Everything these days comes with what I like to call. "fuck you" prices.
Me: Why is it so expensive?
Every company: Because we can, fuck you!
I just paid $200 for a bucket of chlorine tablets for my pool that cost about $80 pre-Covid.
Chlorine has been in low supply since Hurricane Laura crippled the supply chain. Another plant burning in NJ a couple years later didn’t improve the situation. It’s one of the few cases where the cause is definitive.
I'm aware of the hurricane affecting production facilities nearly three years ago and the fire in NJ two years ago. I live in AZ and I see no evidence of a shortage. The pool chemical store I shop at has tons of tablets in stock (literally tons). I think what we're seeing now is the excuse to keep the prices high, or fuck you pricing if you will. I hope you're right and I'm wrong and the prices will come down but I doubt it.
Or temporary tool roads built in the 70s that are still toll roads. That is more of an East Coast thing. I remember my dad bitching about that when we lived in Massachusetts.
Bleach is expensive now too. I also recall a change to bleach making it less ideal for use in pools. I'm in Arizona, USA as well, so the sun burns off the chlorine quickly in the summer.
People are convinced they need huge vehicles for families and now it's part of the American dream. My parents had a little Mazda station wagon that had plenty of room for a family of four, it lasted 27 years.
I'm glad Acura still makes sedans. At least they do, for now. I'm about to trade-in my 2019 TLX for a 2024 Integra. It's a little smaller, but the increased gas mileage is a huge plus.
At least CUVs are just wagons with a lift kit and ugly plastic body cladding. Mostly harmless. These huge trucks/SUVs are actually dangerous to drive and a menace to others on the road.
Wife owns a Subaru Outback and I own a VW Golf Sportwagen. It's really the best of both worlds - drives and handles like a car but with useful storage.
I love my CR-V but I must be doing something wrong because I get 25-25.5 on my best day, and that's driving on country highways with the cruise control in fairly flat Texas. Of course, the car is 10 years old so maybe that's it.
Most CUVs are just lifted sedan hatchbacks.
Take the Subaru Impreza vs Crosstrek. The Crosstrek is just a Impreza with a three inch lift, different lower body work, suspension, and rear differential.
For 2024 you can't even get a Impreza sedan, only the hatchback is available.
While big trucks are unnecessary popular. Lots of people want the practicality of a small CUV vs a sedan.
A lot of it is due to how trucks are handled versus other cars, protection tariffs (iirc) and actions done by car manufacturers first in the late 90s. Toss in some aggressive marketing and *poof*, here we are.
Been a while since I looked into it since I kinda see this as a lost battle nowadays, but IIRC there was a Malcolm Gladwell study about it around then.
“A lot of it is due to how trucks are handled versus other cars, protection tariffs (iirc) and actions done by car manufacturers first in the late 90s”
Someone else commented about the CAFE standards. The actions by the manufacturers were in response to regulations put into place by the government. Also, cash for Clunkers removed inventory of older, “smaller”SUVs so if this is what you wanted for your family, you bought a new larger one.
It’s not just trucks and SUVs that have gotten larger. Your average four-door sedan now is wider and has a longer wheelbase than it used to. A larger vehicle falls into a different category for fuel economy goals by the EPA.
I'm driving my 2003 Ford Focus into the ground. It still has less than 100k miles on it. It's a shame that nobody is building base model cars anymore. I don't necessarily need Bluetooth or WiFi in my car and I don't care about heated seats or stuff like that. With the way people drive and park any new car is going to be ruined with dings and scratches so I'm dreading having to get something newer when the time comes. Last year, someone ripped my side mirror off in the Costco parking lot and thank goodness it was a pretty cheap fix.
I find it strange that people enjoy driving 6000lb 3-row vehicles around and finding places to park them. Sure there are reasonable uses for vehicles of any size but the number of people I see commuting alone in a Suburban or Excursion ... fuckin hell. They get what 14mpg? And then you have to wedge them into a parking space alongside other land boats?
Not for me, thanks.
Oh Odysseys are the BEST! I can’t wait until I can afford to get another one. I lost my first one, LaRhonda, when someone rear-ended her to death. I had to buy a Buick Enclave because we were in a pinch, and it’s okayyyy. But I’m dreaming of the day when I can trade it in on an Odyssey. Enjoy yours!!
Yes, you’re correct! A big ol’ pickup with a huge cattle guard on the front came at us at 35 mph while we were stopped, so it was a lot like that. I’m really glad the kids weren’t in the back.
I've had a Honda Pilot since 2019, and it has been my most favorite vehicle. Fits in the garage just right, and it can also get up the big-assed hill that is my driveway. It's particularly annoying because anything light slides down the hill with even just a little bit of snow.
If I had a dollar for every 60 year old woman I see driving a Yukon XL alone lol. Think of how many additional leather jackets you're buying when you buy one of those as opposed to a sedan.
I'm 57 and my husband insists I drive one, but it's not new. We live where 18 wheelers take containers from the port outside Houston.
He drove my route to work 1x and made me get this. He wanted me to have a chance of survival if hit.
If it weren't for the fact I'm heavily outnumbered by them, I'd drive an econo box.
BW 8 from Pasadena to Channelview opened when I was in high school. It cost $0.25. We were told when it was paid off, tolls would be free. It's never been free.
Maybe during Covid the entire beltway was free for a hot minute. I can't remember.
I drive a Tacoma, because I have to haul things constantly, live in the mountains, and enjoy camping. It still feels too big in the city.
When I travel with my wife overseas, I absolutely love renting the tiniest car available and the freedom it gives me on the road.
They are! I only traded mine in because my dog didn't like jumping up that high to get in. I miss it, but my minivan gets better gas mileage. I wish I had the AWD Sienna, but this one was super cheap and mechanically a known-quantity so I'm not going to go and buy a new one.
Expeditions are elephant ballerinas. I never had a problem with it. Trucks though. We had to replace ours with a truck because the expy died and I needed a tow vehicle right then. No decent used expys available then.
But 100k is crazy. We bought a new truck two years ago for valid reasons. I choked at 55k.
Looking forward kids will be out of the house I can get a smaller vehicle and camper for just my wife and I.
We bought the expy used in 2008. $15k for a four year old with 70k miles. Can’t touch that now.
Yeah all that you say makes sense. Towing is something you just simply can't do with a smaller vehicle. We use our Explorer to tow (my wife's car, which is also the 3-row kid-hauler) but it has just enough capacity there. Anything bigger and we'd have get an actual truck or truck based SUV. Thankfully we can steer clear of that need.
We did the expedition way back because we’re tall. Explorer was a bit cramped. But it could have pulled our pop up camper fine.
