The developers have introduced a (currently in alpha). You start with a beater car, take on delivery jobs (where you are paid based on the condition of the cargo), run taxi services, or compete in rally stages. Damage costs money to repair. If you wreck your engine, you have to grind low-paying jobs to afford a new block.
It is impossible to discuss BeamNG without acknowledging its community. The game was built with modding in mind, and the Steam Workshop integration has allowed the game to expand far beyond the developer's original scope. beamng