> The average price of a new car in the US just topped $40k, which is out of reach of many car buyers. I haven't found this stat to be particularly compelling

> The average price of a new car in the US just topped $40k, which is out of reach of many car buyers. I haven't found this stat to be particularly compelling. Other than indicating that buyers of new cars are willing to spend money on extra features. There are tons of cars at much more affordable prices. They are across the board safer, more reliable, more fuel efficient, and last longer than pretty much any historical vehicles. In 2006, the average vehicle life expectancy was about 8 years, 150k miles. Now it's 12+ years, 200k+ miles.