Well to be fair, they're entry level commuter cars. Ford Falcons and AMC Gremlins were equally depressing in their times. Most people don't seem to care though. I have co workers with Kia Spectras, Hyundai Accents, etc. and their cars aren't causing them to fall into month long bouts of depression. A lot of people just don't care. Are cars getting more expensive? Yes. Do I recommend a household making under 30k to drop the dough on a new car? Probably not. But, there is a silver lining on those new cars. They last longer now and are much more reliable, so if you keep the car for life you really might be getting more miles for your money. Though, I'm on the phone and don't know how to do the math on that, so I might be wrong. I love my car. I hate my car payments. Don't tell my wife I said this, but if I could do it all over again? I'd have bought a used car as a daily driver and maybe a project car for fun. I was young, dumb, and in love. I learned my lesson on that though! I can only hope when it comes time to buy a house I don't make a similar mistake. I do agree cars are getting more expensive though. A brand new '85 Mustang GT in 2016 dollars is a steal compared to a '16 Mustang GT. Airbags, traction control, back up cameras, and other safety devices add to that price, which is a shame for cost, but arguably keeps us safer. So, I don't know. At least they last longer (until the electronics get screwy).
I have a Kia Spectra. Sure it's boring as heck but who gives a crap, all I am doing with it is collecting dings, bumps, and scratches from parking it downtown all day. As long as it keeps running I'm happy and would replace it with a Forte hatch in a heartbeat.
Someone at my place has a new BMW 4 series, and it's beautiful. In theory, I could probably afford it. But when I replace my Civic, I'd rather spend $25k on a Subaru Crosstrek than $45k on a 4 series. That's a different question on prices. Should Americans who can receive a six year loan on an average priced new car take that route, or are they better served buying something less costly or used with a four or less year loan?I love my car. I hate my car payments.
Anecdotally I hear that Subaru reliability isn't all that great. They are still having engine problems (oil and head gasket). The price premium for them doesn't justify the shitty interior build and the reliability issues. A CX-5 or ford Escape will run you just about the same amount of $ for a 4wd versionSomeone at my place has a new BMW 4 series, and it's beautiful. In theory, I could probably afford it. But when I replace my Civic, I'd rather spend $25k on a Subaru Crosstrek than $45k on a 4 series. That's a different question on prices. Should Americans who can receive a six year loan on an average priced new car take that route, or are they better served buying something less costly or used with a four or less year loan?
Bah. I drove a '66 Falcon for years. The build quality was miles above a Yarpus, and I hated the shit out of that car. More than that, I'm willing to bet that Yarpuses in 2030 are going to be as rare as Suzuki Samurais are today. They just aren't built to last.
Eh. Not to dog on you, but the Samurai is kind of a bad example. There weren't nearly as many sold in the '90s as Yarises sell today. There are still a good number of '90s Corollas and Civics though, hell even Cavaliers are still running out there. The Yaris might start to get feeling a bit jalopy when it becomes 20 years old, but it'll probably still be there. Annecdotal evidence? My bud has a Toyota Echo (which Toyota renamed the Yaris about 2 generations back) and a Geo Metro from the mid '90s. Both are still running decently on the original drivetrains. His problem is getting replacement parts for everything else that's failing on them. Because they're not cars that people want to keep running, like a Fox Body Mustang, finding parts for them can be difficult. If the Echo/Yaris was iconic as the Falcon/Mustang, he probably wouldn't have that problem. I mean, let's be honest, if you called up an auto parts store looking for something for an '82 Chevette they'll laugh and wonder how you've kept it running for so long.
Bring it, bitch. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-09-22/business/fi-3229_1_suzuki-samurai Meanwhile, Yarpuses are flying out the door at about a thousand a month right now, down from ~2500 a month. Anecdotal evidence? I owned two Samurais. They weren't pieces of shit. They were jeeps, and if you drove them like GTis you got what you deserved. But they were also 1300cc k-cars and they weren't built to last. I killed one just by driving it to Vancouver and back with four people in it. People don't want to keep the Fox bodies running. They were just around for fifteen fucking years so there's no shortage of parts. And by the way. Here's the problem, yo - you freely admit you don't know how to work on cars, but you really like cars. I freely admit that I've forgotten more about cars than most people will ever know and, you know, these days I kind of hate them. I took apart my first Volkswagen at the age of 6. I have a preposterous amount of schadenfreude towards VW but I'll say this: a 6-year-old can work on a Beetle. A Yarpus? He'd be too embarrassed.On Wednesday, Suzuki officials acknowledged that they expect sales to plunge to just 2,000 a month for the remainder of 1988, below June's sales of 2,199, the lowest sales month on record for Samurai. For all of 1988, Suzuki executives believe that sales will fall to 80,000 units, down slightly from 1987's 83,000.