An underrated factor of this is that between the late nineties and early 2000s saw cars at basically their peak reliability. People may want to point their fin

An underrated factor of this is that between the late nineties and early 2000s saw cars at basically their peak reliability. People may want to point their fingers at car manufacturers for bigger, more expensive cars, but manufacturers fought tooth and nail to keep small, cheap cars on the market way longer than reasonably indicated by consumer demand. They just can't outcompete on cheap against the very robust used market.