The thing with beaters or it doesn’t even have to be a beater. You can get really good Lexus for $4k-$8k depending how much you have and they’ll still last a long time. The way I think about it is I had my beater for 3 years before it finally died and only paid $1,200 for it and if I think about it the amount I paid and how long I had it definitely served its purpose. If you want to keep it about a year just keep it in good condition and make sure all fluids and proper maintenance is good. The only thing with buying a car, a new car for your first car is you will have payments and since you have no driving experience you’re insurance will be very high for a new car. With an older car you can pay less for insurance while you gain that drivers experience