Cars are not a status symbol with me, either, which is why I drive a 17-year-old hand-me-down from son #2. It "needs" paint and a new interior roof liner, but I hesitate to throw money at cosmetics.
As long as you buy a used car with cosmetic damage only, as opposed to a flood-damaged one, you should be OK.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069