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For most of my adult life cars were affordable to even the poorest, go to any used car lot and they would have a few cars (in the back of the lot) that you could drive off for a few hundred bucks.
in the last 30 years the cost of a new car has gone up a little, and if you adjust for inflation a new car is actually cheaper than it was in the 80's. But the entry point to buying a used car has increased dramatically. So gone are the days of being able to buy a hooptie after a few days of doing odd jobs and having that to drive around in until you can save up enough to get something nicer.
No more dirt cheap, "butt ugly but still runs" cars in the thrifty nickle or Greensheet(free papers).
For example my first car was $150 my second car was $350 and my third was $700 all within a 6 year time frame, most of the cars I would own in the next 20+ years after that ranged from $500 - $600(only bought a new car once and was stressed the whole time, since its not yours until the last payment) but most of my cars looked great (after I fix them up over time). and it was not until the 2003-2010ish that the starter cash car prices jumped dramatically. from 1976ish - 2000ish the starter cost for a running used car was the same $400 - $600 then overnight(it seems) the bottom average cost became around 2K - 6K.
And most "used car" lots have switched to being "pre-owned" dealerships, and the section in the back of the lot with the "Good deal's" is a thing of the past.
How did that aspect of American life all but die?
That's part of the reason I'm keeping mine until they are no longer repairable. Good thing I really like my current lineup, right?
Buying a running automobile for cash will take at least a tax return to buy. It will never legitimately take place between strangers for what you'd receive in a Christmas card, if that's what you're asking. If such an offer did arise, I'd be more concerned about the mental state of the seller, and would steer clear in the event the transaction constitute entering into a sale contract with a party who was not mentally sound.
there's a used car lot that specializes in cars $2k or less that I pass by daily. His lot has been getting larger and I pretty much see the same cars day in and day out.
My sister in law was driving these kind of throw away cars for a few years. She wouldn't even bother changing the oil.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,748,295 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cyphorx
Not in my area.
Interesting. Look at your local Facebook Marketplace. Around here you can buy nice enough cars every day for $500 - 750, even less if you can do basic repairs.
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,748,295 times
Reputation: 3203
Quote:
Originally Posted by burdell
I wouldn't worry so much about computers, if they were going to fail they likely would have in the first coupla hundred hours.
I would agree. I have several Toyotas with stratospheric mileages. I've never had one a car have a computer problem that wasn't expensive and European (Land Rovers, Bentleys, and Ferraris). Japanese vehicles, especially Toyota/Lexus, just don't have these issues.
For most of my adult life cars were affordable to even the poorest, go to any used car lot and they would have a few cars (in the back of the lot) that you could drive off for a few hundred bucks.
in the last 30 years the cost of a new car has gone up a little, and if you adjust for inflation a new car is actually cheaper than it was in the 80's. But the entry point to buying a used car has increased dramatically. So gone are the days of being able to buy a hooptie after a few days of doing odd jobs and having that to drive around in until you can save up enough to get something nicer.
No more dirt cheap, "butt ugly but still runs" cars in the thrifty nickle or Greensheet(free papers).
For example my first car was $150 my second car was $350 and my third was $700 all within a 6 year time frame, most of the cars I would own in the next 20+ years after that ranged from $500 - $600(only bought a new car once and was stressed the whole time, since its not yours until the last payment) but most of my cars looked great (after I fix them up over time). and it was not until the 2003-2010ish that the starter cash car prices jumped dramatically. from 1976ish - 2000ish the starter cost for a running used car was the same $400 - $600 then overnight(it seems) the bottom average cost became around 2K - 6K.
And most "used car" lots have switched to being "pre-owned" dealerships, and the section in the back of the lot with the "Good deal's" is a thing of the past.
How did that aspect of American life all but die?
You are right. I dont know about 80's, even in 2009 a new Prius was listed at ~9000 if I remember correctly.
I used craiglist for cars but even a salvage 2004 corolla owner wants 5000 lol. Or you have the last line disclaimer " just needs an engine"
I think everyone wants to make a quick buck and that is what drives prices higher. The car dealers start the overpricing and gradually everyone follows that.
I just scanned craiglist......very tough to find something by owner even after specifying "by owner" lots of wannabe dealers on there. Taking pics in residential areas but same seller has 3-4 cars for sale at the same time! Search by price and you get bombed with salvage ads or $1 ads.
Emissions controls and other critical systems that started failing some 10-20 years after they were installed, and could not be repaired. They had to be replaced in their entirety, which skyrocketed the cost of any used car.
Older engines which were still capable of pushing the car, now flunked smog tests due to moderate wear of piston rings, valves, fuel injection systems etc... which cost thousands to repair. You can no longer just buy a cheap car and drive it until you can afford something better.
Used cars are required by most states to pass emissions tests etc. when sold.
Emissions controls and other critical systems that started failing some 10-20 years after they were installed, and could not be repaired. They had to be replaced in their entirety, which skyrocketed the cost of any used car.
Older engines which were still capable of pushing the car, now flunked smog tests due to moderate wear of piston rings, valves, fuel injection systems etc... which cost thousands to repair. You can no longer just buy a cheap car and drive it until you can afford something better.
Used cars are required by most states to pass emissions tests etc. when sold.
I imagine they are mostly gone in smog/inspection states. Just the Cat would end the cars life if you could not simply bypass it. Generally we just bypass or ignore emission controls when they fail. Cant do that in some states.
Too many responses to review so I apologize if this is just repeating what was previously posted. In addition to Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace which I think is even better because the sellers are registered Facebook users, some with their pictures, but you still have to be careful and make sure they have an established profile (for example, they have tons of friends versus a profile that looks brand new or only one or two friends, means it was just created for the purpose of selling or scamming).
There are tons of cars on FB marketplace for less than $2000 but they list the problems they have, full disclosure, otherwise they'll get slammed for what they sold on FB (they have a rating system and obviously you can post about them that they ripped you off).
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