What's the best way to quickly get a car on low budget with a poor credit score?
I am starting a new position somewhere that I'll absolutely need a car, so I have to buy one. But I have a poor credit score, so the best APR rate I can receive is about 18%. That means financing a car isn't really an option for me. I also have lots of expenses in the coming few months because of moving etc., for which I need to use a large part of my savings, so I'll be left with little cash in hand. The only cars I could afford to buy without financing (i.e. buy it out at once) would be some old affordable car, say a 2008-2010 Nissan or Hyundai with at least 100k miles mileage. I'm new to the US and never owned a car here, and even before coming here I had a car only for a very short period, so I'm totally agnostic about car maintenance and expenses, especially in the US. I'm also not a handy person at all and can't do the simplest diagnosis or repairs myself (I barely know how to fill in the tank of a car!). Also, I'm totally unfamiliar with car leasing, which I thought might be a more affordable and suitable option right now, despite the total loss, if my low credit score wouldn't be a problem for leasing (as I said, I have no idea how that thing works, so don't know if credit score matters for it). So, I am looking for advice on how to make this work. What would be the total cost, including insurance, maintenance, and fuel, for an affordable 2008 sedan or compact car (e.g. a Hyundai Elantra) with ~120k miles on the clock. In terms of usage, I think in average I will be driving ~40 mins per day in the city/suburb during weekdays, and ~2 hours on the road in addition to that during the weekends. Keep in mind: