Own the Road with AutoTrader, Episode 65: Where Have All the Cheap Cars Gone?

Dan and Jodi discuss that not too long ago, you could buy a new car for under $10,000, which is impossible today. Why is the cheapest new car in Canada today so much more expensive than it used to be?

00:00 Intro
00:44 What’s Dan driving?
08:17 Why cheap cars are great
10:20 Why they’re disappearing
15:52 It’s not just the pandemic
24:24 Ripple effects
30:00 Ask an expert

Thanks so much for watching, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to see more car reviews and expert auto advice!

On our channel, we’ve got straightforward car reviews and test drives, from EVs to trucks, Mustangs to Mitsubishis, and tips for car owners, car shoppers and car sellers alike.

Our automotive experts Jodi and Dan (also best friends) have a combined 25 years of expertise in the automotive journalism industry and get together to host our podcast, Own the Road with AutoTrader. Jodi Lai is an award-winning automotive journalist with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson), is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and a jury member for the North American Car/Truck/Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY). Jodi is the Editor-in-Chief of AutoTrader and the recipient of the prestigious 2022 AJAC Journalist of the Year Award. Dan Ilika is AutoTrader’s Road Test Editor and has been working in the automotive industry for the better part of the last decade. Dan graduated from Toronto’s Humber College with an advanced diploma in journalism, and his work spans from newspaper to television and the web, reviewing cars in writing and in front of the camera. They’ve got the scoop on everything car-related for the everyday driver or the auto enthusiast, helping to make car stuff simple for Canadians.

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[patrickbenn]

Thanks for an excellent discussion. High car prices are a big part of the affordability crisis. My fear is that Canada is slowly moving to a two class society, with a rich class and everybody else. I got my first car in 1975. It cost me $2, 500 brand new, and that included $500 in free options. I loved that car, and drove it 13 years till the engine died.

[skellymanz]

I recently bought a 2019 Nissan Micra as my first car and it has been so unbelievable helpful. A few days ago I moved a six foot tall bookshelf by hanging part of it out of the trunk with tie down cables. It's such a shame that this segment of car got basically knocked out of the Canadian market in 2019. I want to believe that the affordability crisis bubble will finally pop before I get my next vehicle, but I just don't know.

[Drewbydrew]

As a young person looking to buy his first car, I am really surprised by the state of the car market. I’m working my first job out of uni and I’m making decent money, but the number of cars that would actually fit my budget is… pretty small. Couple that with crazy high and unregulated insurance prices in Ontario, and that results in me holding off for longer and longer to get my own car. Perhaps this was all a ploy from Big Transit to make us take the bus more (/j).

[MyHumanWreckage]

While we’re talking Hyundai and their arrogance, I bought a brand new 1991 Excel SE and I loved that car and it served me well until 1998. I walked into Downtown Hyundai and had my heart set on a brand new Elantra GT. When we got to making the deal, the salesperson actually told me they didn’t want anything to do with my Excel as a trade in because of “image”. The deal wasn’t closed and I walked out of the dealership in disgust. I drove down the street to Saturn and bought an SL1. I never walked into a Hyundai dealership again.