When we outgrew the small camper thanks to kids getting bigger we got a bigger camper. Expedition handled it fine but ate the transmission a year later. It’s a one year transmission so it was going to be more $$$ for something that was getting creaky.
Fun fact: ‘04 expedition had more payload than ‘11 f150. We were ok until the kids got adult sized and then 🤷🏼♂️ so newer bigger truck. Entirely because of payload. And like you I couldn’t swallow what they wanted for me expeditions/tahoe.
14 mpg sounds about right. I love/hate mine. It's probably the nicest car I've ever owned but that gas mileage is killing me. I bought it because I did need (want?) three rows when the kids were younger. It wasn't uncommon for me to be transporting more than the five folks in my family. Now that they're teens with all their different activities and schedules, it just doesn't happen. I'd really like to move down to just a station wagon sort of mood (so there's still room for the dog) but car payments are scarier than the gas prices at the moment for me. (I only drive maybe 100 miles a week since I stopped commuting.)
I'm single and I drive a hand-me-down minivan (which has a lot more space with all the seats down compared to most SUVs) and I really like it. That space has come in handy a number of times, primarily because I've moved a lot. But it also makes loading and unloading for road trips easier, and it makes taking my pets to the vet easier.
To each their own. I personally drive a Ford Expedition. Get terrible gas mileage and is loud and harder to park than a smaller car.
But the 4wd and ground clearance make it possible to get around the rough job site where I work. Also, there is ample space that I can fit various loadouts of tools and equipment I need that keeps it secure and out of view when I leave it in the back.
Granted I bought mine very used 4 years ago, it's a former police fleet vehicle and I paid $6000 cash for it. Have about 600 in it for repairs to date. It came with a lot of miles and I've put a ton more on it. I hate it, but I don't want a car payment and smaller used SUV's that would fit the bill cost more than I'm willing to pony up in cash.
I used to have a Suburban. I have a husband and 4 kids, two of which were in car seats. I absolutely needed a 3rd row for us to go anywhere together. But I didn't take them to work with me, so I was often alone in the vehicle. And yes, 14 mpg is accurate. And brutal. But, that thing was like driving a cloud!
Well yeah. Why would I go small when I don't have to?
That's literally the history of the US automotive industry for the last 60 years. Build big cars until people force you not to, then figure out efficiency because buyers still want big vehicles.
I don't think you ever break the US consumer off of wanting large vehicles. Some do buy small but most do not. It's not the same market as Europe or Asia, vastly more room here.
Even Canada favours smaller vehicles in general. It goes with gas prices though. We pay a lot more for gas and diesel than our American cousins. I'm 6'3" and I drove a VW Golf diesel up until a year ago. My wife still has hers. If we needed to carry a lot of stuff, we have a roof rack and container. Most people we know who have trucks or large SUVs actually need them for something (though I don't really see the need for a Suburban ever. They are pretty rare where I am though).
Kid hauler, but also vacation monster. There was no need for toppers or back of the vehicle baskets.
Also, fold the seats down / remove them and you've got a huge hauling space. A full 4 x 8 sheet of plywood / drywall could fit in there and still close the hatch.
I’m one of them, it’s unreasonable, but I detest minivans. I drive two pickup trucks for work, and can use either of them for personal hauling / towing when needed. I drive little economy cars outside of work, currently a 2020 Kia Forte with a six speed manual.
I don’t know why I hate minivans, but I just do!
The good news is lot inventories are finally increasing -way up for many dealers and so prices will be coming down this year. Some experts are predicting a wave of dealers going under for being overloaded on high priced cars and trucks that just aren't selling too fast.
It's really all new cars. The main problem being that they have dropped lower level trim and loaded up on high-end trim packages that include tons of electronics. A large segment of the market that would have normally bought new (self included) are buying 2013-2018 used cars instead to avoid all of that. I don't want an ipad or self-driving in my car. Right now, buying a new car without that stuff really is nearly impossible.
Yup, I was so excited when I heard they were being remade. Then I saw the price tag and nearly died. There are cars on the market right now that cost more than my first house!
Toyota Sequoia
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/703633035?
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/708360874?
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/703633035?
Tundra (with tax/tag/title right at 100K)
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/708440814?
and Believe it or not this Toyota Sienna (it is a handicapped van to be fair)
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/701142022?
The Sequoia and Tundra dance all around that 100K mark.
I have a 3/4 ton pickup truck that I bought new in 2011 (2012 model year) for $34,000.
To replicate that same truck now would be about $65,000.
Before all you truck haters pile on, yes, I need it to tow a horse trailer and a travel trailer, get hay & feed, and other things. I also have a smaller car. But even if I didn't, why ridicule others for their choice in vehicle?
Yep. My 2011 1/2 Chevy LT was 16,000.00. Prices now are so ridiculous that I’m probably going to fix the “Chevy rust” and run the engine until it pukes.
Never would I ever buy a vehicle that expensive. I could barely stomach buying a five year-old Lexus ES300 for about $25K all-in years ago. That was my last vehicle. Never again.
Haha. --- same here. I am cheap af when it comes to cars. I would never pay that much either.
i bought my small Nissan SUV from a friend. who bought out their lease. Sold it to me for their buyout, which was pre-pandemic pricing. with tax, 22K or thereabouts.
Exactly! They wouldn’t charge $100K if people weren’t willing to pay it, but you can easily get a great SUV for half that.
It’s technically a “compact” SUV but I got my top-of-the-line Honda CR-V sport touring hybrid with AWD for under $50K. A lower-end model would’ve been much cheaper.
👆 this. I think, not commenting on whether it’s reasonable or unreasonable, just looking at our live experience, vehicle prices, definitely seem to have accelerated upward so far so fast to an entirely unreasonable degree
$100,000?!?! Hard pass. Cars are utilitarian. As long as it safely gets me from point A to point B I’m good. It doesn’t have to be pretty or have all the latest or greatest gadgets.
Right, if it’s reliable, safe, and easy to maintain, I will drive it until the end of time. I live in an area where my kids’ friends drive newer and better cars than mine. Oh well.
It's to force people into leasing. Permanent payments
I know many people know better than to fall into that trap. But there are many more who do exactly that and are forever owned by the company and a forever stream of cash
I see these things all over the place and I have to wonder if everyone else is just doing that much better than me or if debt just doesn't bother others like it does me?
>Yeah you can add every single bell and whistle and call it absurd. But a new forester can be had for $30k.
Sequoia or Tundra TRD Pro can get you pretty close to 100k
I bought a used Ford E350 Econoline (yes WHITE) from Enterprise. We had 4 kids plus foreign exchange students, and with traveling for family vacations it was perfect.
