re: Will new car prices max out?

Adjusting for inflation, passenger cars seem to have gotten about 15-20% less expensive than their counterparts from 25 or so years ago. This is probably due to advanced engineering techniques and automation/computerization.

Trucks and SUVs have gotten 20-30% more expensive than their counterparts from the past. This is due to demand and cheap gas!

My folks factory-ordered a suburban back in the day. They wanted something basic, but the combination of options they needed were tough to find. Accounting for inflation, a suburban today, optioned the same way, stickers for almost exactly $10,000 more. And there really isn't that much more to them. The old one had the same 5.3L engine, ABS, etc. The new one has improved engineering and a few more airbags, that's it.