I don't think this is really about cars as much as it is about saving, and I can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself: my job pays crap. My last jo

I don't think this is really about cars as much as it is about saving, and I can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself: my job pays crap. My last job paid crap. When my current workplace folds (which is likely to happen, and within a year) my next job will also be crap. It's not that the companies are poor, it's not that they're making little off my labor, they're making a packet, they just have a "take it or leave it" attitude towards pay. If they paid better - even just a reasonable rate - I would be saving as much as I possibly could. As far as why people buy high end cars when they're not very rich, going into significant debt, I suspect it's because a car is a status symbol for so many people. If I could do without a car, I would. I'd be saving about $200 a month on my current expenses if I didn't need one - it's just a crappy old Mazda wagon, certainly no status symbol there.