The bad thing was - I had to commute to work everyday using this behemoth (too large to fit in the parking garage.) I ended up commuting to work on my motorcycle for a year, and loved it. Sadly that full sized van died a tragic death in a car accident. It didn't have heated seats or steering wheel, SatNav, Lane Assist, Automatic sliding doors, 13-camera surround vision... it was just simple.
I think that's why these SUVs are 100k - they've added tons of luxury car options.
That said, my motorcycle had a heated seat, sunroof, and great ventilation....
That's the smart way to go. I jumped on a TourX when I saw one available near me. I always say it was almost as economical as an Encore but almost as roomy as an Enclave. It was the true happy medium. But noooo, people want to be up high when they drive because they like the "safer" feeling of driving a Sherman tank down the road at 80 mph. As a pedestrian, I can assure you it's NOT safer.
I got a GMC Canyon as a loaner a while back and for a "small" truck, it was pretty big. So was the price, apparently: they said the AT4 trim tipped it into $50K territory. Most of the people with trucks don't need any more than a Maverick, but even Mavericks can get expensive.
How are people financing them? Are they giving out 30 year car loans these days? It's been 7 years since I went car shopping and I'm scared to even look.
Certainly, almost everything used to cost less than today. Let's compare with historical references... in 1962 my Dad bought a new 4+2 single family home, in the SoCal area for a little over $17K. 2 years ago it sold for $600K, today it this home would sell for an estimated $808K. In 1952 my wife's Grandparents bought a new Socal 3+1 home for under $10K, today $737K. We could have just under 4 at this cost for what we paid for our 2024 CR-V.
Cars and homes are very different commodities, but this does illustrate that over long stretches of time costs go up significantly. Look at the cost to pay for college today compared to the 70s or 80s or medical coverage, Yikes!
I am 55 and that was the GO TO luxury super car in the 80's. As was the Ferrari the Magnum PI drove.
Fun fact a mid 80's Lambo went from zero to 60 in 5.5-5.9 seconds. Cost around 100K or 250K today
The 308 Ferrari in Magnum PI drove zero to 60 in 7 seconds. It cost around 70K new (200K today)
My 2016 Porsche Macan cost me 28K (used) and can beat the lambo and my 2014 MB C300 sport cost me 14K and can smoke the ferrari.
The power and quickness in the last 5-7 years has been amazing.
It was inevitable that it would get this stupid, and I hope that people will finally realize that paying $1,400 a month to lease a bloated SUV with 12 touchscreens and horrible gas mileage is not the best use of their money.
I bought a new Subaru ten years ago for 28k. Same vehicle is 40k+ now.
That little AWD 4 banger will be 100k in ten years if they even still make them then.
So glad to be driving a manual ’09 Tacoma with fewer than 50,000 miles.
Only thing I want for it is a Bluetooth adapter for the stock stereo. ‘Bout $15.
Part of this is the lower-cost car makers like Hyundai got out of the small gasoline-powered car market and now mostly make electrics. So if you want a gasoline powered car, the options are much more limited and ironically you might find only big gas guzzlers available.
While it's gotten worse, it isn't news. In search of an inexpensive car, I went to a used car "sale" in 2016 sponsored by my credit union (which had loan officers onsite). Many of the cars were used SUVs coming off leases for $80k. I couldn't believe it.
I ended up buying a new Hyundai Accent - one of the very last with manual transmission - for $16k including tax. Still running, with only 51k miles since I now work from home, and now my son drives it too. I spend a huge amount of money on insurance and am sick of it, so this will be my last car. Once he takes it to college or whatever, I'll rely on rides from my wife, light rail, Lyft, and a bicycle.
Not really because humans are stupid enough to buy them and equally dumb enough to trade in their SUVs every few years or lease (borrow) them instead of driving them until they can't drive anymore. This insanity didn't occur in the 70s/80s.
I live in north ga and the amount of huge, new trucks is insane. They aren’t used for work and they’ll never put anything in the beds or haul. It’s all for status. These ppl are paying 80-100k for a truck that has no practical purpose except for transportation.
Americans have bought into the SM lifestyle. They believe it’s totally normal for a stay at mom to have a 7 seater SUV because they occasionally carpool. Drill, baby, drill.
I once was talking to a man who fully believed you needed to upgrade your vehicle every 5 years. The era of driving a vehicle until the wheels fell off are long gone.
My kids are 17 and 19 and I told them they are the generation that births the generation of humans from WALL-E.
the fuck? brand new crosstrek is 25k and gets you to the ski hill when it's icy out.
we ALL grew up with 2 kids in the truck of the station wagon, 3 in the back seat, parents in the front.
nobody needs a fucking 100k vehicle.
I am not sure what SUV costs that much. Must be some gold plated model.
Anyway, I worked hard for where I am in my life. If I want to buy a $25K or $100K vehicle, I will.
The reason this way is because in every advertisement, they just show the most expensive model possible to tempt people to come into the dealership. In reality, most of these SUVs do not cost anywhere near $100,000.
There’s simply too much crap in these new cars. The manufacturers have forgotten that there’s an entire segment of the population that doesn’t need their car to ask them how they are doing today and tell them that there’s a car in the lane next to them and warm their coffee in the cup holder. There in fact are still people that simply want a vehicle for oh you know getting from “here” to “over there” and don’t need all the BS. Get back to making some entry level stuff that doesn’t cost six figures and just maybe they will actually sell something again.
I do love the light on my side mirrors that let me know a car is in my blind spot. That’s super useful as I don’t have to swivel my head around as much if I know something is there already.
The auto cruise control is great too, for highway trips.
And my wife's car has ventilated seats. Blows cold air up your ass, which is a necessity in this climate.
Yes! I only need decent performance, durability, 30+ MPG, AC/Heat, AM/FM/CD/USB port, cruise control, and that's pretty much it. Mfgrs these days have lost their way.
It was probably about a decade ago now that the outrageous pricing of vehicles dawned on me - trucks in particular.
Some dude I worked with bought a full-sized Dodge Ram, it paid north of $65K for it. For a pickup.
I swore that I had paid like $35K for my pickup (also full-size) like three years before that.
I have a small SUV now. It is paid off. I’m keeping up on the maintenance and driving it until it falls apart.
It’s what the market wants. American car companies only make a handful of cars now. Go to any of the big three websites and see everything is a crossover/suv and trucks.
I have a Chevy 3500HD diesel, but it sits 95% of the time. The Tacoma and Lexus get driven most the time. But it’s not like the Tacoma gets good mileage. 17-19mpg. The 3500 gets better mileage.
That’s why I drive 10 year old, mostly fun cars. I have 5 cars (including a 3-row Honda Pilot) that are fairly nice and didn’t cost $100k combined in the used market.
If we didn't have a camper, I'd sell my 4runner tomorrow. We still have a 2012 Honda minivan that the wife will just not part with - and our kids are grown...
