What happened to "beaters?"

[mom2rtk]

Plenty around here.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

I think the reason you're not seeing the "duct tape" cars is because these used it all!

 

[indimom]

They still exist where I live. But I think a lot of previous posters have listed good reasons why they are less common or less noticeable. I had another thought: A lot of cars involved in accidents now are "totaled" even while still drivable, so people replace them. Years ago, you would have repaired what you could and kept on trucking in it.

Our daughter drives a 2003 Grand Marquis. (my parents' old car) She was involved in a multi-car accident on the interstate while driving back to school two years ago - insurance totaled the car (cost to repair was considered too high for a car of its age).

But, it was an awesome car and still drove fine- the damage was primarily to the trunk/rear end. So, we took the cash and bought the car back from the insurance company, fixed the rear end and replaced the bumper with another one (in a slightly different color). She's in grad school now and still drives it every day. She drives back and forth from Indiana to Geogia a couple times a year in it.

It is officially a beater now because it's a light beige with a light gray bumper... and a black side mirror (after someone kicked the mirror off in her college parking lot). So, yeah, they are still out there, just less common and less noticeable than hers, lol.

 

[jo-jo]

I love our 30 year old van, duct tape and all. Aside from the crazy prices these days, I'll be sad when it goes down for the last time. Over 30 years, I doubt we've put more than 6 or 7 grand in repairs. Not talking about things like oil changes or brake pads.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I believe that "cash for clunkers" wiped a bunch of them out... however that was so long ago looks like some more clunkers would be developing by now.

Now that you mention it though, I do not see a lot of "beater" type cars. I mean yes I will see a number them on a daily basis, but the "normal" looking cars outnumber them by quite a bit.

 

[slo]

We have beater pickup truck - I love that thing.
It sits more than it’s driven (it’s our 4th vehicle).
We only keep it because it’s great for when we need haul stuff. I drive it mostly in the Spring when I’m buying flowers, dirt, mulch and etc. It’s great having a vehicle that you don’t have to worry about scratching and getting nasty dirty.
We’ll keep that truck until the bottom falls out (which will be sooner than later)

 

[mrodgers]

Because everyone just signs up for the long loan terms whether they can afford it or not. You make $10/hour part time at the grocery store? Well, if you went 7 years the payment will only be $410/month...

 

[GreatLakes]

The materials that have been used the past 20 or so years hold up longer so while a car may mechanically be a beater it doesn't have rust holes and missing parts. The advanced electronics also keep the cars running a little cleaner and the sensors will fail and keep the car from running in extreme cases.

 

[RUDisney]

Just because the cars look nice, doesn't mean that they aren't beaters.

We got our DD a 2006 BMW X5 when she was in college. It was a beautiful car, but under the hood, it had 2 blown gaskets and she had to check and add oil before she drove it anywhere. The power steering also didn't work and it had 180k miles on it. We junked it a few months ago after she drove it for 4 years. It still looked in beautiful condition.

Our DS had a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. It also looked great, but it ran horribly. There was something wrong with the front axel. When you turned in the car, it steered hard. If you looked inside, the car's interior had seen better days. It also had around 200k miles on it.

While we see actual beaters around here, there aren't as many as there used to be.

 

[mjkacmom]

Cars are built significantly better today than years ago. Not a lot of rust buckets around here anymore. People expect better for their money, manufacturers are delivering.

As a beater family, I disagree. The first car I ever drove was a Buick skylark, 1969, it was a tank, driven first by my grandmother, then mother, then me. Sold it in 1985 looking great. DH lightly tapped some side snow in our driveway last winter trying to get my odyssey out, a piece was knocked out of the side bumper the size of a basketball. He then managed to back into a pole during a flood in an empty parking lot. Total damage was $6000. We have Hondas, love how long they run, but have duct taped all of them. My daughter totaled an odyssey by tapping a Lexus bumper, the front of the odyssey was crushed.

 

[Moliphino]

The yearly inspections probably weed a lot of them out around me.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Beaters are everywhere I look in both PA & MA and we have an 02 that needs to be jumped by AAA every now and again. We keep it because it's useful as a back up and is more valuable as an extra for emergencies than it would be if I sold it, I just take it out every now and again. People leave me notes on it all the time wanting to buy it, I won't sell it and will likely donate it to a local youth support group this year.

