aww I know It’s okay
Barkydog, no, ahk is an exclamation, sort of like “aww darn!”
I had 2 customers who earned a decent living delivering the local paper and both had 2 vehicles that they attempted to keep in good running condition. One was very attached to Toyotas and the other had a back yard full of Geo Trackers for spare parts and when I went out of business he found that Astro vans were profitable.
And just as a possible heads up you might look deeper into the details of being paid as a 1099 contractor. Filing quarterly taxes is necessary and there must be a paper trail to substantiate all the deductions. An IRS audit can be a financially crippling experience.
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Thanks those are helpful suggestions Rod, and I do things in the proper and legal way, thanks for your honest concern. I don’t want to get into my tax process, that’s not the advice I was needing.
ANd LOL consequently I do have a geo tracker in my yard, great little vehicle but it’s quite rusted.
Let me add that if your Mazda is a manual 6 speed it is likely that clutches will be a very expensive problem for you. And also, a right hand steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedal are available for many vehicles. I have installed those kits in various cars and trucks including rural mail and paper delivery vehicles and driver’s ed cars.
And another vehicle option that is vanishing is old right hand drive mail Jeeps. The ones with American Motors and Chevrolet engines are the easiest to keep running cheaply. Some used European engines and parts are nearly impossible to find. There are still a few on the road in my area.
Rod_knox I’ve been doing it with a manual for almost 3 years now and my clutch is as good as the day I bought the car, it confuses people I know and for some strange reason angers many but it is my job and trust me it works best for me and I know how to do my job.
Also it’s funny but my buddy who delilvers also drives an astro van.
driving styles make a great deal of difference in the wear and tear on many parts @GailTempest, and the clutch is one of the first components to fail in stop and go driving. I was just commenting on the probabilities based on my own experience repairing vehicles Your clutch experience so far is certainly above average.
And as for the Astro vans, they have proven to be at the upper end of near bullet proof for many owners but they would almost certainly require having a right hand drive kit installed. I doubt if they can operate on a rural delivery route at anywhere near the mileage of a Geo Tracker or any small sedan. I imagine that 10 miles per gallon would be difficult to achieve. What mileage are other carriers getting and what are they driving?
I’ve got scoliosis myself, plus other physical problems and even another disability . . . which I’m not inclined to discuss on this forum, you understand. . . so I can sort of relate to you, to what degree I’m not sure, though
I admire people with your drive 
Did you spray the bolts with penetrant and allow it to work in?
Were you using a 1/2" breaker bar for the more stubborn bolts, or a 3/8" drive ratchet?
How much money are you planning on spending for this 2nd vehicle?
A Prius will consume half of the fuel your Mazda uses. Brake replacement and oil changes should be needed half as often as your current car.
I don’t think you will save money driving an old postal truck but you will have enough extra space to carry furniture (300 newspapers will fit in a compact car).
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Beater? A Geo Metro should be fine. Up to 50mpg. They were engineered to be disposable so when it wears out just get another one. Personally I would rather drive a Mazda 6.
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A Geo Metro ? They stopped production in 2001 so that is 17 years ago. Finding one that a person would even try to use on a daily basis sounds almost impossible.
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Tesla. Uses no gas.
Or, if that’s out of your budget, let us know what your budget is and we can give you more relevant answers. 
A Geo Metro will be older and less safe than OP’s 2009 Mazda 6
Since she apparently sometimes has her daughter in the car, I wouldn’t recommend the Metro
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I really don’t know but you need cargo space so some kind of an SUV or wagon and probably a 4 cyl and I think you mind need an AWD model depending on the roads you run on. I’ve known two folks that delivered papers and one just used a Ford mid sized wagon and the other a Ford van. I won’t say anything about having a paper route. My nephew in Kansas always had a paper route and I kinda questioned it until I saw his operation. His whole van was loaded and he had a second person as a roller along. He actually made a lot of money at it.
If you find a car that gets double the gas mileage that gets you down to $225 a month for gas, car payments and insurance are probably going to be that much if not more, so no pay raise.
A $5000.00 car would take you 2 years just to break even.
If you want older cars, you should avoid hybrids. The hybrid battery is probably nearing the end of its useful life, and could be expensive to repair. Look for a small car with good gas mileage. Go to fueleconomy.gov to see the EPA ratings for vehicles about as far back as you should consider. The purpose of the EPA mileage ratings is to compare cars in equal conditions. Users may also report their own mileage for comparison purposes.
In 2006, the highest gas mileage for a non-hybrid that wasn’t a VW diesel was the 1.8L Toyota Corolla with manual transmission: 31 MPG for combined highway/city.
ItsMe I have 2000 cash, I guess one person’s beater is another person’s trash, but around here in PA you can get decent vehicles for 2000.00. I have a good mechanic who I use all the time and gives me a decent price.
I can do without AWD I’ve gotten pretty good at getting around in a front wheel drive sedan on these heavily covered back roads. Many of the other delivery guys/girls drive small SUV’s and vans but they complain about making less than minimum wage. Not sure why they need a vehicle that big, I can always put more papers in the back seat or a hatchback.
It’s amazing what four snow tires can do for a car in the snow, and studs makes it even better.