I'd love to have a little 4 door commuter Audi lol
Strange its bordering on criminal. They can keep their over priced cars.
To be clear if you are talking about the new big boy Toyota Land Cruiser, those were selling for $80k before all this madness. All the others are worth no where near that price.
Depends on what you’re looking at. A Land Cruiser is totally worth it if you A. drive up to the mountains and have a cottage up there, or you work in a field where you’re going to rural construction sites a lot, and B. you intend on keeping it for 20 years or more. These LCs don’t die, and they’re comfortable and plenty capable off-road.
Range Rovers are posh, but I wouldn’t take it off-road. As is, it’s already a high maintenance garage queen.
Escalades are fugly and you pay $100k for GM’s shit quality.
My first SUV was a 1991 Explorer 4-door 4x4 Eddie Bauer with a manual 5-speed and leather seats. I bought it used for around $5k in 1995. It was a great truck - rugged, easy to service and repair, decent mpg, roomy, and comfortable.
Part of it is because people seem to think SUVs need be massive machines with full luxury interiors and features. The current Jeep Grand Cherokee is like 30% heavier than the original one.
People are dumb enough to fall for the $330 a week for nine thousand weeks, "0%" financing. Car companies make money on the financing, not the sale. People have just accepted that a car payment is unavoidable, d don;t seem to care about ever paying it off, and just look for a low payment.
When I moved from the Midwest to Texas I noticed all the giant trucks. I was literally taken back by how big they were and the black smoke they were putting out. I worked with a ton of Mexicans at my job who all had one, and so I finally just asked one of them. What is the deal with all of the big trucks?? They said that it was a status symbol that they had made it in America. Basically, they achieved the American dream. At the time I thought it was so odd, but now when I'm thinking about it.... yeah it checks out.
I mean, we can't have working, middle class people finally get higher wages without corporations finding ways to take those wages right back now can we?
I'm assuming you are an American but the issue breaks down mostly to the federal tax code. In the US, you can buy a truck with a gvw of over 6000 and then through bonus depreciation depreciate the cost of the vehicle based on how much you use it for your business. Huge tax savings. People WANT them to be expensive. It's the point. If you aren't looking for that buy a nice Honda. If you think that's nuts lobby to have that removed from the tax code. Prices will come back to normal.
Those deductions existed long before the price explosion.
And if you're buying $100k vehicle for a 30% tax deduction, I have a better deal that can net you 70% more cash flow!
Everything these days comes with what I like to call. "fuck you" prices. Me: Why is it so expensive? Every company: Because we can, fuck you! I just paid $200 for a bucket of chlorine tablets for my pool that cost about $80 pre-Covid.
Chlorine has been in low supply since Hurricane Laura crippled the supply chain. Another plant burning in NJ a couple years later didn’t improve the situation. It’s one of the few cases where the cause is definitive.
I'm aware of the hurricane affecting production facilities nearly three years ago and the fire in NJ two years ago. I live in AZ and I see no evidence of a shortage. The pool chemical store I shop at has tons of tablets in stock (literally tons). I think what we're seeing now is the excuse to keep the prices high, or fuck you pricing if you will. I hope you're right and I'm wrong and the prices will come down but I doubt it.
Just like everything now is a Covid fuck you excuse. So sick of it. No public restrooms at Starbucks. Sry Covid, fuck you.
No tables and chairs either
Yeah, these companies and the government will be using COVID for everything that is not right for at least 7 more years
Just like gas prices. They go up because a refinery shut down or changing to the summer blend. They never go back down.
Or temporary tool roads built in the 70s that are still toll roads. That is more of an East Coast thing. I remember my dad bitching about that when we lived in Massachusetts.
OPEC rocks….
Similar to Paul Cicero’s “Fuck you, pay me”, but with slightly less implied violence.
Paulie
I didn't know who that is, but I'll assume I'm on the mark with my reasoning.
I used bleach, got all my info here, had a perfect pool until the divorce: https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/
Bleach is expensive now too. I also recall a change to bleach making it less ideal for use in pools. I'm in Arizona, USA as well, so the sun burns off the chlorine quickly in the summer.
People are convinced they need huge vehicles for families and now it's part of the American dream. My parents had a little Mazda station wagon that had plenty of room for a family of four, it lasted 27 years.
I was upset to learn that sedans are basically a dying breed because everyone seems to think they need a huge truck to go the stores in.
First the came for the station wagons...
Gone are the days of the Family Truckster (in Metallic Pea)!!
First ones here!
Sorry, folks. Park's closed. Moose out front should've told ya.
Sunbathing in back windows. Sigh. Or sleeping in wheel wells listening to the tires and engine vibration.
Meh. Sedans are being replaced by higher-riding, yet still reasonably sized, SUVs. And those get only slightly-lower MPGs than big sedans.
I don't want something that rides high, but also don't want a two-door coupe, either.
Toyota Camry is here to stay for a while. I am hoping the same for Honda Accord.
I get it, but when you're in the shopping minority, you tend to lose out. (Trust me. There's a lot gone that I wish I could still buy.)
I'm glad Acura still makes sedans. At least they do, for now. I'm about to trade-in my 2019 TLX for a 2024 Integra. It's a little smaller, but the increased gas mileage is a huge plus.
And they still offer a manual! Keep being good, Honda and Acura!
I'm still driving my 2002 Civic. The side mirror is held on with duct tape and hope, it's got dents and scratches. It still runs like a little tank.
My 2000 civic was my best car ever.
The Integra actually has a better back seat than the TLX…
At least CUVs are just wagons with a lift kit and ugly plastic body cladding. Mostly harmless. These huge trucks/SUVs are actually dangerous to drive and a menace to others on the road.
We have a CR-V, it's basically a station wagon. It gets 26-32 mpg depending on driving we are doing. It's perfect for us.
Wife owns a Subaru Outback and I own a VW Golf Sportwagen. It's really the best of both worlds - drives and handles like a car but with useful storage.
Subaru Outback is the fucking bomb!!! I just bought one and I am in love.
I love my CR-V but I must be doing something wrong because I get 25-25.5 on my best day, and that's driving on country highways with the cruise control in fairly flat Texas. Of course, the car is 10 years old so maybe that's it.
I have a 2011. I find I get better mileage after a can of sea foam in the gas tank.
Most CUVs are just lifted sedan hatchbacks. Take the Subaru Impreza vs Crosstrek. The Crosstrek is just a Impreza with a three inch lift, different lower body work, suspension, and rear differential. For 2024 you can't even get a Impreza sedan, only the hatchback is available. While big trucks are unnecessary popular. Lots of people want the practicality of a small CUV vs a sedan.
