This is true....I always look at a $1000 car like this: I COULD buy a car from a lot and pay $250 or more per month plus full coverage insurance which if you do the math comes up to 4 months of payments....If a $1000 car lasts longer than 4 months, then it was well worth it. If not, then it wasn't. Most of the $1000-$1500 cars I have bought in the past have lasted at least a year. Most of them I sold before they broke, but always after a year or so. Cheap rent. Try to lease a car for those prices. if you pay $1000 for it and it lasts longer than 12 months, it was less than $100 per month. Again, try to lease or rent a car for that. But....the thing needs to last at least 12 months without repairs to make it worth it. Otherwise, it might be better to buy new depending on your credit and downpayment.