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The $25k car is going extinct?

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Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#131

Post by marcus_holmes »

denkmoon wrote: post #50

welp, guess my corolla needs to last until I die. I spent about $9k usd (in australia though) on it second hand pre covid and I'm just gobsmacked at the prices of vehciles now even years post covid. I make good coin and I just can't see how non-"enthusiasts" can justify spending so much money on their vehicle. there are houses in my suburb with 3-4 of these expensive, new model cars out front.

Gotta spend all that FIFO money on something, and a new car makes them feel good about their shitty FIFO situation.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#132

Post by s0rce »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #114
jccalhoun wrote: post #95

in 2021 my beloved Honda Fit got totaled. I bought it new in 09 and only had 80K miles on it. They don't sell new ones in North America any more. So I bought a Kia Rio. They don't make those any more. I don't really like it but with the current chaos in the economy I'm not trading it in any time soon. I was in the UK for the first time last month and was struck by how many hatchbacks and sedans they have that we don'…

The dwindling of small hatchbacks in the US is so disappointing it’s difficult to put into words. They were the perfect little suburb grocery grabbers, and now you can’t buy them without overpaying for a used one. The next best thing is a sedan that’s longer and harder to maneuver and park despite having markedly worse cargo space and utility, and to get a hatch (not just a liftback) you’re forced into crossovers/SUV…

If you want AWD a crosstrek or impreza are good little hatchbacks, ignore the "cross" in the name, its much more hatchback than it is a mini-SUV. It is sad that so many of the other little hatchbacks are gone (ex. fit, vibe, etc).

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#133

Post by BLKNSLVR »

snovymgodym wrote: post #7

It's pretty simple (in the US, can't speak for elsewhere). There are 2 big factors at play: 1. Margins. Manufacturers make huge margins on expensive vehicles and very slim margins on cheap vehicles. The numbers differ, but I think even in the lead up to the 2008 crisis automakers had to sell 5-10 "econobox" cars to make the profit they made on one luxury car, SUV, or truck. 2. Normalization of debt. For many American…

My reptilian-brain logic prevents me from even considering getting a loan for car. Houses increase in value, therefore it makes a certain amount of sense to get a loan / mortgage for the purchase of a house (but mainly because no-one - in the world in which I live - can afford to buy one cash).

Cars decrease in value, very quickly. Getting a loan for a car is throwing more money away than buying a car in the first place.

Having said that, I'm immune to a lot of 'social norms' so I've been fine driving my tired-looking 20-year old Outlander soccer mum car or our 10+ year old grannymobile Nissan Leaf.

There are situations in which a loan for a car may be necessary, but I'd have to be a really tight spot to consider it, and I'd be absolutely minimising the size / length of it.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#134

Post by dzhiurgis »

shakna wrote: post #42
dzhiurgis wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have example of places with density similar to US where public transport works well? Australia has some in urban centres, but otherwise car centric. Same in NZ. Elecric bus to my place costs 8x more than driving EV (before it was taxed)

Whilst I can spiel off complaints, public transport in Australia gets my kid to and from school everyday, and myself to and from work in two different cities, everyday, without being late. (When the union isn't striking). It does seem to work.

How do you get to train station?

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#135

Post by sakopov »

I was in the market looking for a used SUV for my wife to haul around our kids last year. Dealing with dealers who wouldn't budge even a few hundred off the inflated listing prices, the interest rates on financing and then the insane insurance costs was not pleasant. I have an old Subaru beater that I was also thinking about upgrading but after this whole fiasco I decided to spend some money to fix body and small mechanical issues myself and drive this thing another 10 years hopefully. It's just not worth it.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#136

Post by nradov »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #114
jccalhoun wrote: post #95

in 2021 my beloved Honda Fit got totaled. I bought it new in 09 and only had 80K miles on it. They don't sell new ones in North America any more. So I bought a Kia Rio. They don't make those any more. I don't really like it but with the current chaos in the economy I'm not trading it in any time soon. I was in the UK for the first time last month and was struck by how many hatchbacks and sedans they have that we don'…

The dwindling of small hatchbacks in the US is so disappointing it’s difficult to put into words. They were the perfect little suburb grocery grabbers, and now you can’t buy them without overpaying for a used one. The next best thing is a sedan that’s longer and harder to maneuver and park despite having markedly worse cargo space and utility, and to get a hatch (not just a liftback) you’re forced into crossovers/SUV…

You can buy a Subaru Impreza hatchback.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#137

Post by SoftTalker »

darth_avocado wrote: post #113
SJC_Hacker wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Houses are debt, but are generally and appreciating asset Cars are a depreciating asset. It usually does not make sense to go into debt to get one

Cars are a necessity in pretty much most of the country. Even in areas with good public transit, people who are most likely to go into debt to buy a car are also more likely to live further away from public transit and commute for work. Outside of New York, I can’t think of another city where living without a car is really an option.

Chicago. Probably a few other big cities.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#138

Post by BLKNSLVR »

sakopov wrote: post #135

I was in the market looking for a used SUV for my wife to haul around our kids last year. Dealing with dealers who wouldn't budge even a few hundred off the inflated listing prices, the interest rates on financing and then the insane insurance costs was not pleasant. I have an old Subaru beater that I was also thinking about upgrading but after this whole fiasco I decided to spend some money to fix body and small mec…

Subaru's have an increasingly good reputation for long-term reliability. Stick with and love the beater.

I find a certain liberation in not caring too much about risks of car park dents and "curb rash" and other surface-only non-mechanical auto-maladies.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#139

Post by cherrycherry98 »

Jach wrote: post #72
jfengel wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never seen the bed of a Cybertruck. Not a dig at the vehicle; that's a different thing. Rather, I notice that this truck doesn't seem to spend much time as a, ya know, truck. With other trucks it's less obvious because they don't have a built in bed cover. I suspect many of them also spent very little time trucking, at least here in this suburb. Perhaps it's different in more agricultural areas.

I've only ever seen one in that mocking picture of trying to fit a motorcycle in it vs. a Kei truck. I still reserve my full judgment though for if I ever get to have extended personal time with one, though I have been soured on the whole thing. The concept was cooler than the final product for sure. I go back and forth on how much weight to give the "not being used for truck stuff" criticism. (Maybe because I own a…

I saw both a Rivian and a Cybertruck at an RV park just a month ago. No idea what kind of range they get towing but I was impressed someone was actually using them as real trucks. The vast majority of vehicles were three-quarter-ton or better trucks.
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