Would an electric bike close the gap? It's not as expensive as a car. It's also better for the environment and your body. A $3k car might sound like a better deal than a $3k bike but then you'd have to pay for fuel and maintenance.
Yeah. My first car in 1996 was a Buick Century that I got for $1,000. My brother had this shitty mid-80s 2-door Pontiac Sunbird that he got for like $600 in 91 when he graduated from high school. I kept that Buick in service until 2001 when I enlisted, I don't know what happened to it after that. I got a 94 Ford Ranger, around 2003, when I needed a car again and was making some better money for around $4,000. I sold that truck to an old colleague in 2009 (he still has it today) and got a used Scion xB for $6,000, which I till have today.
It blew me away when I got that Scion. It was a steal of a deal. I was looking at used, late 90s model Civics at the time, because I needed a commuter that could do 50 miles one way with decent MPG and with something I knew that I could keep on the road, and those cars held their value so well into the late 2000s that it blew me away. People were asking $3,000-$4,000 for them with 150k-200k miles.
Today, I make something crazy like about 15x what I made in 1996, but I still have that Scion. I plan to keep it on the road for another 11 years. After all, it's a Toyota and it's given me no trouble at 150k miles. It goes to the shop for tires, everything else I handle in my garage. It's a commuter for my wife that goes about 5 miles one way these days.
My neighbors comment on it all of the time. They think it's an unsightly beater sitting in front of our ludicrously expensive homes. I thought about selling it for a while but their shitty attitudes have convinced me to keep it around.
Those xB were really a great car and practical. I still remember those Scion meetups they would have where they encouraged an active aftermarket community. For their odd design it has aged well. I still see a lot on the road, I think you'll have no problem getting it to last that long.
