I’m not ashamed to admit it: I am a broke American. After years of wage stagnation and rampant inflation, many of us are. Some are experiencing being broke for the first time in a long time, maybe ever. It’s up to us Old Poors to lead New Poors through the gauntlet of gig job apps and paycheck cashing places to the ultimate goal of being broke but semi-functional.
Just because you’re broke doesn’t mean you can’t have a car. Far from it! Most economically depressed places in the U.S. are heavily reliant on this expensive mode of private transportation. My vote for the best broke person car is the Pontiac G6, or, if you’re classy, the Grand Am.
I know what you’re thinking; but Erin, Pontiac hasn’t even existed as a brand in 13 years. Surely a broke person wouldn’t be able to even find such a vehicle, let alone keep up with repairs. And to that I say, bunk. For I have seen the G6 stretched beyond any sane driver’s limits and still keep ticking.
These stalwart vehicles still to this day can be seen traversing every corner of Detroit. It’s practically the city’s official car. Rusted, dented, whining out emissions from where its catalytic converter once was, the G6 is the ultimate broke person’s car because it just, keeps, going. They can’t be killed. They’re zombies from a forgotten automaker wandering the streets delivering Uber Eats and rushing to make the next shift. Nothing so fancy and complicated as the Pontiac G8 but with slightly better build quality than the G5, the Pontiac G6 is a legend to those short on cash but in need of transit.
They may not be much in terms of car enthusiasm, but gosh darn it, I admire the Pontiac G6. It’s truly the People’s Car. But there are a lot of options out there — is it better to drop what little cash you have on a bulletproof Toyota Camry or early 2000’s F-150? Or are super cheap and super disposable, like, say, a used Nissan Leaf, the way to go? Sound off in the comments.