leafs under $10k on AutoTrader and some of them are 13's