More Than 80 Percent Of Americans Can’t Afford New Cars

boem@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 620 points –
More Than 80 Percent Of Americans Can’t Afford New Cars
jalopnik.com
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People living in Central/Eastern Europe: 80%? Amateurs.

I don't know ANYONE who has a new car produced in last couple of years here in Poland. According to some statistic average age of car is 15.5 years here, in fact I drive 11 year old car myself. There's just no way I am going to dump so much cash on a freaking car (and personally I'd rather buy some nice electric bicycle instead).

and personally I'd rather buy some nice electric bicycle instead

This is exactly the reason I bought a new and good bike for the price of a used car. And what's more is that the exercise that comes with it is free and the insurance is exponentially lower.

We really need to make more bike friendly infrastructure around the world so more people have the same option as I have.

I'd love to live and work somewhere where I could bike. The distance to my current job would be doable for me but there is zero bike infrastructure to make it feasible.

I feel for you. Sometimes I forget I have the privilege of living in Denmark which is extremely bike-friendly, something I shouldn't take for granted.

I'm in the same boat. I used to bike before I moved, but now there's no route that I feel safe enough on.

hard fucking agree. we need to infiltrate the road design manual committees and get it written in that it's mandatory to have protected bike lanes on any road with more than 4 lanes of traffic and not a freeway

Opel Astra, forever and ever

Truly reliable beasts, my family used to drive a mid 90's Astra F for like 18 years and then it basically rusted away pretty quickly. Engine and everything else was totally fine. I think the only part we had to replace was the alternator...

481K new cars were sold in Poland in 2022, so it definitely happens. Sure, that's 3 times fewer than in France (which has twice the population, though), but it's far from "anyone".

And yes, I know you said you "don't know" anyone who bought one, not that they don't exist, but I take your meaning to be that it doesn't happen/is very rare.