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Who else daily drives a beater??

SouthernJL

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In 2017 I purchased a used 2014 JKU Sahara and quickly did the Jeep thing by getting it lifted, adding 35s and 4.56 gears. It was my only vehicle and my daily driver for about 1.5 years. My fiancé isn't picky at all (and more sensible) about what she drives and had a 2007 Camry. Shortly after I got my JKU, she decided it was time for her to upgrade and she purchased a used 2015 Camry.

Although mechanically decent, her 07 Camry looked a bit rough.....sun faded paint and some paint scrapes from a minor accident years earlier. We tried for about a month to sell it for around 5k and had no takers. I then decided to purchase it from her myself and use it as a daily driver instead of my JKU.

Best decision I could've made.

Although I love my JKU and feel proud when I'm in it, we all know Wranglers aren't the most comfortable rides and they thirst for gas. My daily drive one-way to work is 25 miles of boring, non-eventful highway, hardly the type of drive that allows me to bask in the enjoyment of my Wrangler. I got all the wear and tear of the mileage but no real enjoyment of the drives as a trade off. Also parking at my place of employment is cramped and I always worried about possible door dings or other mishaps that can occur when constantly parking in tight spaces not to mention I live in Atlanta and theft is always a possibility.

Driving the Camry saves on gas, makes my mundane drive more comfortable and takes the anxiety away about possible mishaps. I don't care about a door ding or 2 or if the worst happened like an accident or theft I wouldn't cry over the Camry.

I know tons of you folks have multiple nice vehicles and don't daily drive the Jeep but it's a different kind of feeling going from a beater Camry to a newer, nicer, lifted Wrangler. It feels like getting in a new vehicle on the weekends.

And last week I ordered a JLUR, eagerly waiting on it's arrival but I will STILL daily drive the beater Camry.

Who else drives a beater as their daily but has a nice JL at home?
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LAWS

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I daily drive a 15 corolla, not a beater yet but Ive had it since new and my butt has put 96k miles in the drivers seat. Will still be my monday-thursday 26mile each way drive to work car. When the JL arrives in the next week or two it will only go fun places or up the dirt roads and trails ive driven past in my corolla for the past six years. Im really looking forward to having both vehicles. Just not choosing between the nice new jeep in the garage or the car Im scraping the windows on every morning....
 
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SouthernJL

SouthernJL

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@LAWS

Definitely not a beater yet, but having a new JL and a 5-6 year old car as a daily is a perfect combo in my opinion. The daily is still new enough to be dependable but not so new that you worry about every little thing that happens to it.

At 14 years and 140k miles I'm sometimes worried my Camry will quit on me soon. It hasn't so far though and starts up every time.
 
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SouthernJL

SouthernJL

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You bought your fiancés car from her? Hmm.
Yes I did. Something wrong with that? She had planned on recouping the downpayment she made on the new Camry with the funds from the sale of the old Camry. So I bought it from her. Wouldn't have been fair to her to just lose 4 or 5k by giving it to me.
 

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dgoodhue

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I drive a beater. I have a 2009 Outback with 142k miles. I bought 3 years ago, I drive it in the winter, into the city, to parking lots (potential door dings) and to the dump/yard waste. It still looks good but it does a few few door dings and small dent from a branch which I haven't fretted about. If I cared more I would have paid the dent-less repair to fix it. I will probably pass it to my kids when they start driving in a little over 2 years.
 

dgoodhue

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I drive a beater. I have a 2009 Outback with 142k miles. I bought 3 years ago, I drive it in the winter, into the city, to parking lots (potential door dings) and to the dump/yard waste. It still looks good but it does a few few door dings and small dent from a branch which I haven't fretted about. If I cared more I would have paid the dent-less repair to fix it. I will probably pass it to my kids when they start driving in a little over 2 years.
I thought about selling it for moment with the recent uptick in used car valued and stimulus. I would just eventually buy another beater and this one runs and drives good with out any issues.
 

entropy

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I do the same but with a new 2020 Camry. It is pure comfort to commute. I guess it doesnt count as a beater, but I get all the other perks. I was driving a 2013 corolla before this one, but just couldnt take the old radio anymore. Plus the corolla doesnt drive nearly as nice as the Camry.
 
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SouthernJL

SouthernJL

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I thought about selling it for moment with the recent uptick in used car valued and stimulus. I would just eventually buy another beater and this one runs and drives good with out any issues.
Yea, you definitely don't want to sell your current, good running beater only to buy someone else's beater with all its unknown potential issues.

I think as long as I own a Wrangler, or any new vehicle, I'll own a beater to put my wear and tear miles on.
 
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SouthernJL

SouthernJL

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I do the same but with a new 2020 Camry. It is pure comfort to commute. I guess it doesnt count as a beater, but I get all the other perks. I was driving a 2013 corolla before this one, but just couldnt take the old radio anymore. Plus the corolla doesnt drive nearly as nice as the Camry.
You're not giving up much when you go from your new Wrangler to your new Camry. Both are nice new vehicles.

But it takes a whole other mindset to park a new JL and get in an old duster beater, lol.
 

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AlgUSF

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Original A/C Compressor (in Florida), original clutch, 3 timing belts, head has never been off (yet). I think I've almost got my money (14K in 2002) out of it.

Jeep Wrangler JL Who else daily drives a beater?? 63805022057__94030C00-8426-4524-ACF2-8A60CCD6D9A9
 
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SouthernJL

SouthernJL

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@AlgUSF

Old Accords, Civics, Camrys and Corollas make the perfect beater if you're going to keep a car 15 to 20 years. At my last job 2 years ago I was mentoring under one of the long time employees. I know this guy was making well into the 6 figures. But Every time we met at the job site, he'd show up in his 95 Camry. He said all he'd ever done is change the oil and the car just won't die.

I have no idea if he had another newer car, I only ever saw him in that Camry.

I may never break even on the gas savings daily driving the Camry, not to mention the extra expense of paying car insurance on 2 vehicles. But I do know I'm saving on Jeep depreciation to some degree. But mostly it's just a peace of mind that my new vehicle looks, feels and smells new for longer while I beat up on my daily.
 

AlgUSF

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@AlgUSF

Old Accords, Civics, Camrys and Corollas make the perfect beater if you're going to keep a car 15 to 20 years. At my last job 2 years ago I was mentoring under one of the long time employees. I know this guy was making well into the 6 figures. But Every time we met at the job site, he'd show up in his 95 Camry. He said all he'd ever done is change the oil and the car just won't die.

I have no idea if he had another newer car, I only ever saw him in that Camry.

I may never break even on the gas savings daily driving the Camry, not to mention the extra expense of paying car insurance on 2 vehicles. But I do know I'm saving on Jeep depreciation to some degree. But mostly it's just a peace of mind that my new vehicle looks, feels and smells new for longer while I beat up on my daily.
I'm an Engineer with 20 years of professional experience, and before COVID when I was commuting my coworkers always laughed at me. I've owned a lot of cars, and this is the one that I can't seem to part with. May be the fact that I've done most of the wrench turning on it. I'm doing a timing belt on my wife's 2013 Odyssey right now, that may be a car that we hand down to our daughter when she turns 18.
 

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When my JL 2 dr finally arrives my beater will be my '19 Silverado Trail Boss
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