At my company, as you go up the pay scale, the age of the car they drive also increases. Our president drives a 2013 Subaru with 220k miles. Our receptionist drives a $50k 2024 Honda Pilot black edition. The engineering director drives a stock 2020 Elantra and the lab shift manager a 2025 GMC Sierra.

It seems people who work more with money know how to value things better, and others just look at how much of a reach the lowest monthly payment is.

How much time would you estimate they spend in their cars? I have a '22 Subaru and basically never plan on trading it in. (Should be paid off in a year.) But I also drive when I want to, and that's not super frequently.

Ironically our president has a 1.5 hour commute he does daily. He is extremely value oriented when it comes to money though, and will not get rid of his car until it dies. Which might be a while as he is insane about care and maintenance.

Everyone else lives within 20 minutes.

Not the parent, but I have a 2016 Subie nearing 100k miles and going fine. My partner's is more than 200k. Its AC is dead but mechanically it's fine and much faster than my Crosstrek. Friends have similarly old Subies. They are super reliable except for head gasket issues around the late 2000s and early 2010s (not applicable to you).

My front bumper is falling off (due to multiple crashes) and my back one has a bunch of holes (from being rear ended) but I drive it all the time and it's still wonderful. I'll probably never get another car brand.

This is somewhat true but there is also a chasm where you earn good money but not enough to afford a mortgage. This chasm grows wider ever year in countries like Canada and Australia (and to a lesser degree America)

Short term thinking. Rather than save for decade(s) they’d rather blow excess money now.

I'm sorry is the price of housing decreasing or increasing? You have to have a dual income household to afford a mortgage. You're really going to shit on young people because they dont have two incomes?

No I’m shitting on people who buy short term pleasure then bitch about long term poverty.

I’m a frugal person. Seriously. I have so much money I can do literally anything I want. I live in this insane palace that is the most beautiful piece of property you have ever seen. And I still pinch pennies, buy in bulk, have a deep freezer, drive used cars. It doesn’t make logical sense but I just have programmed in me to be efficient.

And I look around me and see endless complaints and no one is efficient. People waste so much money on bullshit. It has worn me down to be quite cynical and skeptical

People just look at the monthly payment. Never think about what an 84 month loan means, what it costs to repair, the insurance. So absurd

A large part of the USA, for a myriad of reasons, lives paycheck to paycheck.

That doesn't explain why, after paying off the car, they immediately trade it in for a new one.

I kind of doubt that everyone does this. How many, relatively speaking, do? You seem to be sure this is a very frequent occurrence.

How long you keep your car tends to matter a lot. If you buy a new car and drive it for 15 years, you’re doing pretty great. If you buy a used car and drive it for 15 years, you’re doing awesome, but you might never make it to 15 years with a used car.

New cars can have problems, too. Especially for an enthusiast, it's smarter to buy used rather than new. You can be sure to get a reliable vehicle, and you can put the money you save in the market. You'll come out ahead on both fronts.