Some guy at the parts counter said "the cheapest car is the one you already own" and now I'm staring at my $700 Civic like it owes me money | Cars We Bought Broken - Rigidtalk
$700 Civic with 280k miles is basically a hostage situation. Every time you fix one thing, two more break. Timing belt, water pump, then the AC dies in July. That parts guy probably drives a leased BMW and has never duct taped a bumper back on. The cheap car is the one you own, sure, but yours is also the one that makes weird noises every time it rains.