The question is: how do these things still hold value? They get modded, beat on, and vaped in like no other car, and people are willing to pay up near-new prices for them. Who are they?

Riiiiight, “people breeding like rats”. I think people who have more than 3 kids are crazy, but you sound like a lunatic. 

Also: the only way to win is to not play.

So you’re going with the “everyone’s doing it” and “they’ll never audit ME” defenses of tax evasion.

Bought my used NC Miata last year for $2100 off the asking price of $12.5k. I didn’t even go that hard.

Same. I was also met with “oh, let me go find that car on the lot”, followed by a 15 minute wait.

So you support tax evasion? Nah, I'll pay the tip via the app, get the points, government makes their tax revenue.

At high speeds, you sometimes want the rear of the car to be less aerodynamic in order to introduce some turbulence. Turbulent flow will remain attached to the car longer, decreasing drag. It's the golf ball effect. You'd think a smooth ball would go longer, but the dimples create turbulence that decreases drag.

It depends on the brand. A Toyota or Subaru with 20k miles is going to be the same price as new, and a bad deal. A Volvo or BMW with 20k miles will be 40% off original MSRP.

The median student debt for those with a bachelor’s degree 10 years out of school is zero. Student loan debt is voluntary. The problems are the prohibitive cost itself and the poor return on investment for many. Student loans are a symptom, not the disease. 

Used cars are a better purchase because the market is flooded and prices are depressed. If people buy fewer new cars, the used market will rise to the point where buying new makes more sense. It's an equilibrium.

You really think new cars have the objective argument over used cars? You must be doing some Biles-level mental gymnastics.

If you have any disposable income or lack impulse control, you are very interesting to a lot of companies. 

Having an off-grid Camaro probably makes you look more guilty than otherwise. That's like 30% probability of being on a federal list. 

Also, the max deflection of the H-stab was way beyond what MCAS was originally supposed to handle. 

Yeah, the MAX name is absolutely dead. Crazy how they fucked up the 737 after 50 years of great service.

Sensors fail all the time. The key is that a single failure shouldn’t cause a crash, but in this case it did twice.

That NY Times story is pretty illuminating. I think the lesson is not to get to attached to material goods.

This is good kinja. 

No matter how much you’re worth, the threshold for becoming a target to others stays the same. A safe at home just means it’s unattended for long periods of time, and you’re at a greater risk of being forced to open it yourself.