The $25k car is going extinct?

This is a great example of how factually incorrect narratives - so long as they align with a preferred agenda (which is that things are not affordable any more) - it gets upvoted.

Reality check:

- In 2025, there are 12 new car models available under $25,000

- In 2005, there were around 10 new models under $15,000 (25k adjusted by inflation)

So the premise that “cars used to be much more affordable” is not true. This article is full of misleading or outdated information that distorts the real trend.

HN deserves better data-driven discussions.

> - In 2005, there were around 10 new models under $15,000 (25k adjusted by inflation)

You'll need to provide hard evidence for this. I was pretty young in 2005 but $15.000 would get you a decent car (though not a pickup). That being said, it is possible we have more models now under 25.000 but what $15/25k used to buy you (segment wise) has downgraded.

Not OP, but this seems like a decent source for the claim. It lists 12 cars under $25K MSRP: https://www.motortrend.com/features/cheapest-new-cars

That said, we picked up one of the cars on this list for well under $15,000 in 2010. (And it's still going strong! Never needed a major repair.) Which doesn't really mean anything, just throwing out yet another anecdote to highlight that nobody's presented any information that actually supports or contradicts the major premise that cars are getting less affordable. Segmenting your data by picking arbitrary cutoffs (like $25,000) has its own chapter in the classic book How to Lie With Statistics.

> Not OP, but this seems like a decent source for the claim. It lists 12 cars under $25K MSRP: https://www.motortrend.com/features/cheapest-new-cars

I need a source for the year 2005 not 2025. Of course, it is easier to have a source for 2025.

Here is 2005 list:

- Chevrolet Aveo – Starting at $9,455

- Kia Rio – Starting at $10,570

- Hyundai Accent – Starting at $10,999

- Toyota Echo – Starting at $11,110

- Ford Focus ZX3 – Starting at $13,365

- Chevrolet Cavalier – Starting at $13,405

- Chrysler PT Cruiser – Starting at $13,995

- Dodge Neon SXT – Starting at $14,195

- Pontiac Sunfire – Starting at $14,200 see: https://www.kbb.com/pontiac/sunfire/2005

-Saturn Ion – Starting at $14,430 - see https://www.kbb.com/saturn/ion/2005

It is based on this links: https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-cars-under... This is article from 2005 (at least metadata says that). The prices are verified via kbb.com which has original MSRP for all used cars.

That's a list of "top 10 cars under $15k".

It's not all cars under $15k, just the best 10 among the multitude.

Yeah I know you could get a basic model Corolla for around $12k in 2006 or so.

This does not match the KBB.com: https://www.kbb.com/toyota/corolla/2005/

I’m just saying that I 100% understand that you think it was “cheaper before” but there is no data to show that. I honestly feel the same. Toyota Corolla was 13k in 2000: https://www.kbb.com/toyota/corolla/2000 - 25 years ago.

The core of my argument is this: today’s news manipulates perception by playing on emotions, which ultimately distorts the truth.

This article isn’t overly political, which makes it easier for us to debate without resorting to calling each other Nazis or communists. But when it comes to politics, distortion of truth happens all the time.