If you’re a frugal person, you may be planning to drive your car “until the wheels fall off.” However, while thriftiness and frugality are great values to possess most of the time, there are a few times when you might want to pass on the cheapest option. Driving a junk car is one of those times.

If your ride could best be described as a junker, clunker, rust bucket, or hunka-junk, keep reading—this post is for you!

Dangers of Driving a Junk Car

Retro style is cool. Retro safety features? Not so much.

The auto industry has come a long way, and no, we’re not just talking about the days before seat belts. Even high-end cars manufactured 10 years ago are substantially less safe than today’s basic vehicles, as car safety standards and technology continue to develop exponentially over the years.
With so many features available these days—smart seat belts, additional airbags (not just in the steering wheel), passenger cabins, accident avoidance systems—the benefits of driving a beater car just don’t seem worth the trade off in safety.

That car’s not “lit”—it’s on fire!

Even if you invest the labor in maintaining your old junk car, it can still become a fire hazard over time. Old, decomposing wire insulation is a common culprit that junk car drivers often don’t realize is happening until a fire starts. And it’s not just the electrical system that can cause a fire; automotive fuel lines and pumps also degrade over time, so if your vehicle is over 10 years old, the likelihood of a fuel malfunction-induced fire goes up.

You could end up stranded on the side of the road.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. After all, time is money! Even if you splurge for a roadside assistance service like AAA, breaking down on the side of the road is pretty inconvenient.

Captain Planet would be ashamed.

You’re not just putting your safety at stake when you drive a dangerous junk car; you’re also harming the environment! Even with your best efforts, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to get the emissions from your junk car lower than a newer model. In fact, you may even have trouble passing an emissions test, putting your “street legal” status in jeopardy.
Even if you’re not concerned about your carbon footprint, do you really want to keep paying for all of that gas when you could drive something with better gas mileage?

You might be losing money keeping it running.

Gas isn’t the only money hole you’re throwing your hard-earned dollars into when you drive a junk car. You’ll also end up paying for constant repairs, replacement parts, and possibly even rental cars or rideshare services when your beater car is on the fritz.

Ready to part ways with a rolling money pit? If so, at least you can comfort your thrifty heart by selling your junk car to U-Wrench-It. We buy junk cars in Atlanta, and we pay the most of any junk car buyers around. Call us at 404-805-0900 to get started!

5 Dangers of Driving a Junk Car (And How You Can Sell It Instead!)