Cars are, at their core, transportation devices. And how much should that set you back? To some, money is no object to put them in the vehicle of their choice – only the finest will do. For others, whatever gets you from point A to point B will work. This article is for the latter folks.
If you’re looking for a vehicle on a budget, then typically you have a couple ways you can go. For one, you can get a loan and finance a car. This is ok if you know you will have income to make the payments, but still can be stressful. Still if you must, go to your normal bank and get financing, don’t get your loan from the same place you buy your car. You will get better rates.
Loans come with loan payments though, and those can be a burden on a monthly budget. Maybe time to set your sights a bit lower and find something you can afford by paying up front. This generally means you need to go to a private party instead of a dealer of any kind. Dealerships are there to make money, and if you’re looking for a really cheap car every penny counts. Can’t afford to be paying a middle man.
A great place to find cheap cars is typically on craigslist. It’s the world’s largest classified ads site, and has tons of car listings. Just search “craigslist” and your city name to find local listings in your area.
Another site specializing in cars so cheap they are under $1,000 is Cars For a Grand. Just plug your zip code into this site and find a bunch of surprisingly serviceable autos for less than a thousand bucks. If you want you can also browse by make, like if you just want cheap hondas or whatever.
An important part of saving money on transportation is being able to work on your own car. Repairs can be crazy expensive, and if you don’t have any knowledge of auto repair it can be easy to get taken advantage of. Fortunately it is 2018 and now we have YouTube. Just search for your car and the problem you are having. Someone has probably had the exact same issue as you and made a handy video on how to solve it.