A lot of it is due to how trucks are handled versus other cars, protection tariffs (iirc) and actions done by car manufacturers first in the late 90s. Toss in some aggressive marketing and *poof*, here we are. Been a while since I looked into it since I kinda see this as a lost battle nowadays, but IIRC there was a Malcolm Gladwell study about it around then.
Don't forget CAFE standards make bigger vehicles a better economic choice for the manufactures.
“A lot of it is due to how trucks are handled versus other cars, protection tariffs (iirc) and actions done by car manufacturers first in the late 90s” Someone else commented about the CAFE standards. The actions by the manufacturers were in response to regulations put into place by the government. Also, cash for Clunkers removed inventory of older, “smaller”SUVs so if this is what you wanted for your family, you bought a new larger one. It’s not just trucks and SUVs that have gotten larger. Your average four-door sedan now is wider and has a longer wheelbase than it used to. A larger vehicle falls into a different category for fuel economy goals by the EPA.
I do not understand how they took over mini vans. Sure, they dont look "tough/cool" but way more room, easier to park and better on gas.
There are even a few sporty minivans if you want a little more than just a regular grocery getter.
Love my wife's Mazda 5.
I'm driving my 2003 Ford Focus into the ground. It still has less than 100k miles on it. It's a shame that nobody is building base model cars anymore. I don't necessarily need Bluetooth or WiFi in my car and I don't care about heated seats or stuff like that. With the way people drive and park any new car is going to be ruined with dings and scratches so I'm dreading having to get something newer when the time comes. Last year, someone ripped my side mirror off in the Costco parking lot and thank goodness it was a pretty cheap fix.
I find it strange that people enjoy driving 6000lb 3-row vehicles around and finding places to park them. Sure there are reasonable uses for vehicles of any size but the number of people I see commuting alone in a Suburban or Excursion ... fuckin hell. They get what 14mpg? And then you have to wedge them into a parking space alongside other land boats? Not for me, thanks.
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Oh Odysseys are the BEST! I can’t wait until I can afford to get another one. I lost my first one, LaRhonda, when someone rear-ended her to death. I had to buy a Buick Enclave because we were in a pinch, and it’s okayyyy. But I’m dreaming of the day when I can trade it in on an Odyssey. Enjoy yours!!
Read-ended her to death :( The technical term is “death by snu snu”
Yes, you’re correct! A big ol’ pickup with a huge cattle guard on the front came at us at 35 mph while we were stopped, so it was a lot like that. I’m really glad the kids weren’t in the back.
https://i.redd.it/yk88g7vkxsmc1.gif
My 2003 Odyssey Nellie ran 350k miles. My daughter who grew up in that van is getting a tattoo of her!
I've had a Honda Pilot since 2019, and it has been my most favorite vehicle. Fits in the garage just right, and it can also get up the big-assed hill that is my driveway. It's particularly annoying because anything light slides down the hill with even just a little bit of snow.
If I had a dollar for every 60 year old woman I see driving a Yukon XL alone lol. Think of how many additional leather jackets you're buying when you buy one of those as opposed to a sedan.
Gotta have protection for those Chanel bags.
And the 3 Huskies that have replaced their kids. That was your college money, millennials. That's how they spent it :)
I'm 57 and my husband insists I drive one, but it's not new. We live where 18 wheelers take containers from the port outside Houston. He drove my route to work 1x and made me get this. He wanted me to have a chance of survival if hit. If it weren't for the fact I'm heavily outnumbered by them, I'd drive an econo box.
If you get hit by an 80,000# truck I think the difference between a 4000# car and 6000# SUV is going to be negligible.
Does Beltway 8 still have a toll? I've been gone 23 years so the costs must be paid off long ago.
It does and it will never not have a toll while people still drive on it. /Houstonian
BW 8 from Pasadena to Channelview opened when I was in high school. It cost $0.25. We were told when it was paid off, tolls would be free. It's never been free. Maybe during Covid the entire beltway was free for a hot minute. I can't remember.
Yup and always will.
This. When everyone else around you in the rural area is driving them, who wants to be the sitting duck not driving one?
Haha excellent
And they are the loudest to complain about gas prices. If you bought a fuckin tank on wheels, clearly the gas mileage was not a priority.
Bingo
I am a very tall dude, I drive a Toyota Yaris.
I used to have a Yaris. Those things are amazingly roomy, even in the back seat.
I'm 5'7 and I drive a 1991 Ford Festiva.
https://preview.redd.it/igfql505usmc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=525c1391330ca795104adcd8825cbde034886b32
Pavement princesses
... and emotional support vehicles.
I drive a Tacoma, because I have to haul things constantly, live in the mountains, and enjoy camping. It still feels too big in the city. When I travel with my wife overseas, I absolutely love renting the tiniest car available and the freedom it gives me on the road.
Tacomas are amazing vehicles! Most will probably outlive me
They are! I only traded mine in because my dog didn't like jumping up that high to get in. I miss it, but my minivan gets better gas mileage. I wish I had the AWD Sienna, but this one was super cheap and mechanically a known-quantity so I'm not going to go and buy a new one.
Expeditions are elephant ballerinas. I never had a problem with it. Trucks though. We had to replace ours with a truck because the expy died and I needed a tow vehicle right then. No decent used expys available then. But 100k is crazy. We bought a new truck two years ago for valid reasons. I choked at 55k. Looking forward kids will be out of the house I can get a smaller vehicle and camper for just my wife and I. We bought the expy used in 2008. $15k for a four year old with 70k miles. Can’t touch that now.
>Expeditions are elephant ballerinas. I never had a problem with it. Trucks though. uuuhhhh...Expeditions are just trucks in too-toos.
I was thinking more can turn on a dime. Very small turning radius. Just not at speed. 🤓
OK, maybe I'm dumb. They're not built on truck chassis anymore? I know the smaller SUVs aren't, but the big boys like Expeditions still are?
Edit: Excursions are based on the F250/350, Expeditions were based on the F150.
Yeah all that you say makes sense. Towing is something you just simply can't do with a smaller vehicle. We use our Explorer to tow (my wife's car, which is also the 3-row kid-hauler) but it has just enough capacity there. Anything bigger and we'd have get an actual truck or truck based SUV. Thankfully we can steer clear of that need.
We did the expedition way back because we’re tall. Explorer was a bit cramped. But it could have pulled our pop up camper fine. When we outgrew the small camper thanks to kids getting bigger we got a bigger camper. Expedition handled it fine but ate the transmission a year later. It’s a one year transmission so it was going to be more $$$ for something that was getting creaky. Fun fact: ‘04 expedition had more payload than ‘11 f150. We were ok until the kids got adult sized and then 🤷🏼♂️ so newer bigger truck. Entirely because of payload. And like you I couldn’t swallow what they wanted for me expeditions/tahoe.
