[skybrian]

You could also by a nice used car for 10-15k or so, pay cash, and have no payments for many years. People who can afford better will willingly do this to save cash for other things. If you refuse to play the game well it's probably because you have weird ideas about what you "deserve".

[atombath]

Definitely. Also, getting a new car that prioritizes reliability is a smart move as well. The author didn't do this though. A nice(imo) new car can be had for less than ~$25k and his $40k tells me he wanted something a little more flashy. I agree these overextended purchases usually come down to someone's ego getting in the way. A direct consequence of our "what you buy defines you" culture.