Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The $25k car is going extinct?

media.hubspot.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

711–720 of 1001 posts

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#711

Post by enraged_camel »

adrianmoses wrote: post #584
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…

Just curious: Where's the source of this "reality check" and what's your agenda?

They do not have a source. This happens on HN constantly: someone shits on the article with no basis in reality and no source, and their comment gets voted to the top and dominates the discussion.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#712

Post by weberer »

csomar wrote: post #672
jjice wrote: post #647

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To share an anecdote on the more recent side of the spectrum, I bought a new 2025 Toyota Corolla LE two months ago. It's probably the cheapest vehicle Toyota makes. My cost before tax and title (not sure if that should be included or not) was $23k. It's a pretty great car. Highway averages like 45-50 MPH (25-35 city), it's comfortable, has Car Play, and everything else you'd expect in a car now. I'll say that the two…

I think the problem here is that we are comparing against price inflation (not salary inflation). If every company increased its prices, then that's the inflation. Customers will feel ripped off if their salaries didn't at least match inflation. In other words, if your salary in 2005 was $50k when Mazda was $13k; then your salary should be $82k for a $22k Mazda3 to be the same price. Currently, a Mazda3 starts at $24…

>I think the problem here is that we are comparing against price inflation (not salary inflation)

This current period of inflation is caused by the dollar losing its value due to massive over printing by the Federal Reserve. People should feel ripped off, but I think you're directing your anger at the wrong target.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#713

Post by trinix912 »

DanielHB wrote: post #370
jcmeyrignac wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe, the average age for buying a new car is 50. This means that most of the cars sold are second-hand. Most people think that the car is a luxury and prefer to focus on their home first, then their family, and after that, their car.

I am from Brazil and although most cities are 100% built around cars, public transportation IS an option and mostly works and is (somewhat) affordable. Unlike the US, if a place is 1km away as the eagle flies you can get there by walking ~1.5km max. And there are bus services and although often overcrowded or with low service, they do run and you can plan your life around them. Yet everyone still buys a car as soon a…

> To get to the point that Europe is in where even rich people don't want cars or if they have one it is for weekend trips. You need to do a lot better than this.

It's not like that in all of Europe either, the further you go from Western Europe, the worse the public transit gets. The Balkans are probably the worst, you need a car if you live outside a city as rail and even busses are slow, unreliable, or just not an option in your place.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#714

Post by monkeyelite »

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…

- boomers like classic sports and muscle cars. They feel nostalgia towards them because those are the cars high school and college kids used to actually drive

- people who are looking for affordable cars buy used. That market has evaporated. I remember in the late 90s-2000s the newspaper had a junker section where you could get cars (that started) for $100. Imagine what you could get for $2000

- when inflation goes up you lose savings and don’t necessarily get a corresponding wage increase. So just saying it’s equal according to inflation does not mean it’s equal in terms of work hours or job training requirements

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#715

Post by kube-system »

Ray20 wrote: post #499
AnthonyMouse wrote: post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I am surprised no one mentioned the 'SUV loophole' of US regulations that effectively boosted the SUVs (off-road vehicles are classified as non-passenger automobiles with everything that entails, notably much less stringent emission standards) and made the small cars unprofitable to make in comparison. This has become the irrelevant part because "does it have an electric motor in the powertrain" has become more imp…

>People who can do the math realize that paying more up front for a hybrid or full electric is paying less long-term. Can they? In long term maintainability decides. And hybrids usually has it with maintainability pretty bad. Large area of potential breaking, expansive spare parts usually with strong vendor-lock. Hybrids are very costly in maintainability, even if you are privileged elite that buys hybrid and in two…

There are a handful of significantly different hybrid designs. Some of the early designs were in fact just electric drivetrains slapped on to existing gasoline drivetrains, and were more complicated than their gasoline counterparts. But most of the designs that are more popular today are not that. Many of them eliminate some of the most problematic parts on gasoline cars and replace them with solid state components.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#716

Post by rightbyte »

elif wrote: post #478
a_c wrote: post #431

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any recommendation how to start learning repairing a car? I have absolutely zero experience. A friend of mine said just learn to change a tyre first and I have been procrastinating since.

I went down this route in the early 2010's. In preparation for an over landing expedition I wanted to have mechanical knowledge to be a sort of "mechanic" on the trip so I bought a bunch of "project cars" and began tinkering. While it WAS a lot of fun and I feel smarter, it was a total waste of time. To save you all the trouble of all I went through, it was fun debugging mechanical stuff, but ultimately there is no "…

> I'll even throw in the clutch kit you can't install without a custom Saab tool.

With a lot of swearing and heaps of scrap metal to find the right sized scrap you can will power it out I promise.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#717

Post by rockostrich »

wsc981 wrote: post #702
csomar wrote: post #627

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - 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.

In 2024 Toyota in Thailand introduced a cheap pick-up that is a bit under 15.000 USD when THB is converted to USD. I think it's rather neat - the basic model is /very/ basic, but lots of options to customize. https://www.toyota.co.th/en/model/hilux_champ?tab=commercial...

This doesn't really have anything to do with the US though. Importing that vehicle is not possible for another 24 years and USD$15k goes a lot farther in southeast Asia than it does in the US. For the past half century there has been a plethora of cheap pick-up trucks available in Asia and that has not carried over to the US.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#718

Post by monkeyelite »

wsc981 wrote: post #702
csomar wrote: post #627

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - 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.

In 2024 Toyota in Thailand introduced a cheap pick-up that is a bit under 15.000 USD when THB is converted to USD. I think it's rather neat - the basic model is /very/ basic, but lots of options to customize. https://www.toyota.co.th/en/model/hilux_champ?tab=commercial...

Part of the cost of cars in America is regulatory compliance.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#719

Post by BanterTrouble »

kube-system wrote: post #693
BanterTrouble wrote: post #679

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can also turn your body a bit as well.

I have tried this before but I have never been able to make the bumper transparent. The reason this law exists is because small children (e.g 3ft tall) were getting run over. Seriously, go put a large suitcase immediately behind your rear bumper and try to see it without a camera. You can't.

Do you believe, that I believed that I could see through the bumper?

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#720

Post by alephnerd »

adrianmoses wrote: post #584
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…

Just curious: Where's the source of this "reality check" and what's your agenda?

Not OP, but you can use the BLS's CPI calculator. Their numbers are right [0]

Implying that OP is "Assuming an agenda" appears to break the HN guidelines [1]

[0] - https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=25000&year1=20...

[1] - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Post reply on HN