If you buy a good used car it will last a long time with few repairs. I just don't buy the line that old cars are beaters and will require a lot of work. I've had good luck buying off of craigslist, cars that have been well cared for and have many more miles left. I paid $4150 for an 10 year old Audi A6 wagon with 150,000 miles on it, we had it for four years when I sold it for $2500 with 210,000 miles. It needed a few repairs but nothing major - alternator, CV joint. I kept careful records on that one and overall it was cheap to own and operate. Now we have a VW GTI, we bought it when it was 10 years old with 90,000 miles for $7000, and it has needed a few things (transmission, exhaust). We've had it for 4 years and it has 150,000 miles, still runs great, and is an absolute blast to drive. We also have a ford ranger that is 15 years old, we paid $2800 when it had 210,000 miles on it 2 years ago and it runs like a champ. The key with that one is it had been owned by Ford mechanics and was well cared for. In my opinion the older cars with more miles have been more reliable and cost less overall than the "newer" VW. I have never been left stranded by any of these cars. I have a completely unfounded theory that on a well maintained car after 150,000 miles most of the important repairs have been completed and you have 50,000+ miles of super cheap driving. But I'm sure some folks can prove me wrong on that one.