A jalopy is an old, beat-up car that barely runs but somehow keeps chugging along. Picture a rusty sedan with a dented fender, a door that won't quite close, and an engine that coughs and sputters at every stoplight. The paint might be peeling, the seats could be torn, and strange rattling noises might echo from somewhere under the hood.

The word carries a certain affection, though. When you call a car a jalopy, you're acknowledging both its flaws and its persistence: despite all its problems, it still gets you where you need to go. Your neighbor's ancient pickup truck that backfires every morning? That's a jalopy. The family station wagon held together with duct tape and hope? Definitely a jalopy.

People don't usually call brand new cars or well-maintained vehicles jalopies, even if they're inexpensive. A jalopy has earned its status through years of hard use, countless repairs, and a stubborn refusal to quit completely. Some families grow fond of their jalopies precisely because they're unreliable and ridiculous, like a loyal pet that's always getting into trouble but never actually runs away.