Just 10% of new car listings are currently priced below the $30,000 mark, after years of price increases have made vehicles unaffordable to millions.

But as things stand, cars are still really expensive for many Americans. Just 10 percent of new car listings are currently priced below $30,000, according to CoPilot. Things are not much better in the used car market, where only 28 percent of listings are currently priced below $20,000.

According to an October report by Market Watch, Americans needed an annual income of at least $100,000 to afford a car, at least if they're following standard budgeting advice, which says you shouldn't spend more than 10 percent of your monthly income on car-related expenses.

That means that more than 60 percent of American households currently cannot afford to buy a new car, based on Census data. For individuals, the numbers are even worse, with 82 percent of people below the $100,000 line.

$100k to afford a car! Wtf.

  • GaveUp [she/her]
    ·
    11 months ago

    Protectionist policies barring Chinese cars from being imported has to be the main factor

        • RoabeArt [he/him]
          ·
          11 months ago

          Same. Which doesn't make sense because a majority of this city is mostly flat urban landscape, narrow streets that were mainly laid out in the 1910s when horses and streetcars were still the primary modes of travel, and the only "offroad" area suitable for these vehicles is a metropark that is in the jurisdiction of county rangers anyway.

          • wopazoo [he/him]
            ·
            11 months ago

            cop cars have to grow in size because it's difficult to PIT a Suburban with a Fiesta

      • Dr_Gabriel_Aby [none/use name]
        ·
        11 months ago

        And making every car “smart.” My app fails or my key fab battery gets to cold and I can’t start my car. It’s so fucking stupid, but I had to lease a new car instead of buying a used one because it’s a smaller down payment and I was technically unemployed, but needed a car for the job I was starting.

        I hate America

    • 7bicycles [he/him]
      ·
      11 months ago

      I think it's just more of the rot. Americans couldn't ever really afford cars to the extent that they were used, no society can. And I don't mean this on a moral ground or whatever, just economically it is a terrible, terrible system to uphold and only ever functioned due to absolutely gargantuan subsidies at every point

      But, you know, that works for a while if your average consumer gets a nice treat, but it's simply unsustainable

    • emizeko [they/them]
      ·
      11 months ago

      yeah I looked into importing a Chinese EV and it involves paying a tariff of something like 27.5% plus a bunch of other fees