Re:Why are we still working this hard?
by slopinthebag on Wednesday November 11, 2026 @04:22PM
(#50458873)
cheap cars would sell like hotcakes. so i don't think what you say is true. especially with inflation for things like food or shelter - it's not like the same bag of chips that doubled in price has more "features", if anything it just has less volume.
Re:Why are we still working this hard?
by ProblemExplorer on Wednesday November 11, 2026 @05:51PM
(#50460008)
> cheap cars would sell like hotcakes
they don't. If they did, the retail car market would be flooded with cars that are made specifically for Hertz, Enterprise and the like that are built to hit a specific low price.
People want a good deal but they don't want to drive a cheap car everyday. They are fine with it when they have to rent a car because then their focus is on the daily rate, perhaps because they are focused on having fun on a vacation or thinking of a business opportunity etc.
Re:Why are we still working this hard?
by slopinthebag on Wednesday November 11, 2026 @07:35PM
(#50461222)
people want cheap cars so bad that the price of used cars is increasing because there literally isn't enough used cars on the market and demand exceeds supply. i think people would much rather spend $10k on a brand new low tech barebones vehicle than $10k on a 15 year old used joint with unknown issues and wear and tear. i know i would.
i doubt that it's really possible to manufacture cheap cars these days. tech is being forced into the cars by legislation.
> But if you had to make the old car now, you might be able to make way more of them for the same inputs
All these arguments miss that inflation is a proxy for the improvement of quality of living over time.
You don't make a 1998 Camry in 2026 because the 2026 Camry is a much better car for the end user than the 1998 Camry.
The 1998 Camry is easier to maintain and lasts a long time but if the end user doesn't keep a car longer than 7 years and they have to pay a mechanic to change their oil, they dont care about "easier to maintain and lasts a long time". They care about AirPlay, Remote Start, Parking Assist and ass warmers. No 1998 Camry has that.
Things cost more over time because people demand more over time.