Shouldn’t cars cost more than houses? (vehicle, truck, engine)

[HappyRider]

It is popular these days to say that cars cost more than a small house. My view is they should cost even more. Just think what goes into making cars today and compare it with a bunch of 2x4s and a box of nails that anybody can hammer together. You can’t pile on a bunch of day workers in the back of a truck to build you a jewel like this. The engine is the most visible part. Every piece that goes into a modern car is a marvel of engineering that requires unique skills and expensive equipment to make. What goes into a house? Wood, concrete, asphalt shingles, doors and windows, drywall, paint... you get the point.

[Fargobound]

I wish we had a facepalm face.

[ipaper]

Lol. no they shouldn't .

[Hemlock140]

Sorry, but I have never seen a $800,000 car, other than some super collectibles at Barrett-Jackson, and that's what a new house starts at here.
Now if you consider a manufactured home (double-wide) yes, they can be bought for less than many cars, though that's without land, foundation or utilities.

[Lyndarn]

Ohhh My OP must be very young....Yikes..I recall my first car costing me less than 2000.00 ( brand new) and houses..even the cheapest back then started like 25,000.00 .. At least with a home..it was a roof over your head and IF maintained would eventually appreciate..never mind property values...

BUT CARS back then were considered either a play toy or essential to travel from point A to point B (commuter vehicle).. Car prices didn't even approach nor exceed home prices until the 90's then it became obvious to me the market place valued devaluating item costs more valuable than a possible appreciating asset?? Kinda upside down to me back then

Anything on wheels isn't worth more than land and house unless you earn a living at using such a vehicle that you can write off as a business expense..Other than that..over extending oneself for anything like a vehicle or house for that matter when you CAN"T afford it is MOOT really..as only people who win are the banks and re-possessing folks!!

[HappyRider]

May be I should have said houses shouldn’t cost as much as they do. Just compare what goes into each.

[captne76]

Cars should cost a LOT of money,,about $2000 new, like they used to be.

[Mandalorian]

Cars have gotten more expensive even accounting for inflation over the past couple decades, but there are lots of reasons for that, namely more standard non-optional features.

[Fargobound]

Originally Posted by HappyRider

May be I should have said houses shouldn’t cost as much as they do. Just compare what goes into each.

The raw land will always be there, even after the car is long gone.

IMO new bread and butter cars have gotten too damn expensive.

[jtur88]

It is true that adequate shelter could be constructed for people at a much lower cost than present day housing. But if you want to compare cost of something with"what goes into it", think about a two dollar gallon of gas, drilled from miles underneath the ocean, pipelined to a refinery to undergo that highly technical process, transorte again half way around the world in ships the size of towns, delivered to a gas station a few blocks from your house where you can drive up and self pump, and sold for a profit, with tax, for less per gallon than bottled water that falls from the sky clean and pure. And at a tenth of the price of a fountain drink of corn syrup and carbonated water.

I once had an idea that all computer components and other appliances should be mandated by law to be a standard size and shape, with interlocking surfaces like Legos. Then old computers and microwaves and fridges could just be snapped together to form the frames for apartment buildings.

There have been experiments in places like Sweden and Israel and Canada for modular housing that can just be stacked into apartment blocks. But in a free market system, ideas live or die according to how much profit can be wrung out of them.