So eliminate all wage demands and insist people live in abject poverty?

The fact is that for quite a few years now, it hasn’t made sense to have most of the people working in burger joints at even $5 an hour. A kiosk terminal only costs a few hundred dollars. It’s much cheaper to operate than any employee making more…

You’re dramatically underestimating what is required of workers in these factories, like too many do, who think they simply pushed a button.

That said, there aren’t many jobs around that require their combination of skills.  Its not that far from pointing out that saddlemakers back in the day had some decent skills,…

But that’s what half the people left in Youngstown/Canton/Akron already thought.  You’re looking at an hour+ commute for the hopes of much of anything, and you have a lot of competition for those jobs.

It bugs me when people deny facts. Like all the people claiming all the jobs under Obama were just part time jobs.

Facts were that the number of people working part time but wanting full time work plummeted back then, but people just denied it, largely because people don’t understand how things work.

Generally speaking,…

A billion dollar investment in many factories is only enough to guarantee that they’ll be in operation for one product cycle. I’ve got a Ford plant near me they’ve invested about $1.7 billion in just in the 15 years I’ve been here. It’s potentially at significant risk if they don’t pour more into it simply because of…

What measure are you talking about? The press generally reports U3. U4 adds in those who have given up looking for work because they think there aren’t jobs available. U5 adds in those who claim they would like to work, but haven’t even bothered trying to see if anything is available. U6 adds in those who are working…

Sedans are generally thousands of dollars cheaper than their larger counterparts.

I’m just curious what you’re defining as “well equipped” for an F-150? Because I see TrueCar showing rwd XLT crew cabs at $36,430 market average here. With $0 down and a 5 year loan at 4.39% (local credit union rate), that would put the payments at $677.34 a month.

Average per the insurance industry is $889/yr, with the worst state (NJ) coming in at $1265:

Find a small rural Ford dealer - one without much stock. I’ve found they generally have good turnover, and on a truck are more than willing to order just what you want, put it in their inventory, then pass on all the discounts from buying from “dealer stock”... they generally know they won’t have trouble moving the…

“1st Gear: Tesla’s Raising Money Again Just a Year After Musk Said It Wouldn’t”

After pledging to eat crow after predicting Musk’s claims of sustained profit and lack of a need for more cash, I owned up to my error when they reported profits two quarters in a row. I did suggest that I still had questions on the…

“the general advice we’ve been giving is that you’re automotive budget should be no more than 20% of your take-home pay”
https://www.bankrate.com/loans/auto-loans/how-much-car-can-i-afford/

All these people who think new cars are unaffordable are crazy. It’s a simple budgeting manner.

Let’s assume you have no savings, are young, and just getting onto your feet. How can you get to a new car? Easy.

1) Strike out on your own and buy a used car. 5 years old, say $12,000. You’ll be able to buy something very…

““historically” if you go back to, say, the 70s, a modest car (adjusted for modern inflation and buying power) cost about half of what it does now.”

That isn’t true, though. From the Houston Chronicle: Car cost in 1975: $4,951. In 2016 dollars, that’s $21,810. In 2016, a similar sized car ran $25,449 (and that doesn’t…

$460?!?!?!?! WTF!

Damnit - the Ford dealer I was referring to only wanted $50 to degrease the engine and track down the oil seep that I knew the source of. I declined simply because I knew it wasn’t a big deal - but I thought their price was very fair (hell, can you even get a detailing shop to degrease your engine…

$500+ a month for a car is FUCKING UNNECESSARY.

How many times do we need to go through this? A $20-25k car is a VERY NICE CAR and can be had for $360-480 a month on a 5 year loan.

And historically speaking, that is NOT a high figure as a % of income.

And yet you keep insisting that most people can’t afford a new car, when the exact opposite is true.

Most people CAN afford that. You simply don’t understand much of anything, evidently.

$360-480 a month (a $20-25k vehicle on a 5 year loan) is WELL within affordability for the overwhelming majority of households in the US. That vehicle will last, on average, 15 years, which means 10 years without a payment for every 5…

First off, the average new car price has NOTHING to do with what you actually need. Have you priced out a Camry/Accord/Fusion? You can get into a new one for well more than $10k off that average price.

If you insist on a luxury land yacht, then cars may look expensive. But that’s your problem, not a problem of…

Those are NOT high figures historically speaking.

And I would dispute your figures, some, too.

Most cars don’t need oil changes every three months. I can get mine done for $20 at the dealership, even. And insurance? How bad of a driver are you? I carry full comprehensive and collision, with low deductibles and…