Why are even old used cars so expensive now?
Used cars that used to cost a few hundred dollars now cost a minimum of five thousand, while reliable options under fifteen thousand are a decade or more old. This massive price inflation makes getting a first car entirely out of reach for young people.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1riding e-bikes and electric scooters
- 2using golf carts where permitted
- 3relying on family transportation
- 4Saving for several years before buying
- 5Sharing housing costs with a spouse or partner
- 6Taking out multi-year auto loans or leasing vehicles
- 7Looking into lower-cost Chinese EV alternatives
- 8studying and researching how to repair the vehicle independently
- 9asking mechanics on online forums for advice and comparative opinions on reliability and ease of maintenance
- 10riding with your Dad until you've saved enough cash to buy a car without financing
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Couldn’t find a reliable second car that was under 15k and they were all 10-15 years old.”source ↗
“Even old used cars are now like $5k minimum. My first car was $500 and lasted me 4 years... getting a car is just out of reach.”source ↗
“So long story short, I'm about to get a new vehicle, getting rid of my Avalanche. My choices are an 06 Acura TL, an 08 Elantra, and an 08 Malibu.”source ↗
“I"m here asking because I don't have hte income to be paying monthly for a used car at a dealership, my mechanic friend is giving me one of these as a gift”source ↗
“I'll be studying and researching how to repair my vehicle myself in the future”source ↗
“I dunno I ain't moving anywhere with this income.”source ↗
“Im driving a Toyota Yaris 2006 that has 250.000 kilometers on it and its slowly breaking down but how the f. am I suppose to afford an electronic car, a yard, pavement, other stuff?”source ↗
“It's like I gotta save 4-5 years for one of those things”source ↗
“I make 1200 a month. So all of that would be at least half of my monthly check.”source ↗