My last (used) car shopping experience saw me struggling to get over paying more than $10k for a car, because we really wanted a minivan and they're (IMO) damned expensive. That was a few years ago.
I am... concerned about how painful the next one's going to be, in 3-5 more years. I hate spending money on cars.
EVs don't seem to be helping the price any—quite the opposite, as far as I can tell—even if they're good for TCO. Concerned about what that market's looking like for poor people, these days. No more $2k cars that'll semi-reliably get you to work for the next five years, or to the 50-miles-away grocery store or Wal-Mart for your "big shopping" once every couple weeks, for the rural poor.
> No more $2k cars that'll semi-reliably get you to work for the next five years
They are out there, but definitely getting harder to find. They may need work to be reliable/drivable; if you can do the troubleshooting and work yourself you can still come out money ahead.
I haven't paid over $10k for a car in 20 years. Last time I did, it was one that I bought new. I will never do that again. The key is to look for a 15-20 year old car that hasn't spent its life in the rust belt and has had good maintenance.
> No more $2k cars that'll semi-reliably get you … to the 50-miles-away grocery store or Wal-Mart for your "big shopping" once every couple weeks, for the rural poor.
Recently I saw a video on YouTube about an impoverished depopulated Eastern European town where instead of having a fixed local grocery store, there was a truck that visited weekly. On the one hand, it’s sad to think of people being so remote yet dependent, but on the other it actually seems like an innovative solution to the problem.
I am... concerned about how painful the next one's going to be, in 3-5 more years. I hate spending money on cars.
EVs don't seem to be helping the price any—quite the opposite, as far as I can tell—even if they're good for TCO. Concerned about what that market's looking like for poor people, these days. No more $2k cars that'll semi-reliably get you to work for the next five years, or to the 50-miles-away grocery store or Wal-Mart for your "big shopping" once every couple weeks, for the rural poor.