These Are The Cheapest Cars You Could Actually Live With (2024)

Asking someone for their top tips for picking up a bargain car is a bit like asking someone for the best flavor of ice cream. We’ve all got different tastes in the same way that we’ve all got different ideas of what constitutes “cheap.”

But here at Jalopnik, we celebrate opinions and love nothing more than hearing your weird ideas of what constitutes an absolute steal. With this in mind, we turned to you and asked for your picks for the cheapest cars that you could actually live with day in, day out.

From rusting old Saturns to efficient little Hondas, you came back with a wild array of answers. So flick through the following slides to see what cars Jalopnik readers think are the cheapest models they could live with.

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2 / 16

2012 Ford Fiesta - Totaled due to tree branch falling on it in storm. Dented in the hood, shattered the windshield, and left a dent on the passenger side A-Pillar. Interior and mechanicals were unharmed.

Cost = $2,200 from auction.

Gave it a full tune up, changed all fluids, installed new windshield and hood, replaced the timing belt and water pump, and got it re-registered as a rebuilt.

Total cost = $~3,500

That was over 80,000 miles ago, and she’s still going strong today.

One the best automotive investments I’ve ever made!

That’s an oddly specific example, but I’m here for it.

Suggested by: knyte

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3 / 16

I needed a C.A.R. in 2014. Nothing special, didn’t want payments, etc. I tried a series of sub $3k cars and all of them wanted to murder me. I desperation I found a 2014 Mazda2 with a big rebate as a last of the litter from the local Mazda dealership. Bugger Green and an automatic, but big rebate, cheap to start with and available. So, why my wife told me that we were NOT in a position to even look at a new Car, I drove to the Mazda dealership.

When we walked in my wife cut me off and asked the drunk salesman what the cheapest car on the lot was. So happened, they had just taken trade in of a Camry. 2004 (10-years-old), 120k miles, Fridge White, one Owner, records of all oil changes at the dealership down in Florida if was at. Sure, we’ll take it for a test drive.

Drunk boy shows up in this.

Ok, not my car, mine has a gold trim emblem on the nose. Oh, and the paint wasn’t shiny. They had just traded it in that day and the paint was damaged (sandblasted by a hurricane) and the car was stained black in places.

Oh, and it had three pedals. We took it for a drive. It drove like new. Even smelled almost new. Previous owner had babied it. After a minor amount of haggling, I left for $5,700 after tax, tags, licensing, etc. So the price before that was about $5,200.

Fast forward 14 years. Odometer reads 245k now. I think including gas, replacement parts, insurance, I’m under $14k to keep this car in good condition. It runs great and I would road trip it across the country tomorrow if I had to. Repairs have been minor (rear struts, front brakes (x2), Tires (x2), Battery (x2), radiator/radiator fan, passenger side mirror, power steering hose, 2 coils and 2 sets of plugs. The paint is actually a bit better today than it was (lots of cleaning and some wax) other than a battle scar on the passenger side. It needs front brakes again (warped rotor), a couple replacement wheel studs and the front seat is starting get a bit thin in the fabric and stuffing, but is still comfortable for 2+ hour long stints. It’s quiet and smooth on the highway and reasonably acceptable around towns and on the backroad.

I could have gotten a less expensive car to purchase, but I can’t imagine it being cheaper to operate long term. And it isn’t a penalty box. I’ll get out of brand new rentals and feel no advantage over my ancient Camry.

I don’t know about today’s Toyotas but early 00s Toyotas were exceptional vehicles and make great cheap cars to this day.

That’s quite the tale you’ve got there, nice one.

Suggested by: yeardley68

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4 / 16

A used R/T Challenger with the 5.7 Hemi from around 2015 or so:

For way less than $20K you get:

1) A car that looks great—not a blob or box. Challengers handle well too.

2) Been built forever. Parts’ availability and parts’ cost will not whack your wallet like a Germanmobile will.

3) Since so many 5.7 R/Ts are out there, you will find one in great shape not ragged out like some Hellcat. (Yes, I would avoid V6 Challengers.)

4) The 5.7 Hemi is a rock-solid motor right up there with the Chevy LSs. It has great oomph without making you cringe when you go to the gas station.

5) The trunk is gargantuan. Once the wife sees how big it is, it’ll be a great car for a couple (or if only have one brat) since it’s so practical.

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I’ll give you three guesses which poster suggested a Dodge muscle car.

Suggested by: the1969dodgechargerfan

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5 / 16

Even though I aspire to something better than a Mirage from years of hard work and education, I am not above one. I just wouldn’t buy one brand new. This is an interesting thought exercise. Both me and my wife work fully remote, so the two vehicles we have now are rarely used for anything other than trips and errands. Having no kids, we could even go down to one vehicle if necessary, but it would have to meet some basic requirements:

Reliable and mostly self-serviceable

Good air conditioning

Automatic (or else I’ll have to do ALL of the driving)

Spacious enough for grocery runs

Not too large and easy to park

Safe

That’s pretty much it. Basic requirements aside, I would at least want it to reflect some of my automotive interests or personality, so probably an older Volvo like a base V70 or XC-70 - either of which are abundant and can be had for less than the price of a new Mirage.

I see you’ve really thought this through, I like that.

