What Cheap Car Could You Afford With Your Tax Refund?

Tax day has come and gone, and now we are seeing a very thin trickle of returns coming some Americans' way. Somehow, my husband and I ended up getting back nearly $2,000, while my brother and his wife, who are public school teachers barely making ends meet, ended up owing the government. The mysterious alchemy of our tax laws will never cease to amaze me. 

Anyway, thanks to this little windfall from our masters, my eyes began scanning through Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist again. It got me thinking, in this era of inflation and $1,000 monthly car payments, what kind of car can a person get with just their government check in hand? All we read and write about all day is how expensive cars are nowadays, so what does a cheap car look like in 2026? 

That's what I'm asking you today: What car could you reasonably afford with your tax return?

Just take a moment to take it all in. In all its glory, a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. With just 139,000 miles on it, this baby has got whole months left in her. Hell, maybe a year. All joking aside, this is clearly a well-loved example of the floundering brand's last gasps. These cars are surprisingly sturdy. I still see tons of Grands Prix and its smaller sister vehicles, the G5 and G6, motoring around Detroit in great working order. This orphaned Pontiac sports a 200-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 under the hood, one of GM's famously durable 3800 engines. The current owner says it runs well, and I believe them. 

Does it have a few bumps and scrapes? You betcha. Is it a survivor that will take a licking and keep on ticking for some time, all for the low, low cost of $1,700, plus the $20 it takes to cross the Ambassador Bridge (this very Detroit car is actually in Ontario)?  Also, you betcha. And that's about what the feds decided to give back instead of sending it to SpaceX or Raytheon. Wins all around. What about you? What car are you buying with your come-back cash?