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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This article depressed me. The big takeaway for me is that car manufacturers are doing away with entry level models. DD is graduating college and will need to purchase a car. She’s been saving for a down payment but she will never be able to afford something new at these prices and interest rates. DH has spent months looking for a safe and reliable used car for her but those prices are insane and forget about financing it. [/quote]

They're not doing away with entry level models. However, while supply chains remain constrained, and they can only manufacture a certain number, they need to focus on the most profitable ones for now. [/quote]

Maybe you haven’t paid attention in the last couple of years. They are actually doing away with entry level models.
Ford and GM used to sell small and cheap entry level cars like the Ford Focus or Chevy Cruze. They have been discontinued. 
The entry level Ford is now the Ford Escape, an SUV. 
Japanese brands will soon follow. The Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla will be discontinued in the US and replaced with their SUV-like versions.
Manufacturers figure that they can take a car, make it slightly bigger and raise the ground clearance, and sell if for $10k more.[/quote]

Volkswagen Jetta $20k
Hyundai Elantra $20k
Nissan Kicks $20k
Nissan Sentra $19k
Kia Soul $19k
Subaru Impreza $19k
Kia Forte $19k
Hyundai Venue $19k
Kia Rio $16k
Mitsubishi Mirage $16k
Hyundai Accent $16k
Nissan Versa $15k

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/cheapest-cars-on-the-market?slide=3

[/quote]

When half of that list is from Hyundai/Kia I think you are sort of proving PP's point[/quote]

How is that proving her point? Those are decent, inexpensive cars, and widely available. There's also Mitsubishi, Nissan, and VW, which is the largest automaker in the world.

It's no secret that Detroit's Big Three make their profits in full sized trucks. The F-150 has been the best selling vehicle in the United States for over 40 years. The Silverado and the Ram are 2nd and 3rd behind it, respectively. This is the result of the chicken tax from the 1960s.

But PPs was that there are no inexpensive cars available, and that's demonstrably false. [/quote]

I'm the PP you are talking about. I never said that there was zero inexpensive entry level car available today.
I was making the point that they are disappearing year after year. It's a trend. The domestic car manufacturers have already ditched them all. Yes you would still find a few models from foreign manufacturers, but that list get shorter and shorter. You named 12 models on your list. Within the next five years, you won't be able to name 6.
[/quote]

Agree.  My first car was  ford Focus- great entry level car!  My next was a Subaru Impreza, which I considered a nice upgrade and we still own it.  The new Imprezas are bigger than mine.  The Subarus all get bigger and more expensive every year.  Put a new Forester next to a 15yo one and it's shocking.  There was a time when it was a nice little wagon.[/quote]

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