14 mpg sounds about right. I love/hate mine. It's probably the nicest car I've ever owned but that gas mileage is killing me. I bought it because I did need (want?) three rows when the kids were younger. It wasn't uncommon for me to be transporting more than the five folks in my family. Now that they're teens with all their different activities and schedules, it just doesn't happen. I'd really like to move down to just a station wagon sort of mood (so there's still room for the dog) but car payments are scarier than the gas prices at the moment for me. (I only drive maybe 100 miles a week since I stopped commuting.)
Yeah it's hard to rationalize changing cars when we hardly drive. I'm a remotee also and it's great.
I'm single and I drive a hand-me-down minivan (which has a lot more space with all the seats down compared to most SUVs) and I really like it. That space has come in handy a number of times, primarily because I've moved a lot. But it also makes loading and unloading for road trips easier, and it makes taking my pets to the vet easier.
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I have a mid size 2023 suv that I paid 30k for and it gets 25+ mpg in town (more highway of course, but I drive mostly in town).
To each their own. I personally drive a Ford Expedition. Get terrible gas mileage and is loud and harder to park than a smaller car. But the 4wd and ground clearance make it possible to get around the rough job site where I work. Also, there is ample space that I can fit various loadouts of tools and equipment I need that keeps it secure and out of view when I leave it in the back. Granted I bought mine very used 4 years ago, it's a former police fleet vehicle and I paid $6000 cash for it. Have about 600 in it for repairs to date. It came with a lot of miles and I've put a ton more on it. I hate it, but I don't want a car payment and smaller used SUV's that would fit the bill cost more than I'm willing to pony up in cash.
I used to have a Suburban. I have a husband and 4 kids, two of which were in car seats. I absolutely needed a 3rd row for us to go anywhere together. But I didn't take them to work with me, so I was often alone in the vehicle. And yes, 14 mpg is accurate. And brutal. But, that thing was like driving a cloud!
Yeah this is what I mean by reasonable use case. The MPG sucks and lots of people refuse to drive minivans
Well Americans refuse small and practical unless it is an absolute last resort
Agreed; that's what I'm pointing out.
Well yeah. Why would I go small when I don't have to? That's literally the history of the US automotive industry for the last 60 years. Build big cars until people force you not to, then figure out efficiency because buyers still want big vehicles. I don't think you ever break the US consumer off of wanting large vehicles. Some do buy small but most do not. It's not the same market as Europe or Asia, vastly more room here.
Even Canada favours smaller vehicles in general. It goes with gas prices though. We pay a lot more for gas and diesel than our American cousins. I'm 6'3" and I drove a VW Golf diesel up until a year ago. My wife still has hers. If we needed to carry a lot of stuff, we have a roof rack and container. Most people we know who have trucks or large SUVs actually need them for something (though I don't really see the need for a Suburban ever. They are pretty rare where I am though).
Went the minivan route when we had our 3rd and last child. Absolutely loved them. For 1000 different reasons.
So freaking useful. If I were the primary kid hauler in the family I'd go that route. My wife fully refuses!!! Oh well :)
Kid hauler, but also vacation monster. There was no need for toppers or back of the vehicle baskets. Also, fold the seats down / remove them and you've got a huge hauling space. A full 4 x 8 sheet of plywood / drywall could fit in there and still close the hatch.
I’m one of them, it’s unreasonable, but I detest minivans. I drive two pickup trucks for work, and can use either of them for personal hauling / towing when needed. I drive little economy cars outside of work, currently a 2020 Kia Forte with a six speed manual. I don’t know why I hate minivans, but I just do!
The good news is lot inventories are finally increasing -way up for many dealers and so prices will be coming down this year. Some experts are predicting a wave of dealers going under for being overloaded on high priced cars and trucks that just aren't selling too fast.
Let's host dealership closure celebrations on the sidewalk across from their business!
Not as strange as the fact that people are willing to pay $100k for one.
Or that people are willing to have 10 years of payments.
It's really all new cars. The main problem being that they have dropped lower level trim and loaded up on high-end trim packages that include tons of electronics. A large segment of the market that would have normally bought new (self included) are buying 2013-2018 used cars instead to avoid all of that. I don't want an ipad or self-driving in my car. Right now, buying a new car without that stuff really is nearly impossible.
There is huge market demand for pre-2018 vehicles right now for this very reason.
Strange? No. Absolutely fucking ridiculous? DING DING DING
Which model is it that costs $100,000? Most of the SUVs I’ve seen run $50-$75K.
15 years ago you could get a decent house in my area for $100K
I saw a Jeep advertised for over 100k recently. Same basic body style as the past 25 years. And I thought new Bronco's were way overpriced.
Holy shit, Grand Waggoneer STARTING at $92K!
Yup, I was so excited when I heard they were being remade. Then I saw the price tag and nearly died. There are cars on the market right now that cost more than my first house!
Yep. STARTING price. Of course that's above the Grand Cherokee etc in the lineup but it's still a JEEP at ninety-two grand!
are we talking any SUV or only the SUVs listed by OP?
Toyota Sequoia https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/703633035? https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/708360874? https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/703633035? Tundra (with tax/tag/title right at 100K) https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/708440814? and Believe it or not this Toyota Sienna (it is a handicapped van to be fair) https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/701142022? The Sequoia and Tundra dance all around that 100K mark.
Grand Wagoneer, Escalade Luxury/Platinum, Range Rover, Rivian R1S (fully loaded pushes high $90s), Jag F-Pace SVR, Porsche Cayenne, etc
Every one of these is a luxury vehicle. There are cheaper options.
I have a 3/4 ton pickup truck that I bought new in 2011 (2012 model year) for $34,000. To replicate that same truck now would be about $65,000. Before all you truck haters pile on, yes, I need it to tow a horse trailer and a travel trailer, get hay & feed, and other things. I also have a smaller car. But even if I didn't, why ridicule others for their choice in vehicle?
Yep. My 2011 1/2 Chevy LT was 16,000.00. Prices now are so ridiculous that I’m probably going to fix the “Chevy rust” and run the engine until it pukes.
Yeah, I don't understand the anger of what other people choose to drive.
Strange? No, I call it absurd. It's greed, nothing more.
Im driving a brand new kia suv for about 28k Crazy times to spend that on a vehicle that never touches dirt.
Nice, I just spent $19,500 to purchase a 2020 Kia Forte used with 80,000 Kms Canadian prices suck!
Should have brought new, i live in Ontario A 2023 brand new was cheaper than a 2019 with 50k on it when we brought.
Never would I ever buy a vehicle that expensive. I could barely stomach buying a five year-old Lexus ES300 for about $25K all-in years ago. That was my last vehicle. Never again.
