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Vishy76's must-read thread on Beater Cars
As Vishy76 said, beater cars are the unsung heroes of the automotive world, providing reliable transportation at an affordable price point. In these Covid-19 times, such cars are even more important as income levels are low and public transport is a strict no-no. So, if your family member needs to travel safely & you're short on cash, beater cars are the saviours! These are rides which you can pick up for less than the cost of the latest iPhone 12.
Positives:
Negatives:
Related Threads:
Mod Potential:
Don't modify them. These cars are old; instead of spending any money on modifications, use the moolah for making them mechanically sweeter & tighter (e.g. repair / replace worn-out parts, body work).
Availability:
Plentiful! You can buy excellent beater cars for any budget. I bought a lovely Maruti 800 for 40,000 bucks and am extremely happy with it. Under a lakh, you'll see Altos & i10s in decent shape. You can also get some fantastic beaters for 1.xx lakh, like a Corolla, Swift or Civic. 3 lakhs? You are the king of beater cars then & can get your hands on some truly sweet sedans. Of course, "low budget" is a relative term - I know of many luxury car owners who keep a 6-lakh rupee 1st-gen Innova as the beater of their house. The Ambanis use Endeavours as beaters!
Just be sure to buy a car that ages well, has a good track record of reliability & has parts available in the open market. Avoid duds, flops, unreliable models & European cars.
You might need to account for the green tax payment (Rs. 3450) if not paid by the owner of the car. Check out some of the examples on sale here.
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