This country doesn't care if people can't afford a decent living - least of all a new vehicle. When Roosevelt introduced the concept of minimum wage he intended it to be a living wage for all.
Roosevelt said, “In my Inaugural I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.
“By business I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living.”
Ask and politician about raising minimum wage - yes, especially the Republicans - and they will fight against it with every breath.
We are right where the leaders of this country want us. We will be picking up their crumbs in the form of used cars. And without affordable base model cars, the used cars will cost more than ever before. They would be happy if we took busses and they could keep us at work far longer than ever before.