I have a couple of nice cars in the garage. Sitting outside year round in the driveway exposed to the elements is my beater car. Why would I have and keep an old unattractive beater car? Because My Winter Driven Beater Car Saves Money. It is not just limited to winter driving although that is its primary job.

I toy with the thought of selling it. But when I do the math it doesn’t cost me much to have. It saves me a bunch in work and cash by having it as my strategic beater. It saves my nicer cars from the abuse of winter driving, stop and go commuting traffic, and the occasional trip into the city.

My beater car is a 1990 Honda Civic Hatchback.

I just got the emission test done ($25) and renewed the license plates ($73) for another year.

I bought the little eye-sore in 1998. At that time it was sitting at my mechanic’s parking lot with 270,000 miles on it and a blown motor. I was looking for a reliable car for my kids to drive. The car had been towed there and when they found out the motor was gone they signed over the title for the cost of the tow and just walked away from it. I struck a deal with my mechanic to get the car for free (no sales tax when titling and registering it in my name) and then paid him for needed repairs.

I had everything under the hood replaced. A used 30,000 mile or less motor, new radiator, water pump, alternator, hoses, belts, battery, clutch, etc. When you popped the hood open on this Quasimodo of a car it was new. I spent $2,000 and we have driven it ever since. You can say I am big into recycling cars. It ended up as my son’s primary car for a few years and after he left I just kept it as my beater car.

How My Winter Driven Beater Car Saves Money

Having a beater car is a choice.

I could have chosen to have a nicer car for this duty but then it would have cost more money to buy. Beater cars can be bought for a lower amount and no loans or big savings hits are necessary.

Beater cars need less insurance.

There is no need for a comprehensive insurance policy. Just the mandatory coverage and liability coverage. I also have a towing rider which costs very little. My clunker’s monthly insurance rate is $23. Because I have other cars they also have reduced rates under a multi-car policy discount.

My beater car gets 35 to 37 MPG.

Talk about sipping gas on a budget. This recycled car gets better gas mileage than new cars costing thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars. I saved a lot of money when I was still working and commuting into the city 20 miles every day.

Repairs and parts are inexpensive.

General maintenance is limited to oil changes and rotating the tires which I can do myself. Over the years I have had to get one tune-up, the timing belt replaced, replaced brakes, and two new axles when the CV joints went. All very low-cost repairs.

It saves wear and tear on my better cars.

Which means they will last longer and with less repair or maintenance cost. Especially when I was working and endured stop and go traffic as I commuted into the big city 20 miles each day. I have a set of snow tires for this winter driven beater car. It’s light weight and does very well in snow storms when under 8 inches of depth. It saves my nice cars from the corrosion of road salt and magnesium-chloride (de-icer) that is thrown down on all the roads during wet and cold winter days. I can also save my nicer cars from having to go through the sloppy after storm periods saving me time and money for all the car washes I can skip.

It saves me worry when I have to park and leave it in large non-secure parking lots.

I don’t worry about this car when parked at a park-and-ride light-rail or bus lot, the airport, or in the big city. Or when attending a concert, baseball, basketball or baseball game. It has a standard transmission and most bandits never learned to drive a stick so it’s not desirable. The car looks so bad that it is passed by as belonging to someone with nothing to steal.

It saves me money at the highway off-ramps.

Those asking for help with their cardboard signs see this car and keep walking by as I obviously must be broke to drive a beater car like this.

The Bottom Line

Owning a beater car still takes keeping up with all necessary maintenance and most of all purchasing the right beater car. I prefer something that runs reliably over looking good. A shabby paint job or hail damage may mean a good car cheap. If you find a beater car you want to buy then first negotiate allowing you to have it inspected by a trusted mechanic before taking ownership.

Another thing to remember is if your beater car does break down you do have your nicer car(s) as back-up. That said, when your nice car is in the shop for service or a repair you have the beater car to drive while it is in the shop. I have never had to rent a car for my day-to-day lifestyle use.

My yearly cost without considering any unknown future repair is under $430 a year which to some may sound like too much. Especially to people who live in the city where bus, train, and taxi services are nearby. But for me living in a town where there is no mass transit and 20 miles to the nearest city make having a car necessary and having a beater car I believe saves me money overall.

I actually enjoy driving this little clunker now and then. It’s like driving a go-cart and I admit to enjoying winter driving in it. I have driven it many years and know how it handles making it a breeze to maneuver through the snow.

Do you see yourself ever owning and driving a beater car?

Do you believe since I am now retired and not commuting daily that I should sell it and just stay home when it snows and still spare my nicer cars bad weather roads and wear?