To not see beaters a person would need to live in and remain in a fairly affluent bubble 24/7.

 

[kdonnel]

Emissions testing requirements in the metro counties around me probably play a role in limiting beaters on the road.

1998 and newer cars need to pass the state emission test or owners need to spend a minimum of $974 attempting to fix whatever is causing the failure to get an emissions waiver.

In many cases $974 might be more than the car is worth. The cars can't be registered so they are junked or sent to one of the many, in fact the majority, of counties in Georgia that do not require emissions testing.

 

[dez1978]

We have plenty of beaters around here. However since lots of states now have inspections yearly/biyearly to get their plates renewed, I think that eliminates some things. Like headlights duct taped in or brakelights with red tape over them won't pass inspection.

 

[JLong06]

I feel that the general aesthetic look of cars hasn’t changed all that much in the last 10 ish years. My current suv is 9 years old but at a quick glance it still looks the same as a newer model.

Comparatively: my first car is 2002 was 10 years old (a 92 Mazda Protege, lol I loved it) but I feel it looked very different than the newer cars at the time. So maybe beaters just stood out more?

I do notice quite a few older looking SUVS on the road (late 2000s Explorers, Aspens, Tahoe’s, etc). Maybe there’s more beater SUVs then cars now?

 

[aprilgail]

Well, they are unsafe. I'd wager a guess that parents don't want their kids driving cars without airbags, at the very least.

exactly- I would not let my daughter drive some old beater that has no safety equipment and could break down on her while driving.

 

[DLgal]

As a beater family, I disagree. The first car I ever drove was a Buick skylark, 1969, it was a tank, driven first by my grandmother, then mother, then me. Sold it in 1985 looking great. DH lightly tapped some side snow in our driveway last winter trying to get my odyssey out, a piece was knocked out of the side bumper the size of a basketball. He then managed to back into a pole during a flood in an empty parking lot. Total damage was $6000. We have Hondas, love how long they run, but have duct taped all of them. My daughter totaled an odyssey by tapping a Lexus bumper, the front of the odyssey was crushed.

That's by design to keep the occupants safe. I assure you, that Buick skylark was likely a death trap in a collision. There is a reason cars are not manufactured like they used to be. Solid is bad. Transfers the force of the crash onto the occupants. Flexible and easily crushed is good. Absorbs the impact and protects the occupants.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

LOL - while cars are definitely holding up better than they used to, my sister’s house (8k sq ft bazillion dollar home in the SF Bay Area) had a beater parked in front. After they used their Prius for 8 years or so, and replaced it with a Tesla, their first daughter started driving. That poor Prius never stood a chance!

It was too expensive to file insurance claims for minor cosmetic damage on a car driven by a teenager, so the battle scars built up, until the car was inherited by the second daughter.

their neighbors must’ve been so thrilled!

 

[RangerPooh]

I still see beaters around the Memphis area, as well as plenty of newer models that are full of dents, missing bumpers, missing windows, etc.

My girls high school parking lot is a mix of cars from the last 20 years. I'd wager that most are 2010 and newer, however. DD17 drives a 2014 Fiat, but that's because we already had it, has airbags, low miles, we're the original owner, and it's in great shape. No clue what DD15 will drive, as used car prices are almost as high as new cars on some models. Ultimately we want our kids to have safe, reliable cars.

Looking back at my first car, it was 10 years old and from the late 80s. It was a fine car, and got me from A to B, but had issues. You could tell that it was older due to the body style, but most of my friends in college were also driving cars from the mid 80s to early 90s based on affordability and ability to hold up. The weren't totaled nearly as easily as they are now.

 

[Sinder]

Any car made after 1998 has airbags.
I don’t see many cars from the 90’s on the road. The cars from the 80’s and older I see are mint because they’ve been restored.

Visiting a relative down south I noticed alot of old cars in great condition. It’s amazing how not having salt on your roads 6 months out the year helps keep cars looking good.