Suggested by: hankelwankel

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6 / 16

Used first generation Mazda3. Can be had in decent condition for $5k. Great fun to drive, relatively economic to own, good fuel economy, can carry a surprising amount, and parts are easy enough to come by. The same could be said for just about any early-to-mid 00's hatchback with a five- or six-speed and a four-cylinder.

I must say, this is easily the question that’s had the most sensible answers - here’s another one!

Suggested by: santacruzin6

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7 / 16

A manual transmission Jeep Patriot. I used to sell cars at a Jeep store. These were my favorite cheap car I’ve ever sold. I sold one to a friend’s wife 10 years ago, and they still have it. I sold one to another friend, and it racked up 200k before getting totaled. One of our sales managers had one as his daily driver simply because it was cheap and simple. Just a basic car, kinda cheaply made, but a fun boxy shape and more than enough space for groceries or camping gear.

The Jeep Patriot really has got it all.

Suggested by: ceragan42

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8 / 16

A couple of years ago, someone a few miles from my neighborhood had a 1990's Saturn wagon for sale. The price on the window started out at $2,100 and over the course of a few weeks the price dropped down to “$1,000 OBO.”

At this point i became intrigued and decided to check it out. I met with the owner who showed me the car and immediately dropped the price to $850.

The car presented nice, the engine ran well and the car had only 113K miles on the odometer; the reason why it hadn’t been snapped up was that it was a 5-speed manual and the car needed a new clutch. I asked the guy if he would take $750 for the car and he agreed.

Unfortunately, by the time I got around to getting a price to replace the clutch (I am not confident enough in my mechanical abilities to tackle the job myself) someone had offered him $800 for the car and he jumped at it.

Too bad, that old Saturn wagon would have been the perfect beater.

Is $750 the cheapest car we’ve had suggested so far? I think it might be!

Suggested by: earthbound-misfit-i

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9 / 16

Mazda Demio, too bad we didn’t get them in the US anymore (but apparently Puerto Rico did?). An actual fun to drive econobox with a very compact footprint and a livable interior. Although having only a 1.3 or 1.5 L engine (83hp or 115 hp), the little car only weighs about 2,150 lbs.

You call it a Demio, I call it a Mazda2. Whatever the name, it’s a great option.

Suggested by: featherlite

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10 / 16

Although the price has hiked since it’s debut, a base Hybrid Maverick would be perfect to live with. Only options I’d tick are spray in bedliner, all weather floor mats, full size spare (can’t believe thats an option now), and tow hitch. $24k out the door in 2022 or whatever year they came out. Now that’s a $27k truck and the hybrid powertrain is optional?!

Is the Maverick the bargain pickup of your dreams?

Suggested by: i86hotdogs

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11 / 16

I’m of the opinion that we, society as a whole, put way too much emphasis on what we own, and in this case, drive. On the other hand, I’m also of the opinion that you should get what you like within your budget because life is too short to sit in a traffic jam in Nissan Versa, I think most people deserve better. But then, the era of cheep and cheerful is over, it’s all cheep and miserable or posh and expensive now. I could definitely live with Mirage, sure. I live with 2WD Jeep XJ with broken AC that I paid $850 for, so in technicality, Mirage could be considered to be an upgrade. But the question is that of a choice. And...oh f*ck it, just buy a motorbike, your life will be so much better.

Would you rather travel around in an $800 car, an $800 motorcycle or an $800 bike? Answers on a postcard.

Suggested by: jbjb21

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12 / 16

For around $12K, I could pick up a 335d M-Sport and while I would have to be careful evaluating the car for deferred maintenance issues and aware of potential issues during ownership, it would be a great blend of sportiness, decent power/acceleration, and incredible fuel economy. Fortunately, I have plenty of experience wrenching on Bimmers from that era and that engine’s successor, the N57 (I also have a great, reasonably priced, indie Bimmer mechanic) so I have a higher tolerance for maintenance and repairs than most.

If I really wanted to make it perfect, I would swap the 6-speed auto and torque converter with the 6MT and flywheel from a Euro-market 330d.

I think the key here is that this poster has “plenty of experience wrenching on Bimmers.”

Suggested by: oddseth

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13 / 16

My Outlander Sport manual has been good to me. It’s a little CUV, but looks more like a large hatchback, it’s light weight, the clutch is light with hill assist, very roomy in the front, get’s about 35mpg hwy, handles surprisingly well enough with a good diff it would be great. I got it all for $16K brand new in 2016, only thing I did major wise was brakes, serpentine belt, and spark plugs after 100K miles. It’s slow, but gets the job done as a mileage hog so I can use the Evo at a slower pace.

Only a good differential away from being great? High praise for the Outlander Sport here.

Suggested by: darthspartan117

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14 / 16

For new cars, this was it - my rental this week was a one-step up from base Jetta Sport. And it was perfectly fine. Had everything I want in a car, and didn’t annoy me. Mine would be even cheaper, as this one was an autotragic. ~$22K these days. A base stick Jetta would be fine too, but I want heated seats so I would spring for the Sport.

I actually MUCH preferred the Jetta to the Volvo S60 I had last week. That car actively annoyed me, and it cost well over two times what the Jetta did.

Perfectly fine is what I aim for every day when I wake up.

Suggested by: krhodes1

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15 / 16

A Honda Fit. Unfortunately we don’t get the new one.

You call it a Fit, I call it a Jazz. Whatever the name, it’s a great option.

Suggested by: rebel19

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