<prompt> Human: Backstory: I was driving a 2010 Ford Fusion SE which was totaled when someone rear-ended me in their 94 Ford Pickup. It completely crunched the back, sent glass shards flying from the back window all the way into the front seat, and left just a tiny dent on the grill of his truck.Fast forward to now: I owed 3k for the car and his insurance is paying me 8215 for the car, leaving me with 5k to go toward a replacement vehicle. My current financial situation: Im a non-traditional student going back to school for a degree in Computer Science and wont be finished until December 2017. I currently owe a lot of money on credit card debt accumulated to keep us afloat while I go back to school and can only work part time. Im working an internship that pays 17hour that allows me to work 25 hours during school and 40 hours a week otherwise. My wife is currently unemployed while she takes care of our 3 month old son, so that makes finding a used car more difficult for me as well, since I cant get something too small. Why Im considering an old beater: With a cheaper car, I can start using the 300 a month Id be paying on a car payment normally toward paying off other debts, starting with what I owe on my phones still on the ATamp;T Next Plan and moving on toward the higher balance credit card bills. Insurance would also be cheaper since itd be a cheap car hardly worth paying anything for if its totaled so itd be a double gain.Why Im considering a new car: There are several reasons I want a new car specifically a Honda Civic which Ill outline below: The monthly car payment will be roughly equal to what I was going to be paying on my old car for the next year anyway Fusion was set to be paid off next August. I can get them to knock off quite a bit from the sticker price, so depreciation is less of a concern. The sticker price of the Honda EX-T with the add-ons they included at the dealership was 25k, and hes able to knock down to 20,660. Interest rates are incredibly low right now. Worst case scenario Im willing to pay for a new car is 3.99 APR, which is higher than Id like considering my Fusion was 1.74, but still much better than the horror stories of 14 that Dave Ramsey wrote about in his 1993 edition of financial peace. Again on the depreciation thing, that argument doesnt work for multiple reasons for me, such as the car holding its value quite well after the price cuts, plus the fact that barring a car accident, I expect this car to last me 15 years knock on wood anyway. With an old beater, Id most likely want to get rid of it not too long after finishing school and finding a decent developer job. Looking for a used car thats a good deal is incredibly time-consuming and stressful, especially on top of my current course load at school. Im really torn right now on which route I should take. Id have peace of mind from both instances, either in the form of one less monthly payment to worry about, or not having to worry about getting a lemon used car that breaks down on me on my way to classworkelsewhere. EDIT: Since the majority of you decided to take this as an invitation to roast instead of give helpful advice, Im done with this thread and subreddit. Some advice for most of you: dont make assumptions past what youve been told stick to the question at hand get off your high horse As for my final decision, thats none of your concern, but feel free to be a dick about it as you all have been. Cheers. Assistant: You act like these are your only choices. Theyre not.You can get a civic for any price you want to pay. Dont pay 20K for something thats hardly better than one you can get for 10K and even that is more than you want to spend. Your income is limited here, and you have credit card debt.Human: Unfortunately the older model Civics arent really to my liking as their engine noise is far too loud, and the main reason I got a Fusion as my 2nd ever car to replace the Civic I had before it. Also, the Civics I can get for 10k aside from previously mentioned issues tend to have 150k or more miles on them. As it stands, I currently have my eye on a 2001 Honda Accord with 50k miles on it going for 6200 lowest price I could get the dealership to go from its markup of 7900 and another 1997 Accord with 80k miles on it marked up to 6100. Both of these are DOUBLE their value in the Kelly Blue Book, so Im a bit reluctant to make a move on these even if they are more affordable.  <response>: Those are still not your only choices.Look for private party sales; they have no motivation to do that sort of markup. 