Mazda
2019 Mazda MX 5 Miata 30th Anniversary Soft Top.
- On average, cars are getting more and more expensive.
- The average price of a new car now exceeds $35,000, as US buyers tend to spend record amounts on new cars and trucks.
- But if you're looking for a fun sports car, you can find a few for less than that.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Cars keep getting more expensive, to the point that the average price of a new car now exceeds $35,000. This has largely to do with the tendency of US buyers to spend "a record amount of money, on average" to buy new cars and trucks.
But cheap fun can be had for under the round figure of $35,000, even if the average car can't be. You don't have to wreck your finances just smile behind the wheel.
Last year, CNBC reported the average price of a new car in the US set buyers back $36,718. The increase in prices are the result of a trend toward buyers favoring bigger cars over compact ones. Cars now also come loaded with more tech than ever - features like standard backup cameras, Bluetooth capabilities, advanced driver safety assistance systems, and built-in navigation.
Expensive cars are a problem, according to CNBC, because despite the steady increase in average new car prices, American salaries haven't risen proportionately. From the story:
In the last 40 years, wages for American workers have hardly risen, according to the Pew Research Center. But in the past few years, automobile prices and interest rates have increased rapidly. This discrepancy has made it difficult for many Americans to afford cars, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Which is why we currently find ourselves in the US subprime auto loan crisis.
But if you're looking for something sporty to drive, this doesn't have to be you. If you want fun but you're also not looking to sell a kidney in order to get it, here are some of the most fun new cars you can buy for under $35,000.