Also many used cars end up in eg Guatemala where the lower cost of labor means that fixing cars is cheaper.
Re:Why the $25,000 car is going extinct
by potato3732842 on Monday June 30, 2025 @07:20AM
(#44421888)
Cash for Clunkers was important not because of the volume of cars it took off the market but because price points are sticky.
Before C4C garbage cars that ran but probably needed something were "I want it gone, $500". After C4C the same vehicles sold at the C4C price and the price point has more or less stuck. It completely turned the beater car market upside down.
Cash For Clunkers took a ton of used vehicles off the market
Stricter environmental standards have also taken otherwise working cars off the market, by preventing used dealerships from selling them in general, and making it more difficult/more expensive to insure them
The days of buying a used car for 2 grand are long gone