Americans Are Falling Behind on Their Car Payments

https://lemmy.world/post/8498184

Americans Are Falling Behind on Their Car Payments - Lemmy.World

I was shocked… My wife totalled my car 3 weeks ago. It was a 2013, but it was paid for.

I was COMPLETELY unprepared to go shopping for a car and I’m really not interested in having a car payment again.

So $12,000 down thanks to the insurance payment, even financing a small amount through my credit union and having an 800 credit score was getting rates in the 7-8% range. I saw some silliness and nonsense of 12.25%. On a CAR loan.

Called in some markers so I’ll be able to pay the rest in cash.

My current car is 14 years old and fully paid off, but likely won’t survive for much longer. I really want an electric car, but the prices on these are beyond what I can afford. So I looked at hybrid cars and even these were going to be extremely pricey. Finally, I looked at some regular gas cars, but even those would stretch my budget to the breaking point.

If my current car goes, I’ll need to buy another one, but I’m not sure how I’ll afford it.

Chevy Equinox EV will have a Trim under 35k 2024 Equinox The money you save for gas would help with the car payment, plus GM has a deal with getting a L2 charger instead in your home.
The Chevy Equinox EV is coming in 2024 with a $34,995 starting price and surprising range | TechCrunch

The Chevy Equinox EV, an all-electric compact SUV that General Motors has aimed squarely at the mass market, will arrive in dealerships in 2024 with a

TechCrunch

A $35,000 car (with what I could afford for a down payment, what I think I’d get for my trade-in, and at 8% interest), would be $655 a month. That’s budget busting for me.

Even ignoring costs to install a charger, I spend about $80 in gas a month, so that wouldn’t be a huge savings. I’d still be spending an additional $575 a month which would be enough to put me in the red every month.

The hybrids I was looking at cost $21K to $29K and even those would stress my budget out.

If this thing is anything like the ICE Equinox, you’re better off buying literally any other vehicle.