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America is a car country. For decades, millions of families relied on inexpensive cars to get from home to work and school. Now, a growing number of americans can't afford one. (www.nytimes.com)
submitted 4 months ago* by to c/fuckcars@lemmy.world
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[–] 24 points 4 months ago (4 children)

"Now"??

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  • [–] 13 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    In 1979, when my parents bought a new Dodge Aspen wagon, its price of $5,000 was around the median car price, at about ⅓ of the median annual wage. That's about $22,000 in 2026 dollars, which is about ⅓ of the median annual wage now. But the median car price is up to $50,000.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    That’s about $22,000 in 2026 dollars,

    If you believe the inflation numbers....

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    Well, yeah, inflation numbers are definitionally arbitrary even if you trust the math, since they depend so much on the judgement of the people compiling the data. The important point here is that the cost of a new car has gone up to a whole year's pay, or more, for a lot of people.

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