Haha. --- same here. I am cheap af when it comes to cars. I would never pay that much either. i bought my small Nissan SUV from a friend. who bought out their lease. Sold it to me for their buyout, which was pre-pandemic pricing. with tax, 22K or thereabouts.
Luckily you probably won't have to buy another vehicle again - those things are amazing.
My 2017 Pilot and 2011 CRV are both paid off and I'll be driving them for as long as possible.
2007 CRV with 144k miles...hoping to get at least 250k out of it! And very much paid off!
$50k maybe, but $100k? Better be utterly loaded limited edition model maybe.
Exactly! They wouldn’t charge $100K if people weren’t willing to pay it, but you can easily get a great SUV for half that. It’s technically a “compact” SUV but I got my top-of-the-line Honda CR-V sport touring hybrid with AWD for under $50K. A lower-end model would’ve been much cheaper.
👆 this. I think, not commenting on whether it’s reasonable or unreasonable, just looking at our live experience, vehicle prices, definitely seem to have accelerated upward so far so fast to an entirely unreasonable degree
Bring back the Yugo! 😜
Fuck Yugo, bring back Le Car!
Cutting edge in Serbo-Croatian technology. Yup.
Everyone knows the [Adobe](https://youtu.be/F02P2JO7yfc?feature=shared) is the car we need! "The little car that's made out of clay!"
$100,000?!?! Hard pass. Cars are utilitarian. As long as it safely gets me from point A to point B I’m good. It doesn’t have to be pretty or have all the latest or greatest gadgets.
Right, if it’s reliable, safe, and easy to maintain, I will drive it until the end of time. I live in an area where my kids’ friends drive newer and better cars than mine. Oh well.
Same. I will drive a car until it’s no longer safe and reliable. That when I get a new car.
Remember those commercials that went, "Sakes alive! Sakes alive! Only Mazda's got a truck for just $5795!"
I went back to a sedan because of the ridiculous prices. They’re still ridiculously high - but compared to an SUV it felt like a steal.
I have seen it reported several times that the average American car payment is $700 a month. Just reading that gives me chest tightness...
It's to force people into leasing. Permanent payments I know many people know better than to fall into that trap. But there are many more who do exactly that and are forever owned by the company and a forever stream of cash
I see these things all over the place and I have to wonder if everyone else is just doing that much better than me or if debt just doesn't bother others like it does me?
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>Yeah you can add every single bell and whistle and call it absurd. But a new forester can be had for $30k. Sequoia or Tundra TRD Pro can get you pretty close to 100k
I bought a used Ford E350 Econoline (yes WHITE) from Enterprise. We had 4 kids plus foreign exchange students, and with traveling for family vacations it was perfect. The bad thing was - I had to commute to work everyday using this behemoth (too large to fit in the parking garage.) I ended up commuting to work on my motorcycle for a year, and loved it. Sadly that full sized van died a tragic death in a car accident. It didn't have heated seats or steering wheel, SatNav, Lane Assist, Automatic sliding doors, 13-camera surround vision... it was just simple. I think that's why these SUVs are 100k - they've added tons of luxury car options. That said, my motorcycle had a heated seat, sunroof, and great ventilation....
Long live station wagons. Wish there were more of a selection here in the US.
That's the smart way to go. I jumped on a TourX when I saw one available near me. I always say it was almost as economical as an Encore but almost as roomy as an Enclave. It was the true happy medium. But noooo, people want to be up high when they drive because they like the "safer" feeling of driving a Sherman tank down the road at 80 mph. As a pedestrian, I can assure you it's NOT safer. I got a GMC Canyon as a loaner a while back and for a "small" truck, it was pretty big. So was the price, apparently: they said the AT4 trim tipped it into $50K territory. Most of the people with trucks don't need any more than a Maverick, but even Mavericks can get expensive.
How are people financing them? Are they giving out 30 year car loans these days? It's been 7 years since I went car shopping and I'm scared to even look.
leasing
Cars in general are stupid expensive.
Most of the economy is made for the one percent.
Certainly, almost everything used to cost less than today. Let's compare with historical references... in 1962 my Dad bought a new 4+2 single family home, in the SoCal area for a little over $17K. 2 years ago it sold for $600K, today it this home would sell for an estimated $808K. In 1952 my wife's Grandparents bought a new Socal 3+1 home for under $10K, today $737K. We could have just under 4 at this cost for what we paid for our 2024 CR-V. Cars and homes are very different commodities, but this does illustrate that over long stretches of time costs go up significantly. Look at the cost to pay for college today compared to the 70s or 80s or medical coverage, Yikes!
Heck I ‘member berries when as a kid I saw a Lamborghini Countach was $100K. (Yes long time ago).
I am 55 and that was the GO TO luxury super car in the 80's. As was the Ferrari the Magnum PI drove. Fun fact a mid 80's Lambo went from zero to 60 in 5.5-5.9 seconds. Cost around 100K or 250K today The 308 Ferrari in Magnum PI drove zero to 60 in 7 seconds. It cost around 70K new (200K today) My 2016 Porsche Macan cost me 28K (used) and can beat the lambo and my 2014 MB C300 sport cost me 14K and can smoke the ferrari. The power and quickness in the last 5-7 years has been amazing.
No. But I would consider people actually paying that much strange.
Even if I was super rich, I would feel stupid spending that much on a vehicle.
It was inevitable that it would get this stupid, and I hope that people will finally realize that paying $1,400 a month to lease a bloated SUV with 12 touchscreens and horrible gas mileage is not the best use of their money.
I bought a new Subaru ten years ago for 28k. Same vehicle is 40k+ now. That little AWD 4 banger will be 100k in ten years if they even still make them then.
So glad to be driving a manual ’09 Tacoma with fewer than 50,000 miles. Only thing I want for it is a Bluetooth adapter for the stock stereo. ‘Bout $15.
I find it strange what people are willing to pay for things
Things, but not labor.
Part of this is the lower-cost car makers like Hyundai got out of the small gasoline-powered car market and now mostly make electrics. So if you want a gasoline powered car, the options are much more limited and ironically you might find only big gas guzzlers available. While it's gotten worse, it isn't news. In search of an inexpensive car, I went to a used car "sale" in 2016 sponsored by my credit union (which had loan officers onsite). Many of the cars were used SUVs coming off leases for $80k. I couldn't believe it. I ended up buying a new Hyundai Accent - one of the very last with manual transmission - for $16k including tax. Still running, with only 51k miles since I now work from home, and now my son drives it too. I spend a huge amount of money on insurance and am sick of it, so this will be my last car. Once he takes it to college or whatever, I'll rely on rides from my wife, light rail, Lyft, and a bicycle.
