"It’s not just the price, El," his sister Sarah reminded him over the phone. She’d just used an ownership calculator for her own truck. "You’ve got to factor in the 'ghost' costs."
He didn't give up. He looked into compact models, which were selling for a more manageable . He applied the 20/3/8 rule he found on The Money Guy : he’d save up a 20% down payment to avoid being "underwater" the moment he drove off the lot. how much to buy a car
He looked at the average transaction price: . He whistled. Just a few years ago, that would have bought a luxury cruiser; now, it was the entry fee for a well-equipped SUV. He pivoted to the used market, hoping for a reprieve, but even three-year-old cars were averaging over $31,000 . The pandemic’s supply chain ghosts were still haunting the lots. "It’s not just the price, El," his sister
To buy a car in early 2026, you can expect to pay around for a new vehicle or roughly $25,287 for a used one. He looked into compact models, which were selling