The average cost of a car is wildly skewed by luxury models and the absurd prices of new cars.

Yep. And?

Its also reality.

Most used cars on the market are luxury cars that are 5 years or less old... because car companiea just largely stopped making non luxury cars.

This is what the used car market looks like right now, I don't care that its abnormal, I care about trying to evaluate you statement ... in reality, as it currently exists.

It's possible to save a few hundred bucks a month.

This is the idea you're not getting:

No.

Its not.

Not for half the population.

Pay is too low, costs of living are too high.

People largely cannot actually save a few hundred bucks a month, all that goes towards existing debt payments and increasing rent utilities and food costs... and fucking health insurance.

You don't understand how many people were operating on razor thin margins, and now, huge numbers of people are running net negative, getting stuck in some new poverty debt trap, maybe this time its chaining loans to keep buying groceries.

Your evaluation of what is possible is again, yes, technically possible, for a very small amount of people... but generally... it is laughably and wildly insufficient, useless to the vast majority of people it is potentially relevant to, because of how much the overall situation has changed, because of how out of touch you are with the basic parameters of the situation.

The US is a society where car ownership is mandatory to participate in society... and at least half of society cannot actually afford that expense, financed or not.

We need a systemic solution, otherwise, we will experience a systemic collapse.

This is why we drive when we go on our yearly trip back to the east coast to visit family. Flying would cost the same once you factor in a hotel stop midway, and would save 8+ hours if we were actually able to drive without stopping, but no one we visit lives near an airport and transportation to/from the airport adds a ton of cost.

Car rentals are so expensive nowadays. Enough so that I've never done it in my adult life. Its always expensive enough that it makes some alternative make way more sense, whether that's driving our own vehicle somewhere or just winging it with public transit

that's cheap. how much did you think it should cost?

it might have been way cheaper if she didn't get insurance. that usually adds 30-40% to the cost

Ideally yes, but on top of your normal expenses socking away $800/mo is a ton, especially since we're almost certainly talking about a young adult, fairly freshly on their own who's probably only making around 30-40k per year. When each paycheck is under a thousand dollars every couple of weeks that money disappears fast especially with the financial discipline one can realistically expect of a young adult

Oh, ok then.

I'm 18, just outta high school, have no money, no friends or family willing to cosign a car, public transit sucks where I live.

How do I get a job?

Or car?

Which one do I get first, when they each require the other?

the market hasnt' gone down in like 15 years dude. the government will prop it up if it does go down.