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The $25k car is going extinct?

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Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#801

Post by runlaszlorun »

korse wrote: post #789
wsc981 wrote: post #702

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Lol it is the Hilux. This requires posting related info-graphic. Cheers. https://files.catbox.moe/2d1rwq.webp

That's pretty hilarious I need to find that in a poster for a Marine buddy who's a Toyota mechanic.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#802

Post by potato3732842 »

happosai wrote: post #691
foobarian wrote: post #591

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention how much more functionality present day cars have. (mentioned in a couple comments elsewhere, but things like airbags/backup cameras/other sensors etc).

All cars have become a lot more bigger. I was just watching the movie Jewel of the Nile on Disney+. There was a scene, where a dictator and the protagonists cram into to Rolls Royce of 80s and I just thought the average suv these days has more interior space... While flight travel has got cheaper by making seats more compact and planes more efficient, the cars go the opposite direction - drive luxuriously like kings…

That 80s car probably has comparable interior space. It's the exterior that's gotten bigger. 7" thick doors and all that.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#803

Post by Spivak »

remus wrote: post #344
aorloff wrote: post #74

Nobody else has said it so I guess I will. The reason the US car industry does not want a $25k car is that the financing opportunities are crap for a car of this low cost. In the same way that airlines exist to offer you a miles based credit card, the US car dealerships survive by offering you a loan for the car. Or perhaps, a car to go with your structured finance opportunity.

It was a funny experience going to buy a used car with my partner a few years ago. Being a little naive I'd assumed being a cash buyer was a plus as they'd guarantee a quick sale, but as soon as the salesman realised he wasn't going to be signing a finance deal you could see him lose interest entirely. kinda funny to think they're in the business of selling loans rather than cars.

Or if you come with your own financing. I usually talk to the "finance guy" at the dealership because (so I've been told) they sometimes run promotions and can give you a rate better than your bank but lord heavens I've never seen it.

They once offered me more than double the rate of my bank and for 2.5 times the term length. I'm sure that $150/mo or whatever payment for the rest of our life is attractive to someone but I just laughed. They really don't like people who are looking to minimize total interest paid.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#804

Post by Loudergood »

dgfitz wrote: post #596
threetonesun wrote: post #521

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tire sensors and backup cameras are dirt cheap though. Maybe lane warning and collision avoidance are a bit more but they’re both 10+ year old technology, they can’t cost that much. Also all of these things are good. Redoing the steering wheel or using 22” wheels or adding heating for each individual ass cheek… that I don’t need, and it adds to the cost.

You can't replace a tire sensor without getting it coded. Complete bullshit.

The tool is like $10.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#805

Post by trinix912 »

DanielHB wrote: post #793
trinix912 wrote: post #713

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

It is like that in Western Europe as well, "if you live outside a city" you need a car. However small cities don't have the massive gridlocks that big cities have so they can support a car-centric life. And sure taking a train sure is faster/nicer for long travel, but in practice what matters the most for the economy and people's life/health is the daily commute which mostly happens inside cities. But you don't quite…

> the daily commute which mostly happens inside cities

Well, some countries are far more centralized than others. The daily commute to/from cities is a huge problem where I live, to the point that cities are flooded mostly with outside commuters. Trains and busses could solve that very elegantly, but nobody’s investing in that.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#806

Post by jccalhoun »

BatFastard wrote: post #9

https://www.slate.auto/ With rebates a 20,000 truck. Who knows what it will cost when it actually comes out. But I love the concept.

I may be cynical but I think this is all marketing. From what I've seen there is so much upselling built into the concept that if this ever comes out that I don't think many people will be driving around the 20K model.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#807

Post by Dylan16807 »

CalRobert wrote: post #336
Dylan16807 wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An exclamation mark because the feature is cheap and omnipresent, not because of... impact, or whatever you're reading into it. It's surprising. An exclamation mark makes sense.

It’s one more thing I’d have to spend an afternoon fixing eventually.

Is it that much less reliable than a crank going into similar mechanisms?

And a fixed window is just dire.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#808

Post by philwelch »

climb_stealth wrote: post #326
philwelch wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife and I are millennials and we paid off our student loans within a couple years once I started my career. I don’t even remember if it was before or after we got married and we’ve been married for over a decade now. Maybe we’re fortunate but I can’t imagine still having a monthly student loan payment. Of course I also absolutely hated being in debt and having a monthly payment to begin with so I made it a priori…

I have a very similar mindset, but, man, mortgages hurt. At least when paying rent the money goes towards a real person. With a mortgage such a big chunk of the payment is the interest that just goes to this faceless entity that is the bank. How does it not bother you? :)

Most of my landlords were faceless entities too. Obviously I’d rather the house be paid off but I didn’t have $300,000 in cash and I have to live somewhere.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#809

Post by Justsignedup »

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…

Reminds me of the argument of "cars used to be more sturdy than today, where any hit is a total"

Um... Looking at videos of crashing old cars into new cars, the old cars DO NOT hold up to new cars in terms of breaking. The only difference is in old cars the engine would stay intact and the occupants not, while in the new cars its the opposite.

Re: The $25k car is going extinct?

#810

Post by cogman10 »

idiotsecant wrote: post #669
cogman10 wrote: post #537

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Software doesn't have to be complex. The most complex piece of software EVs absolutely need is the BMS and the charging protocol. Everything else is super basic. There's a reason some of the earliest vehicles were EVs.

That's a wild statement from someone who has never built a commercial ev. Like all industrial hardware, the portion protecting from what shouldn't happen is twice as complex as the section regarding what should be happening.

There are certainly safety devices that I elided over. For example, checking the battery temperature is pretty crucial.

But, my argument is that EVs aren't complex. I could even grant your 2x number for safety measure and you'd still end up with a much simpler device than you can pull off with a comparable ICE engine.

I'd also point out that a lot of the parts are already "off the shelf".

There's a reason we saw a slew of pop-up BEV manufacturers all at once. It's because the manufacturing complexity is simply a lot lower than it is for an ICE line. There are far fewer parts, far less complex parts, and the parts are more readily available.

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