One of my all time favorite writers is Ross Thomas. He was a WW2 veteran who became a Washington reporter before he started writing crime novels. In one of his books people are stunned to find out that a rich guy spent $3 million to build a house near the California coast. Later we learn that he promises to pay his personal lawyer the exact same salary as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

1980s book

back in the early 90s you could buy a decommissioned post office mail jeep for $50 all day long. $500 could get you a vw bug all day long. $1000 had plenty of vw buses.

none of these were all that reliable or warm or safe.

My first car was a 1991 Honda Ascot. I bought it in 2003 in Japan, when I was stationed there with the US military. I bought it off a fellow service member who was leaving the country, for $1,000. I gave it to another service member for free when I bought a better car a year later.

My first car was a 1986 Toyota 4Runner that I bought for $1200. It had 4WD, manual transmission and a removable top, effectively converting it from an SUV to a pickup truck with a back seat. It was an absolute blast romping through the desert with the top missing and my cousins in the back.

My biggest regret was selling it when I was 18 so I could buy a Mitsubishi Lancer because of the Fast and Furious films. Biggest mistake ever. It wasn’t even an Evo. Ended up crashing it a few years later. Now I drive a 350Z Roadster. Those stupid movies permanently changed my taste in cars (at least it’s a convertible).

Someday I will again own an SUV with a removable top. But they’re not exactly common. Broncos are too expensive and I don’t want a Jeep. Maybe in 10-20 years…

I just did a search on auto trader for every car on sale in Britain. There are several under £300 which aren’t listed as broken, and this isn’t the USA where you’re allowed to drive something dangerously unsafe. I imagine you can get plenty with your $1000.