This is one of countless reasons why we absolutely need to move away from a car-dependent society and towards one where walking, cycling, and transit are viable options. Cars are an absolute disaster for personal finances. My vehicle is fortunately paid off (it's a 2002 Ford Ranger), yet my insurance rates have increased from $50 to $61 since early last year. $11 a month isn't a ton of money, but it adds up. Between gas, insurance, and maintenance, I'm still putting upwards of $2000 a year into that old truck, and when you're only bringing in $22k a year, that $2000 is a lot of money. I absolutely could not afford to add payments to the mix. If anything happens to my truck, I'm fucked. I have muscular dystrophy and can't even walk to the grocery store (a 1-hour walk one-way) much less to work (a 3-hour walk one-way), and the transit around here is a joke, with the bus system having highly limited routes and an even more limited schedule.
www.economist.com
www.cnbc.com
