> Who spends 10k/year on a car, that seems incredibly high. You may need to recalibrate your intuition. Average payment on a new car purchase in the US is almo

> Who spends 10k/year on a car, that seems incredibly high. You may need to recalibrate your intuition. Average payment on a new car purchase in the US is almost $9,000/year. Average used car payment is >$6,000/year. This is before taxes, insurance, gas, etc. It is common to spend $10,000/year on owning a car in the US. The Americans who don't spend a lot of money on car-related expenses are the outliers. Despite this, the median American household still has $12,000 per year leftover after all of their ordinary expenses like paying for cars. Average Americans have high incomes, profligate spending patterns, and poor savings behavior.