I don’t agree that you need to stick with new cars for apples to apples comparison; it’s just a question of value for money.
I agree there is a large bump from a 500$ Junker that's likely to break down and say a 25k used 2013 Acura TL with 15k miles. However, the gap from a 25k 3 year old used car in great condition and a 35k new car of the same model is not that great. And the gap between a 35k car and a 70k or 250k car is again there but not that huge. The 25k is long past the point of not breaking down on the side of the road; it's got heated power seats, heated power side mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror etc.
Don't get me wrong the next bump is real and say automated cruse control is useful. But, it's less useful than you might think and you can expect that to be part of the basic 25k package before too long.
As to retirement I am saying early retirement on ~5 million where driving a 25k car is a completly reasonable choice is where dimmining returns start to hit hard.
I agree there is a large bump from a 500$ Junker that's likely to break down and say a 25k used 2013 Acura TL with 15k miles. However, the gap from a 25k 3 year old used car in great condition and a 35k new car of the same model is not that great. And the gap between a 35k car and a 70k or 250k car is again there but not that huge. The 25k is long past the point of not breaking down on the side of the road; it's got heated power seats, heated power side mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror etc.
Don't get me wrong the next bump is real and say automated cruse control is useful. But, it's less useful than you might think and you can expect that to be part of the basic 25k package before too long.
As to retirement I am saying early retirement on ~5 million where driving a 25k car is a completly reasonable choice is where dimmining returns start to hit hard.