26th Feb 2013, 21:39
I see the small econoboxes as the solution for most to remain middle class. It's not real desirable in my opinion. Commuting long distances to 1 or 2 lower paying jobs. I work 6 minutes away from home. I like a large loaded SUV. If I had an hour plus commute each way, maybe a Honda Fit. But I would hate it. Another option is to drive the small ones, and rent from Enterprise or the like with a decent vehicle with room and comfort. Gas is very high. When I made 20k a year and had gas under 40 cents a gallon, I felt better off than today.
26th Feb 2013, 12:07
Yup, small cars are the trend of today. High gas prices and a lack of differentiation between a regular car and a luxury car are sending more people into the direction of regular cars. Honestly, what is the incentive of buying a new Mercedes when you can have a Toyota Corolla for much, much less. And when the Toyota offers the same basic features and is more reliable.
What we called econoboxes back then are now much more than that. Hell, they're much bigger than their ancestors too. They offer decent amenities like power windows and locks, cruise control, and air conditioning as standard features, something that was once optional or not even offered on most of those cars.
However, saying that a modern Toyota or whatever is fun to drive is a little bit of a stretch. But their practicality, reliability, and decent array of features is why people run out to buy them. Unlike back then, people are much less interested in owning large status symbols, and are more into owning a good vehicle to get them from place to place without issues.