The Death of the Basic American Car

[Zorro]

FOR GENERATIONS, working- and middle-class Americans could find an inexpensive, reliable set of wheels to get around. In the 1970s oil crisis, such modest models came to be known as “econoboxes” and surged in popularity, particularly among a large and vibrant middle class.

That era is over.

The average transaction price for a new car now sits around $50,000. In December, it became just about impossible to find one for less than $20,000.

A Honda Civic Hatchback? Most start at $28,000. The Touring Hybrid costs more than $32,000. How about the Chevy Trailblazer? On most lots, its price tag approaches $25,000. The Toyota Corolla? The Hybrid trims start around $26,000. Forget the Chevy Malibu; it was discontinued last year.

While politicians and economists scratch their heads at voters upset about affordability in a decent economy, they seem to somehow miss the fact that for most Americans the purchase of a car has become a debt sentence.

To fix the problem, policymakers must overturn what has been for decades the third rail in American politics. It is time to stop coddling Detroit automakers and accept that “tariff” is not, as President Trump would say, “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” by opening the American market to cars made in China and elsewhere.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/13/opinion/affordable-car-cost.html?unlocked_article_code=1.alA.cLFd.OACokuGhJIHD&smid=url-share

[SheltieLover]

1. And these new cars people are going heavily into debt to purchase are made like Walmart toasters!

Lots of plastic parts and planned obsolence taken to a new level...

I feel sorry for younger people today who will never know the joy of buying their first new car and taking good care of it for decades...

[Wonder Why]

2. For that higher price, you will get a far safer car getting far better gas mileage or you can be

a MAGAt buying a gas guzzling pickup because you can show up your friends.

The Toyota Prius and hybrid-only Camry are a far better long term deal than the old cars. Taking into account inflation, you save tons on gas and repairs, are much safer on the road, help with the climate change and more IF you aren't stupid enough to trade in your vehicle in 3 years taking a huge loss but instead save the payment money you no longer have to pay, for the next car.

My Hybrid Camry I donated after 17 years and $2,000 total in repairs and all the gizmos worked when I did. My Prius, at 14 years has cost me less. That allowed me to purchase an EV for cash.

We don't need cheap cars. We need every vehicle to be a hybrid for cost or an EV and to be safer to drive. For those who can't afford it, we need real transit so they can save the payment money and put more down on a car. We need Americans to buy smart and keep them instead of buying vehicles as big as Area Codes and trading them in for higher payments.

[MichMan]

3. So, we want the votes of organized labor, but want cheap cars from the CCP?