[jandrewrogers]

> Who spends 10k/year on a car, that seems incredibly high.

You may need to recalibrate your intuition. Average payment on a new car purchase in the US is almost $9,000/year. Average used car payment is >$6,000/year. This is before taxes, insurance, gas, etc. It is common to spend $10,000/year on owning a car in the US.

The Americans who don't spend a lot of money on car-related expenses are the outliers. Despite this, the median American household still has $12,000 per year leftover after all of their ordinary expenses like paying for cars. Average Americans have high incomes, profligate spending patterns, and poor savings behavior.

[ceejayoz]

Once you pay off the car, the monthly payment becomes $0. Most people don’t replace with a brand new car every 3-5 years.

[phone[phone]]

You still have oil changes, preventative maintenance, gasoline, and insurance to pay

[robocat]

Avoid using averages: they are meaningless to the average person.