The $25k car is going extinct? • Hacker News Board

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#681

Post by kube-system » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:42 PM UTC

runako wrote: post #628

diggan wrote: post #532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So if you saw the pretax figures it'd probably be true But why would I look at the pretax figures? Who would look at that, unless you're doing a business purchase? It basically has no meaning for the average person since they'll never buy anything without the taxes anyways.

Others are sharing the sales tax rates by state, which is not the same as the auto sales tax rate by state, which is typically lower. Notably, there are a few states with no auto sales tax. People have been known to cross state lines to purchase cars, to save a few hundred dollars on the purchase. In any case, a $10k vehicle is not going to cost over $11k post-tax in any state. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state…

I've bought cars across state lines at least a half-dozen times, but the tax is always assessed at registration in the locality where I live.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#682

Post by throwaway173738 » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:43 PM UTC

reliabilityguy wrote: post #636

Neikius wrote: post #430

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fully agree with what you are saying. I do have some beef with the prices of these electronic gadgets in the car. 300€ price for a new sensor or something similar? Sensor costs are usually a single digit or below. Somehow vendors found a way to inflate that price and this is destroying the repairability.

Car manufactures make probably more money on parts than selling new cars

They do. But they make even more on interest from financing. And interest depends on the price you pay, so cheap cars cut into their profits.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#683

Post by km144 » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:43 PM UTC

giantg2 wrote: post #649

reliabilityguy wrote: post #630

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I do agree with you, I think you have to account for income as well, and not only the car price (even if adjusted for inflation) to determine affordability.

Pretty sure inflation adjusted median income has increased from 2005 to 2025. But it sure doesn't feel like it. I wonder if other costs such as housing and healthcare have gotten less affordable affecting the real affordability. Inflation adjustments should capture this, but it feels like it doesn't.

Housing, healthcare, childcare, and education have become more expensive. These are the biggest expenses for most people and are necessities. So the percentage of income available for other expenses has definitely decreased. Not sure about real wages though.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#684

Post by chis » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:43 PM UTC

jvanderbot wrote: post #531

Is anyone following Slate auto? They claim to be making a suburban pickup in the Ford Ranger size for ~20k. I've been cautiously optimistic about my reservation. They apparently optimized for cost and molecularity, most notably by removing the infotainment system, which apparently is the biggest warranty / "feature" cost center.

It's a pretty car but I feel like they are mostly just selling a story about cost savings. Third party carplay screens can be bought for $150 so that just can't be very meaningful. The real cost savings is that it's a cheaply built EV with a small battery. Plus it's hard to get excited talking about the price a startup is claiming to sell cars at, before any have made it to consumers.

That being said the car looks sweet. I hope we have more startups making retro-vibe electric cars since the barrier to entry is much lower than with combustion engines.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#685

Post by Mistletoe » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:44 PM UTC

giantg2 wrote: post #649

reliabilityguy wrote: post #630

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I do agree with you, I think you have to account for income as well, and not only the car price (even if adjusted for inflation) to determine affordability.

Pretty sure inflation adjusted median income has increased from 2005 to 2025. But it sure doesn't feel like it. I wonder if other costs such as housing and healthcare have gotten less affordable affecting the real affordability. Inflation adjustments should capture this, but it feels like it doesn't.

Yes.

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-do-education-health-care-a...

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#686

Post by idiotsecant » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:44 PM UTC

BanterTrouble wrote: post #654

tomrod wrote: post #586

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is an old and tired argument. There is no secret cabal at the wheel trying to make cars unaffordable for the purposes of social control. There is an old and tired cabal of manufacturers wanting to generate a moat and push prices up high.

Nobody says it is a secret cabal. It is very frustrating when people misstate other people's beliefs There are politicians and activists that have been pushing for lower car ownership and they do it openly. Motivations for this vary. > There is an old and tired cabal of manufacturers wanting to generate a moat and push prices up high. Two things can be true at once.

You are making the serious suggestion that a significant portion of the average cars cost is artificial in order to make people not buy them? And the extremely powerful automotive lobby is just fine with this?

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#687

Post by idiotsecant » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:45 PM UTC

Hamuko wrote: post #498

alerighi wrote: post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, if they would make a basic car like in the past I would buy it. Everyone has to sell you too much, I want a simple car, I don't want either the stereo, I will add my own later (I can put it one that is better than the factory one for a cheaper price, but in a modern car replacing the stereo is almost impossible). There are a ton of useless sensors, the sensor that tells you if you have a flat tire (I think I can…

I presume you're gonna buy a Slate truck? https://www.slate.auto/en

Yes!! If it turns out to be not vaporware, which lets be honest is probably a reasonably high probability.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#688

Post by kube-system » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:45 PM UTC

reliabilityguy wrote: post #588

1970-01-01 wrote: post #517

Completely unmentioned: Chinese EVs are $10k worldwide except USA. https://gmauthority.com/blog/2024/08/2025-byd-seagull-ev-sta...

They are subsidized by Chinese government like the Toyota in the 70s by the Japanese.

as are US automakers.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#689

Post by mb7733 » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:47 PM UTC

csomar wrote: post #627

tlogan wrote: post #577

This is a great example of how factually incorrect narratives - so long as they align with a preferred agenda (which is that things are not affordable any more) - it gets upvoted. Reality check: - In 2025, there are 12 new car models available under $25,000 - In 2005, there were around 10 new models under $15,000 (25k adjusted by inflation) So the premise that “cars used to be much more affordable” is not true. This…

> - In 2005, there were around 10 new models under $15,000 (25k adjusted by inflation) You'll need to provide hard evidence for this. I was pretty young in 2005 but $15.000 would get you a decent car (though not a pickup). That being said, it is possible we have more models now under 25.000 but what $15/25k used to buy you (segment wise) has downgraded.

> I was pretty young in 2005 but $15.000 would get you a decent car (though not a pickup).

A base model Ford Ranger would have done it!

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#690

Post by throwaway173738 » Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 1:47 PM UTC

ryandrake wrote: post #557

BanterTrouble wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am still a somewhat of a novice. Your friend is right IMO. Do something simple first. Like a broken piece of trim, replace a light bulb, change the wiper blades yourself and build yourself up. I had repaired bicycles/motorcycles before hand. Past that. I literally go on YouTube and watch someone do the task I intend on doing. I have the service manual downloaded for the car (people dump scans of the manuals online…

YouTube is fantastic if you already diagnosed the problem and know what part you need to replace. You just follow along with the video, pausing while you go. It’s perfect. YouTube is kind of shit for diagnosis, though. Most of the videos just gloss over it. “Hey guys! So, my fuel pump is dead, so here’s a video on how to replace it!” Ok, thanks, but how did you figure out it was the fuel pump? Not a lot of YouTube co…

You need two things for your engine to run: fuel flow, and spark. If it starts but doesn’t run everything follows from there. If your starter motor doesn’t turn it over start there instead.