re: New cars, once part of the American dream, now out of reach for many

yeah. trucks are insane. I bought a nice Ram bighorn in 2012 or so. I don't ever buy brand new but it had 23k miles on it. got it for 25k. the same type truck is now 40k+. yeah, my income has increased a lot since then, but I was definitely better off making 65 percent of what I make now, 7 years ago.

we're blessed to be in a position where it doesn't really matter. we'll be fine spending that much but it is very concerning for most people. and downright prohibitive for a lot.