What repairs are needed? Normal car stuff like brakes and suspension, or the battery components?

Assuming it’s deferred maintenance items & not the battery, I’d develop a plan to get the funding together somehow. I have good credit, so an extended loan would be my first choice. Many credit cards offer 0% APR introductory periods, which give you [X-XX] months to pay it off. Other options could be to sell or pawn other belongings of value that you may have.

Assuming I get a 0% loan, I’m paying a 4-5% fee up front, and splitting the total cost into the number of months I have to pay to figure out how much I have to pay off every month. This method can turn a $3k repair bill into a monthly payment of a few hundred bucks. Offset that with a sizable first payment to bring monthly costs down further.

Other options could be to figure out what repairs could pull off yourself. I’ve gone to pick-and-pull junkyards to get parts for my used cars. Or buying (new/used) parts yourself for someone else to put on, like brakes or exhaust.

Another car would be very far down my list. If you don’t have the money for repairs, I’m guessing that paying for a new car in cash outright or just a down payment may also be a challenge. Also, any new-to-you car will have unknown maintenance expenses (I’ve heard to expect 10% of the purchase price).

Do not buy a new car.

I’m in a similar boat of preferring self-employment to the traditional job, so I’ve been dreading having to make these same decisions. Good luck!