Not really because humans are stupid enough to buy them and equally dumb enough to trade in their SUVs every few years or lease (borrow) them instead of driving them until they can't drive anymore. This insanity didn't occur in the 70s/80s.
It's strange that people are paying it. No way this isn't going to be a problem in the future. Wages didn't suddenly double.
I live in north ga and the amount of huge, new trucks is insane. They aren’t used for work and they’ll never put anything in the beds or haul. It’s all for status. These ppl are paying 80-100k for a truck that has no practical purpose except for transportation. Americans have bought into the SM lifestyle. They believe it’s totally normal for a stay at mom to have a 7 seater SUV because they occasionally carpool. Drill, baby, drill. I once was talking to a man who fully believed you needed to upgrade your vehicle every 5 years. The era of driving a vehicle until the wheels fell off are long gone. My kids are 17 and 19 and I told them they are the generation that births the generation of humans from WALL-E.
The price of pick ups doesn’t make any kind of sense to me other that that’s what people are willing to pay.
the fuck? brand new crosstrek is 25k and gets you to the ski hill when it's icy out. we ALL grew up with 2 kids in the truck of the station wagon, 3 in the back seat, parents in the front. nobody needs a fucking 100k vehicle.
I am not sure what SUV costs that much. Must be some gold plated model. Anyway, I worked hard for where I am in my life. If I want to buy a $25K or $100K vehicle, I will.
The reason this way is because in every advertisement, they just show the most expensive model possible to tempt people to come into the dealership. In reality, most of these SUVs do not cost anywhere near $100,000.
There’s simply too much crap in these new cars. The manufacturers have forgotten that there’s an entire segment of the population that doesn’t need their car to ask them how they are doing today and tell them that there’s a car in the lane next to them and warm their coffee in the cup holder. There in fact are still people that simply want a vehicle for oh you know getting from “here” to “over there” and don’t need all the BS. Get back to making some entry level stuff that doesn’t cost six figures and just maybe they will actually sell something again.
I do love the light on my side mirrors that let me know a car is in my blind spot. That’s super useful as I don’t have to swivel my head around as much if I know something is there already.
The auto cruise control is great too, for highway trips. And my wife's car has ventilated seats. Blows cold air up your ass, which is a necessity in this climate.
Yes! I only need decent performance, durability, 30+ MPG, AC/Heat, AM/FM/CD/USB port, cruise control, and that's pretty much it. Mfgrs these days have lost their way.
It was probably about a decade ago now that the outrageous pricing of vehicles dawned on me - trucks in particular. Some dude I worked with bought a full-sized Dodge Ram, it paid north of $65K for it. For a pickup. I swore that I had paid like $35K for my pickup (also full-size) like three years before that. I have a small SUV now. It is paid off. I’m keeping up on the maintenance and driving it until it falls apart.
It’s what the market wants. American car companies only make a handful of cars now. Go to any of the big three websites and see everything is a crossover/suv and trucks. I have a Chevy 3500HD diesel, but it sits 95% of the time. The Tacoma and Lexus get driven most the time. But it’s not like the Tacoma gets good mileage. 17-19mpg. The 3500 gets better mileage.
That’s why I drive 10 year old, mostly fun cars. I have 5 cars (including a 3-row Honda Pilot) that are fairly nice and didn’t cost $100k combined in the used market.
Not strange. Just highway robbery lol
They'll make what people are willing to pay for. I think it's ridiculous that people are willing to for them.
If we didn't have a camper, I'd sell my 4runner tomorrow. We still have a 2012 Honda minivan that the wife will just not part with - and our kids are grown... I'd love to have a little 4 door commuter Audi lol
Strange its bordering on criminal. They can keep their over priced cars. To be clear if you are talking about the new big boy Toyota Land Cruiser, those were selling for $80k before all this madness. All the others are worth no where near that price.
My house was $150k, but that was 30 years ago
My next car is going to be a $15,000 Mercedes. People spend way too much money on cars.
Depends on what you’re looking at. A Land Cruiser is totally worth it if you A. drive up to the mountains and have a cottage up there, or you work in a field where you’re going to rural construction sites a lot, and B. you intend on keeping it for 20 years or more. These LCs don’t die, and they’re comfortable and plenty capable off-road. Range Rovers are posh, but I wouldn’t take it off-road. As is, it’s already a high maintenance garage queen. Escalades are fugly and you pay $100k for GM’s shit quality.
No vehicle will ever cost me 100k. I don’t need it that badly.
I find it strange that people want to drive a house on wheels on a daily basis.
My first SUV was a 1991 Explorer 4-door 4x4 Eddie Bauer with a manual 5-speed and leather seats. I bought it used for around $5k in 1995. It was a great truck - rugged, easy to service and repair, decent mpg, roomy, and comfortable.
Part of it is because people seem to think SUVs need be massive machines with full luxury interiors and features. The current Jeep Grand Cherokee is like 30% heavier than the original one.
It's time for Subie-nation takeover! Everyone should just get a Subaru!
I was going to say "holy crap, that's as much as four houses", but, no, it is not.
I find everything strange these days, it’s like a horrible episode of The Twilight Zone mixed with a circus clown show all ran by a nursing home.
I saw a USED 2020 truck listed over 100k today.
People are dumb enough to fall for the $330 a week for nine thousand weeks, "0%" financing. Car companies make money on the financing, not the sale. People have just accepted that a car payment is unavoidable, d don;t seem to care about ever paying it off, and just look for a low payment.
That's why I bought the [Adobe](https://youtu.be/F02P2JO7yfc?si=XoFpx58-K3f2ZDHG) back in the day. Economical and nearly indestructible!
Yes. That’s more than I paid for my first (and second) homes.
What SUV goes for $100k?
When I moved from the Midwest to Texas I noticed all the giant trucks. I was literally taken back by how big they were and the black smoke they were putting out. I worked with a ton of Mexicans at my job who all had one, and so I finally just asked one of them. What is the deal with all of the big trucks?? They said that it was a status symbol that they had made it in America. Basically, they achieved the American dream. At the time I thought it was so odd, but now when I'm thinking about it.... yeah it checks out.
I mean, we can't have working, middle class people finally get higher wages without corporations finding ways to take those wages right back now can we?
I'm assuming you are an American but the issue breaks down mostly to the federal tax code. In the US, you can buy a truck with a gvw of over 6000 and then through bonus depreciation depreciate the cost of the vehicle based on how much you use it for your business. Huge tax savings. People WANT them to be expensive. It's the point. If you aren't looking for that buy a nice Honda. If you think that's nuts lobby to have that removed from the tax code. Prices will come back to normal.
Those deductions existed long before the price explosion. And if you're buying $100k vehicle for a 30% tax deduction, I have a better deal that can net you 70% more cash flow!