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Keeping Up with the Joneses, Current monthly auto and lease payments....OUCH !

Like others here, we hold and drive our vehicles for many years. Generally, proper maintenance keeps trouble away, barring manufacturer problems; of which, there have been many in recent years.

Current monthly auto payment and lease

For an auto loan, the average monthly payment in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2025 was $745 for new cars and $521 for used cars. For a new lease, the average monthly payment was $595. These figures can vary significantly depending on several factors, including your credit score, the loan amount, interest rate, and the loan or lease term.

Here's a breakdown of average auto payments and leases by credit score range (Q1 2025 data from Experian):


Superprime (781-850):
New car payment: $727
New lease payment: $595

Prime (661-780):
New car payment: $753
New lease payment: $590

Nonprime (601-660):
New car payment: $784
New lease payment: $610

Subprime (501-600):
New car payment: $762
New lease payment: (Data unavailable for this specific range and category)

Deep Subprime (300-500):
New car payment: $736
New lease payment: (Data unavailable for this specific range and category)

Comments

  • I taught FPU for a good while and after working with people for those good number of years, I feel confident in saying that car payments might be the #1 wealth killer for middle class americans. and I made that declaration 7-8 years ago! Today it seems even worse.

    I would routinely run into peoples who's total car/toy payments were 2X what they paid in rent/mortgage. mind boggling.
  • You can still avoid the Joneses by leasing non-premium cars. For example, Subaru advertises ~$300/mo. leases with $0 down. Many folks who sport a luxury ride cannot afford their unnecessary status symbols.

    Then again, not everybody cares about things like savings and a cushy retirement.

    Spending over $800/mo. per vehicle is insane. Spending $1,000/mo. for health insurance is also insane, but more often than not, people are forced to pony up.
  • FPU can stand for Floating-Point Unit, a component of a computer's CPU that handles calculations involving floating-point numbers (numbers with decimal points). It can also refer to Financial Peace University, a program developed by Dave Ramsey to teach financial literacy. Additionally, FPU can stand for Formed Police Unit, a type of police unit used in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Finally, FPU can also be the abbreviation for several universities like Florida Polytechnic University, Fresno Pacific University, and Franklin Pierce University.
  • edited August 6
    mskursh said:

    I feel confident in saying that car payments might be the #1 wealth killer for middle class americans. and I made that declaration 7-8 years ago!

    A very close friend of our family back when I was still in high school (60s) held a pretty good job at Ford in Dearborn. A service rep who handled in field problems for the corp. Smart cookie. I’ll never forget his telling us one day that buying a new car was “the worst investment you can ever make.”

    We all have our indulgences I suppose. If I had to finance or lease (I don’t) my autos would be bare bones basic. Good used ones are an alternative, but I’ve been burned enough times with “crème-puffs” that I stick with new.
  • The blasted things are as complicated these days as jet fighters. I reserved a compact rental, but of course, was given a frikkin' SUV... 2 hours down the road, the frikkin' dash display disappeared and a bright orange attention-getting idiotic light filled the space, warning me to stop and take a break.

    Ya. F**k y**. AND the asshole that designed things that way. And I need to be reminded every time I start the car, not to drive distracted????? Bite me.

    Is it any wonder these things are so expensive to buy these days?
  • @mskursh,

    What is FPU?

    Sorry! Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey.
  • edited August 7
    Thanks for the data, @catch22. No wonder many people are living paycheck to paycheck. Enough said.

    Something can be said about the older generations where they manage to live within their means while save for retirement and send their kids to college.
  • Crash said:



    Ya. F**k y**. AND the asshole that designed things that way. And I need to be reminded every time I start the car, not to drive distracted????? Bite me.

    LOL that's not for *your* benefit, it's there as a CYA for the vehicle manufacturer in case you decide to blame their tech for your accident....
  • edited August 7
    Why not mention the biggest cause...
    The highest inflation in the last 4 decades by the previous administration.
    Smart people buy Toyota vehicles and hold them for 15+ years.
  • @FD1000,

    "administrationm"

    Dummy!
  • https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/young-americans-drowning-credit-card-debt-delinquency-rates-climb-near-10-q2

    "New York Fed researchers said credit card delinquency rates for Americans under 40 have been "unusually elevated," adding they are keeping a "close eye" on the trend. The rate of balances transitioning into serious delinquency for 18-29-year-olds has hovered around the 10% mark since 2023."

    I almost feel bad for the younger gens. I don't think they have a clue as to what we are up against these next few years. Elevated car prices won't even be the worst of it.

    The American dream might become a nightmare.
  • The American dream might become a nightmare.
    Already.
    rforno said:

    Crash said:



    Ya. F**k y**. AND the asshole that designed things that way. And I need to be reminded every time I start the car, not to drive distracted????? Bite me.

    LOL that's not for *your* benefit, it's there as a CYA for the vehicle manufacturer in case you decide to blame their tech for your accident....
    Then, more's the pity. What a sucked-up buncha rat feces.
  • It appears that new car/truck prices may be increasing appreciably in the near future.
    I posted this is another thread.

    Auto Industry Takes $12 Billion Hit From Trade War

    "President Trump’s tariff war has inflicted almost $12 billion of losses on global automakers,
    the biggest hit they have faced since the pandemic.
    The scary reality: This may be just the beginning."


    "For the world’s 10 largest automakers, not including those in China,
    net profit is currently forecast to fall by roughly a quarter this calendar year
    to its lowest level since 2020, when the pandemic led to cash-draining factory shutdowns."


    https://msn.com/en-us/autos/electric-cars/auto-industry-takes-12-billion-hit-from-trade-war/ar-AA1K4ODX
  • FD1000 said:


    Smart people buy Toyota vehicles and hold them for 15+ years.

    Has been easy in California to keep cars for long term. Don’t know about newer cars.
    We had Camry V6 250,000 miles but totaled in accident. Body shop guy did minor fix and gave to his mom.
    Another Toyota we had for 18 years with 175,000 miles and sold for $3,000 this year. We have another 22 year old Lexus V8 still running strong with 235,000 miles.
    Had coworker who retired with same car he drive on in first day of work - 1990 Sentra with 300,000 miles. Another guy’s Corolla only lasted 400,000 miles.

    But the pièce de résistance goes to guy who has 800,000 plus miles on his 1999 Tundra 4.7 L V8 - I rode it in a few years back and rode well. Of course everything but engine and transmission were replaced - axles, etc.


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