You pay cash for it and then run it into the ground. Cars will never be an investment (they're a depreciating asset, except in 2021), but this way you can keep

You pay cash for it and then run it into the ground. Cars will never be an investment (they're a depreciating asset, except in 2021), but this way you can keep your consumption to a minimum. I've got a 14-year-old Honda that I paid $14K for. That amortizes out to about $1K/year. Annual repair bills and smog checks are still way less than $1K/year (I think I spend amortized $200-300/year, plus vehicle registration renewal, which is less on super old cars than new). I hear there are people out there now who spend $1K/month on their car payment. It's pretty nice to not have to deal with that. It's got plenty of life left too - I'm hoping to keep it until EV technology stabilizes a bit and then just upgrade straight to whatever EV gets it right.