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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(131,584 posts)
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:09 PM Yesterday

American Consumers Have Had It With High Car Prices

For years it has seemed no sticker price was too high for American car buyers. Even as average new car prices approached $50,000 this year, dealers fretted more over depleted inventories than losing customers to sticker shock.

Those days are coming to an end.

Increasingly stretched consumers are starting to draw the line on what they will pay for a new car, according to dealers, analysts and industry data.

-snip-

“People are asking, ‘How can I afford this?’” said Robert Peltier, who owns dealerships in East Texas. He said traffic, while still solid, has slowed at his dealerships and more customers are gravitating toward less-costly cars such as the pint-size Chevrolet Trax. “There are people who are in debt and living paycheck to paycheck.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/american-consumers-have-had-it-with-high-car-prices/ar-AA1RrZab

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
American Consumers Have Had It With High Car Prices (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Yesterday OP
People are putting off buying a new car, keeping their current cars running longer... Wounded Bear Yesterday #1
Most modern cars... NCDem47 9 hrs ago #20
Pay more for cheaper quality newdeal2 Yesterday #2
My sister in law who works for Toyota dealership on Phoenix kimbutgar Yesterday #3
Toyota's third quarter sales Greg_In_SF 23 hrs ago #18
the mini-pickup was a great vehicle, but there wasn't enough of a profit margin for the greedy manufacturers. Conjuay Yesterday #4
The Ford Maverick is flying off the lots NickB79 21 hrs ago #19
Maybe they should stop buying gigantic trucks and SUVs. Diamond_Dog Yesterday #5
I don't know. Inventory of good used cars is scarce too bucolic_frolic Yesterday #6
Wouldn't more people fixing older cars result in more used inventory as opposed to less? AZJonnie Yesterday #7
Not if by fixing our old cars we keep them rather then reselling. erronis Yesterday #16
American consumers have also had it with bullshit dealerships. flvegan Yesterday #8
Don't even get me started on "market adjustments" NCDem47 9 hrs ago #21
If I'm going to pay more than $50,000 for something..... lastlib Yesterday #9
Even if every billionaire in America bought 20 cars maxrandb Yesterday #10
Predatory Capitalism is alive and well. My Medicare supplement Emile Yesterday #11
My daughter top manager of large Honda dealership Tree Lady Yesterday #12
We just bought our first car in 10 years mcar Yesterday #13
We've Been Interested in a Hybrid Deep State Witch Yesterday #14
I fail to understand why any mature person with Buddyzbuddy Yesterday #15
and they are making them with less labor than ever before. Emile Yesterday #17
Maybe we can start turning our cities into attractive affordable places where car ownership is unnecessary. hunter 6 hrs ago #22

NCDem47

(3,262 posts)
20. Most modern cars...
Tue Dec 2, 2025, 09:10 AM
9 hrs ago

Can easily go 8-10 years if properly maintained. Helps too if it’s paid off. I think for the time being, drivers getting new cars every 3-4 years might be waning.

newdeal2

(4,570 posts)
2. Pay more for cheaper quality
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:16 PM
Yesterday

No thanks. Thankfully there is public transportation available to me.

kimbutgar

(26,557 posts)
3. My sister in law who works for Toyota dealership on Phoenix
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:17 PM
Yesterday

said the sales of cars at her dealership has not decreased. But she is known to get her facts wrong and she's a maga.

Conjuay

(2,816 posts)
4. the mini-pickup was a great vehicle, but there wasn't enough of a profit margin for the greedy manufacturers.
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:17 PM
Yesterday

NickB79

(20,195 posts)
19. The Ford Maverick is flying off the lots
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 08:29 PM
21 hrs ago

It's the smallest new pickup you can buy and starts under $30K with a 40 mpg hybrid engine. I absolutely love mine.

bucolic_frolic

(53,504 posts)
6. I don't know. Inventory of good used cars is scarce too
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:30 PM
Yesterday

because every good mechanic is adept at repairing them for resale because of the incentive of higher prices with scarcity.

AZJonnie

(2,462 posts)
7. Wouldn't more people fixing older cars result in more used inventory as opposed to less?
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:38 PM
Yesterday

I'm confused

erronis

(22,190 posts)
16. Not if by fixing our old cars we keep them rather then reselling.
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 06:01 PM
Yesterday

If I can keep my 11yo Subaru running another 5-10 years (that's when my personal warranty runs out), then it's not going into the used car pool.

