[toomuchtodo]

The question is affordability. The market for those who can service $1k/month in a car note and insurance is not that big in the US. Average price of a new car is $50k currently.

Record number of subprime borrowers miss car loan payments in October, data shows - https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/record... - November 12th, 2025

Driven to Default: The Economy-Wide Risks of Rising Auto Loan Delinquencies - https://consumerfed.org/reports/driven-to-default-the-econom... - September 10th, 2025

> Auto finance is at a breaking point, as Americans owe over $1.66 trillion in auto debt. Delinquencies, defaults, and repossessions have shot up in recent years and look alarmingly similar to trends that were apparent before the Great Recession. Cars are more expensive than ever, due in part to economic factors, but also due to the fraught experience of buying and financing a car. Dealers and lenders have long engaged in deceptive and predatory practices that jack up prices for car buyers in order to line their pockets. This auto finance crisis is happening just as our nation’s federal watchdogs–the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – have taken significant steps back from oversight and enforcement of predatory practices in the auto market.

(day job is in consumer finance)