# A certified tree hugger's advice for buying clunkers😆 **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195 "2026-09-04T14:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Robert-Gift](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/robert-gift/32/356_2.png) [@Robert-Gift](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Robert-Gift)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/1 "2026-09-04T14:45:18Z")
Original title “Stay dirty. New Used Cars are Junk”© changed without my knowledge. Should be _ **“Registered tree-hugger and Greenie’s”** _ … Not my advice. [![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/6/5/65999d3f029054c6bf50884afa4ec09516ac4e50.jpeg "The sad reality of used cars #mechanic #automobile #ford #shorts") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqdpyNwKyUs) ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/2 "2026-09-04T16:27:59Z")
![200w](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/f/5/f5b26bbf2f6db2cfda2e409d3681ddf6a725af64.gif) ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/3 "2026-09-04T17:25:52Z")
You need to add _ **under $20,000** _ to the title of the thread… He never said that all used cars are junk… He was specifically talking about used vehicles **under 200,000 miles and under $20K** … The price of good-quality used vehicles has partly gone up because of what those vehicles cost when they were new… New vehicles are significantly more expensive than they were 10 years ago, so naturally, that has pushed up the price of comparable used vehicles as well… It’s not necessarily that newer used cars are “junk” — the market and the cost of vehicles have changed considerably… ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 5:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/4 "2026-09-04T17:36:08Z")
I found 1200 vehicles within 30 miles of me with under 100,000 miles, under 10 years old, and priced between $14,000 and $17,500. I VERY much doubt that all of them are “junk”. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/5 "2026-09-04T17:47:58Z")
“Newer Used Cars are Junk”, Those are not _newer_ used cars, they are _older_ used cars (that Ford is 12 years old). They are too old to be on a new dealer’s used car lot. Respectable dealers don’t sell used cars with 200,000 miles on them. That YouTube guy is in the entertainment business, not providing real advice. Those old cars are a gamble and buyers should offer accordingly. Trouble is that there are enough people that will finance old car purchases and pay the asking price. Those are the cars Dave Ramsey refers to as a “$2,000 beater” that one should buy to avoid car payments. Today, they ask $12,000 for the $2K beater Ramsey talks about. People are better off to keep the $20,000 vehicle and avoid those worn-out cars. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/6 "2026-09-04T18:12:15Z")
Another posted video by RG that does not offer anything of use. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/7 "2026-09-04T18:35:45Z")
You are correct that no one should finance a used vehicle with 200k miles on it, and that the asking prices for these vehicles are ridiculous considering how much of the useful life has already been depleted. However, the fact remains that buying a used vehicle from the 1990s or 2000s with 200k miles on it is a much better bet than buying a used vehicle from the 2010s-2020s with 200k miles on it. The 1990s-2000s vehicle will be cheap enough to justify the high mileage, and it will be easier to work on when necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/8 "2026-09-04T19:08:06Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > Another posted video by RG that does not offer anything of use. The quality of new threads in general on this forum is at an all-time low, and if someone posts a real automotive topic as @CapriRacer did, it gets hijacked every time. And when someone posts an empty reply with nothing more than criticism for the OP, they acquire “likes”. This doesn’t improve the standard of the forum. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/9 "2026-09-04T22:09:43Z")
> [@Robert-Gift](#): > > Original title changed without my knowledge. The moderator will blame you for this mischief and delete your thread. ---
**Author:** ![Robert-Gift](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/robert-gift/32/356_2.png) [@Robert-Gift](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Robert-Gift)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 1:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/10 "2026-09-05T01:59:41Z")
Suspect that the moderator knows who changed Stay Dirty. Newer Used Cars are Junk© ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/11 "2026-09-05T02:12:08Z")
> [@Robert-Gift](#): > > Suspect that the moderator knows who changed They have access to the edit history. However, they are not going to get involved in what they might consider to be a personal squabble. I say this based on the unacceptable conduct shown here lately that has gone unmoderated. ---
**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 10:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/12 "2026-09-05T10:13:57Z")
Totally agree with questioning the “wisdom” of a $2000 beater car. I place a high value on reliability and frankly repairability on any car that I own/drive. If I have to miss or take time off work to get my “$2000 beater” fixed every month, it’s not saving me anything. A family member has a 25 year old Chevrolet pickup truck that’s been having the same intermittent problems for years. He’s spent a fortune on different garages “fixing” the problems, only for the same issues to arise with the next few months. Often times the truck won’t start when he needs it, or barely makes it home. He’s convinced he’s “beaten the system” and “saved money” by keeping the same truck all these years. I don’t agree. But your mileage may vary. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/13 "2026-09-05T11:57:40Z")
> [@ledhed75](#): > > He’s spent a fortune on different garages “fixing” the problems, only for the same issues to arise with the next few months. Often times the truck won’t start when he needs it, or barely makes it home. I used to know a guy who “saved money” by holding onto his old, extremely unreliable AMC Hornet. I, along with his other friends, learned to not include him in our plans for movies, dinner, hikes, and other outings because he was consistently 1-1.5 hours late for everything as a result of that Hornet. In addition to the social stigma, he lost a job because of his inability to be on time for work, and for missing too many work days as a result of the Hornet. But, he was “saving money”! ---
**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 12:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/14 "2026-09-05T12:46:30Z")
Agreed. I’ve realized there are people who value their time, and people who value their money. But with either path you choose, there’s always a “cost” one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 8:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/15 "2026-09-05T20:59:34Z")
I think some folks are remembering a $2000 used car being doable, but in the year 2000 or so. Inflated that’s about $4000 today. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/16 "2026-09-05T21:23:40Z")
There’s tons of $2000 cars at pick a part 🗑 ---
**Author:** ![Beancounter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Beancounter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beancounter)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-certified-tree-huggers-advice-for-buying-clunkers/206195/17 "2026-09-05T22:37:45Z")
Why we’re tolerating this foolishness is beyond me. Any used car buyer with a lick of sense can buy a “near luxury” 2012 Buick Lacrosse with less than 100,000 miles for $10,000 or less. A Full Size vehicle, V6 engine, often with leather interior and with plenty of life remaining. It ain’t gonna impress your “friends” but they’re not paying your bills.