yeah... I drove cheap worthless cars and have a clean driving record and insurance was still like $700/yr for liability only. In some states you can sorta get away with not having insurance for a little while but its a mess if you get caught. plus idk, $100 registration? cheapest to operate was probably just oil changes and gas but eventually other maintenance will always be needed (tires brakes bulbs, other fluids).

No car is ever cheap really, theres a reason the average cost of ownership is like $6k a year min