[romwell]

>All I would get if I buy a $3k car is unnecessary suffering and inconvenience, and significantly higher risk of death in an accident, that wouldn't amount to much savings in hindsight.

Perhaps so, but at some point one does see diminishing returns on getting a newer vehicle.

$3K these days won't get a hassle-free car, but $6K perhaps would.

How does one get safety statistics? I thought that any car made, say, in 2010 wouldn't come with a significantly higher risk of death compared to the same model made today.