[agentofoblivion]

If you have to finance it, in what way is it a modest car? It’s not as if people are financing $2000 junkers. I’ve paid cash for every car I’ve owned, including when I was a teenager flipping burgers. Why aren’t these 59% buying junkers instead of going into debt and paying interest on a depreciated asset? Are you just going to blame America and society, or do we blame the people signing the loan papers at some point?

[brailsafe]

Congratulations on buying every car you've had with cash, I don't really see how that's relevant, everyone is dealt a different hand. Dealers are horrible, definitely blame them, but if the job you get is 30 min away by car and 1.5hrs any other way, then financing a modest ~6-12k car that's somewhere between rust bucket and new is not an unreasonable idea. That's what I did, paid it off in relatively short order, it helped me make money, seems pretty rational.

Wasn't there another report that indicated most people don't even have $500 saved for emergencies? Seems like a much more manageable few hundred a month on less of a practical liability would be wise.

Lastly, we should absolutely blame 70+ years of car-centric development and cultural propaganda on people desiring one so badly. There's always going to be people who would get themselves into a giant $50k+ truck to drive around the city with a 10%+ loan because they're morons, but it's malicious thinking to attribute stupidity to a majority of people wanting a car