Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:24
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:yup....avg price of new car this year at $50K. If you live in Fairfax County, you will pay 6% car tax, the crazy insurance rates, etc which essentially has made new car purchases for the wealth. No different now vs homes, and other high price items where MC "realistic and best value" route is purchasing a used car. Hoping EVs will lower new car price, but EV prices likely contributing to the inflation here.
Every EV is priced higher than it's gas powered equivalent. You may save on the operational and maintenance costs, but the up front costs of EVs are clearly higher.
Look at 2 year old EVs. About half the price of new ones. We looked at EVs before september so we don't "miss out" on the tax credit but most EVs are way overpriced. A lot did get sold on 2 years leases and will be returned back. If you can wait about 2 years (early 2027 on) you can pick up 2 year old EVs with good mileage for cheap when all of the leased ones get returned.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 18:22
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Why are people pretending BYD will be successful in America? No one will buy cheap electric Chinese cars. The US car market is all about SUVs and trucks. The average American would rather go into debt to get a Ford F-150 than purchase a compact electric car.
So many people in the US would love to have an option to purchase a small truck. There is a huge tariff on small trucks and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has created ridiculous rules to ensure which companies are going to have a better chance at being profitable.
It is so upsetting to realize how the deck is stacked against the poor and middle class in the country.
The Chicken Tax, a 25% tariff on imported light trucks, originated in 1964 after European nations imposed tariffs on American poultry, prompting U.S. retaliation. Despite global changes in trade policy, this tariff remains, affecting the automotive market by ensuring trucks built in the U.S. dominate sales.
Then add to that the NHTSA's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards regulate how far our vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel. NHTSA sets CAFE standards for passenger cars and for light trucks (collectively, light-duty vehicles), and separately sets fuel consumption standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and engines.Corporate Initial standards: The CAFE standards were originally less strict for trucks compared to passenger cars, as they were intended for heavy-duty, commercial use, not personal commuting.
The "loophole": Automakers discovered that they could make trucks larger and heavier to meet the more relaxed standards. This created a market for larger personal vehicles, which are now more common.
Wow.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 18:21
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:Why are people pretending BYD will be successful in America? No one will buy cheap electric Chinese cars. The US car market is all about SUVs and trucks. The average American would rather go into debt to get a Ford F-150 than purchase a compact electric car.
I'm rich and I want a small affordable car!
Anonymous
11/11/2025 18:19
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:Why are people pretending BYD will be successful in America? No one will buy cheap electric Chinese cars. The US car market is all about SUVs and trucks. The average American would rather go into debt to get a Ford F-150 than purchase a compact electric car.
So many people in the US would love to have an option to purchase a small truck. There is a huge tariff on small trucks and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has created ridiculous rules to ensure which companies are going to have a better chance at being profitable.
It is so upsetting to realize how the deck is stacked against the poor and middle class in the country.
The Chicken Tax, a 25% tariff on imported light trucks, originated in 1964 after European nations imposed tariffs on American poultry, prompting U.S. retaliation. Despite global changes in trade policy, this tariff remains, affecting the automotive market by ensuring trucks built in the U.S. dominate sales.
Then add to that the NHTSA's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards regulate how far our vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel. NHTSA sets CAFE standards for passenger cars and for light trucks (collectively, light-duty vehicles), and separately sets fuel consumption standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and engines.Corporate Initial standards: The CAFE standards were originally less strict for trucks compared to passenger cars, as they were intended for heavy-duty, commercial use, not personal commuting.
The "loophole": Automakers discovered that they could make trucks larger and heavier to meet the more relaxed standards. This created a market for larger personal vehicles, which are now more common.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 07:37
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You bought new cars for your teens?
Get out.
yes, both got brand new cars. Not sure why you are so shocked. This isn’t exactly uncommon.
It is uncommon in general…just probably not amongst your crowd.
It’s also a difference between UMC city dwellers and even close in suburbs vs outer suburbs and exurbs.
Plenty of us in the city who could easily afford it have zero intention of doing it because it’s not at all needed. The car would sit unused literally 98% of the time as city kids just don’t want to drive when Lyft/Uber and metro are so easy and way more convenient.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 07:34
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:Why are people pretending BYD will be successful in America? No one will buy cheap electric Chinese cars. The US car market is all about SUVs and trucks. The average American would rather go into debt to get a Ford F-150 than purchase a compact electric car.
That’s not true. If you could buy a $20k electric car with tremendous range and all the bells and whistles those cars offer, they would sell a ton.
Also, you know they make electric SUVs, so you don’t have to buy a sedan.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 06:09
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Why are people pretending BYD will be successful in America? No one will buy cheap electric Chinese cars. The US car market is all about SUVs and trucks. The average American would rather go into debt to get a Ford F-150 than purchase a compact electric car.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 05:46
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:You bought new cars for your teens?
Get out.
yes, both got brand new cars. Not sure why you are so shocked. This isn’t exactly uncommon.
Anonymous
11/10/2025 19:54
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
That's how we are doing it - we got a new car with very strong safety features and next yr, our kid will drive it. Depending on where they go to school he can hand it down to his sister in a couple years. We would never go all out with these crazy big ass Tahoes that are like $80k or Range Rover fancy cars. But we would spend the money on cars with excellent resale value and strong safety features, innovative tech and lots of cameras. Comfort is a plus too. So not a dirt cheap car but no top of the line or fancy or gigantic cool cars. But a well built car that's comfortable and mid tier. It's still gonna be $45-55k new but you do your research and it is what it is. Until BYD is sold here anyway...
I think you have to be more careful looking at used cars - caveat emptor.
I think you have to be more careful looking at used cars - caveat emptor.
Anonymous
11/08/2025 16:25
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
I bought a brand new Chevy Cruz when my daughter got license back in 2017 It was only $14,300 and for $900 bucks bought a GM warranty for six years.
My next kid who needs a car in 2022 i bought my self a brand new 2022 Hyundai I plan on passiing to her in 2026 and will still have six years on power train warranty as keeping it in my name.
Used cars have become money pitts.
My next kid who needs a car in 2022 i bought my self a brand new 2022 Hyundai I plan on passiing to her in 2026 and will still have six years on power train warranty as keeping it in my name.
Used cars have become money pitts.
Anonymous
11/08/2025 16:22
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Funny when I grew up in Bronx only the Doctor on my block could afford a car. No one had a car. It was a rich thing.
Do you think on Lower East Side on NYC your great grandparents were driving new Cadillac's in the 1920s? They barely could pay rent on their cold water flat walk up
Do you think on Lower East Side on NYC your great grandparents were driving new Cadillac's in the 1920s? They barely could pay rent on their cold water flat walk up
Anonymous
11/08/2025 12:05
Subject: Car ownership is now a luxury
Anonymous wrote:You bought new cars for your teens?
Get out.
One kid got a car we had specifically bought 3 years prior to them driving (needed an suv for the person driving a sports car test of year), the other drove that one as well (7 years later) and then got a brand new suv at age 17 (when sibling took the original car to college). So yes we bought new