Also, most new cars are made based on near-term demand; unlike in the olden days when Oldsmobile (for example) would make x,000 new models for the new year. Now they wait to see the demand and ship to the lots with a few weeks delay. Of course trump disrupts all this with his stupid trade shit.

flvegan

(65,558 posts)
8. American consumers have also had it with bullshit dealerships.
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:40 PM
Yesterday

Not all dealerships, mind you. I'm currently in the market for a new vehicle and admit it's a great time to be a car guy based on what's offered for choice. However...

The new car "deals" they advertise are never realistic. 0% financing sounds great, until it's only for 36 months for a $50k car. Do the math. Or, they have one car on the lot that matches the offer. It doesn't have a single option, and it's currently "in service" and can't be seen. The fantastic sounding lease deals, usually aren't. Oh, and be sure to actually READ your sales contract. New or used, some dealerships add "mandatory" upgrades like window etching, door edge protection, paint protection/ceramic coating, "warranty" or "service plans" and all sorts of random document and dealer fees. These can add into the thousands.

Oh, and if you think you're going in there without them running your credit "just to check" or "to make sure you're a real person" good luck.

Vultures.

NCDem47

(3,262 posts)
21. Don't even get me started on "market adjustments"
Tue Dec 2, 2025, 09:14 AM
9 hrs ago

When the sticker price isn’t the selling price, that annoys me to no end. Dealers jack up the price because demand in the local market is high. Well, if it’s so high, why do you have five here on the lot?

lastlib

(27,287 posts)
9. If I'm going to pay more than $50,000 for something.....
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 03:49 PM
Yesterday

...I want it to have at least two bedrooms and a basement.

maxrandb

(17,063 posts)
10. Even if every billionaire in America bought 20 cars
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 04:19 PM
Yesterday

It wouldn't be enough to sustain the auto industry.

This is Returdlican "trickle down" economics at its "finest".

The average Joe can't pay $70K for a pick-up truck...and to billionaires, a Senator or Governor is a cheaper, more "rewarding" investment.

My dad used to tell me about the Roaring Twenties. Same shit - different century.

Emile

(39,603 posts)
11. Predatory Capitalism is alive and well. My Medicare supplement
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 04:58 PM
Yesterday

went up over 30%, and the CEO is making 31 million a year. That's approximately 615 thousand dollars a WEEK.

Tree Lady

(12,943 posts)
12. My daughter top manager of large Honda dealership
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 05:20 PM
Yesterday

In Bay Area just had to lay people off because it's been so slow for a long time pretty much starting after Trump became president. So it's been going on for awhile. She has worked there 23 yrs so knows what sales are like and this has been one of the lowest times for new cars , selling more used cars.

She hates laying anyone off and put off as long as she could warned people way ahead of time if they wanted to look for another job.

mcar

(45,542 posts)
13. We just bought our first car in 10 years
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 05:24 PM
Yesterday

Got a 2025 Kia Niro, a hybrid crossover. We did lots of research and used Costco's car buying program. Also told the salesguy that we wouldn't consider it if we didn't get a really good finance offer. We love the car - and we hang onto our vehicles until they give up the ghost so we knew it was time.

I think we got a good deal. The finance guy was telling us that Ford and Dodge pickup trucks can run $100,000 and that dealerships are offering 10 year loans. This is our fourth Kia.

Deep State Witch

(12,490 posts)
14. We've Been Interested in a Hybrid
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 05:46 PM
Yesterday

Because we're doing a lot of local driving and would prefer not to be burning as much gas. But we're keeping our current SUV until 100K miles or Taco Tits gets out of office.

Buddyzbuddy

(1,969 posts)
15. I fail to understand why any mature person with
Mon Dec 1, 2025, 05:51 PM
Yesterday

common sense would waste money on a new car.
I say mature person because I understand why so many young people are compelled to buy their first new car. But once you've experienced that first burn, you learn, fire hot, don't touch.

hunter

(40,260 posts)
22. Maybe we can start turning our cities into attractive affordable places where car ownership is unnecessary.
Tue Dec 2, 2025, 11:21 AM
6 hrs ago

If you've ever owned a car that breaks down and you can't afford to fix it, but you need a car to drive to work and shop for necessities, you realize immediately that the so-called "freedoms" of our automobile culture are a complete sham.

Personally I resent the fact that I am forced to own a car in this society to be considered a fully functional adult. We are slaves.

The only thing that makes car ownership tolerable to me is that I've usually been able to afford and operate them, and I'm a pretty good mechanic who's perfectly content driving twenty year old cars that I got cheap.

I bought a new car once, about forty years when I was still young and foolish, but I'll never do that again. The car was approaching twenty years old when my children learned how to drive in it. Their friends learned how to drive cars with manual transmissions in it.

When my kids left home and could afford their own cars I gave it away to make room in our driveway for my next old car.

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