[Jims5543]

I have had 3 different $600 beaters in the last 15 years and every one of them were more dependable than my $50K Audi.

I had:

$600 - Honda Civic, no a/c DX model that got 40MPG. Drove it for 130K miles before I sold it for $600.

$500 Toyota Tercel - Again no a/c rust bucket but ran like a top. Drove it for 1 year while I set up my company.

$600 VW Scirocco - drove it for 1.5 years only problem was a water pump - I replaced it in the apartment complex parking lot so fast no one could yell at me for breaking the rules working on it in the parking lot.

Find an old Toyota or Honda for less than a grand, do all the basic maintenance and he will have a great beater to run around in.