beaters what options do us mopar lovers have?
I drive about 500 miles per week commuting, so I can offer some input:
Beater cars need to either be cheap to repair or very reliable. I've had the best luck out of GM TBI V8s, Hondas and Toyotas.
I try to buy everything with a manual transmission unless the automatic is well known for reliablity(I've changed 3 GM automatic transmissions so far).
Driving a carbureted car everyday is a non-issue as long as it's not a terrible carb to begin with. People drove carbs for years, day in and day out.
I had 2 cars with carbs that never ran right no matter how much i worked on them. One in fact was a 1984 Dodge Aries.
On the other hand my 1978 Bonneville w/ 70k started right up each morning no matter what, warmed up on the automatic choke, and ran without a single hiccup all day. Learn to repair and adjust automatic chokes and life will be much easier.
My current DD is a 2001 Hyundai Elantra that I bought for $1300 last spring. 170,000 and it uses no oil and runs great with cold air and hot heat. On the other hand it is ugly as sin and I don't like being seen in it.
If you want the very BEST daily driver, buy a good running 86-up 5.0L Mustang. RWD, V8..they are a blast..I had 7 of them. They can be tricky in the rain though.