I think there's room in the market for a back to basics car company that takes out all this bs, goes back to crank windows and all that crap and sells new vehicles for an affordable cost with a good warranty.
It would probably crush today.
Edit: I got like 400 responses saying "slate" ok I get it you can stop
Factoring in inflation the average new car in 1960 cost roughly $23k in today's money.
Problem is, in the US safety features like airbags, anti-lock brakes and now backup cameras are required by law, so there's no selling a new car without those added costs of the center screen, computers and sensors required to run them.
Then you have things like crank windows that went away because volume production eventually made it cheaper to build cars with electric windows over cranks.
But as someone who's old and drove shitboxes when he was young and also has a car built in 1968 sitting in his garage, I can tell you those old cars are sloppy as fuck to drive, the seats are uncomfortable as hell and driving a car without things like power steering gets old.
Camera is cheap, but is it durable with the 20$ version?
t least within the EU the list of required features is very long (backup camera isn't on there. TCS, ABS, emergency call, tire pressure sensors, safety requirements for both passengers as well as people outside you might crash into / run over.
It's not gouging though, it's inflation. In 2006, a Honda Accord LX was $20k to start, which is $33,800 in 2026 dollars. A 2026 Accord LX starts at $28,400. On top of that, the features you get on a '26 Accord either didn't exist in 2006, or were only found on cars like the Mercedes S Class.
The real issue with car affordability is that salaries haven't kept up with inflation.
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u/burge4150 10h ago edited 4h ago
I think there's room in the market for a back to basics car company that takes out all this bs, goes back to crank windows and all that crap and sells new vehicles for an affordable cost with a good warranty.
It would probably crush today.
Edit: I got like 400 responses saying "slate" ok I get it you can stop