I personally would not be interested in buying a new car. They depreciate in value too quickly and do the same exact job as a used car.
Used cars also have been run so lemons that come from the factory have been filtered out or fixed.
Bikes are cheaper than cars
True, but at least in America bikes alone are not a great option.
Over 60 million (1 in 5) Americans live in rural areas. These places don’t have public transportation or are so spread out that bikes are not practical.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/rural-america.html
This just tells me that 4 in 5(!) Americans may be good candidates for using a bike instead based on geography alone 😁
This is very clearly a “you’re both correct” situation.
My 4-person household has one car, one electric cargo bike with two kid seats, a regular bicycle, accounts with bikeshare/scooter options around our city, plus mass transit passes, plus the option of Uber/Lyft.
Bikes might not work as a replacement for a first car, but they can work pretty well as a replacement for a second car, and a tool for reducing total mileage on the car you own.
Everything depends on where you live, of course, but a substantial number of people live in a place where a bike can reduce the number of miles you drive, even if you never actually give up the car.
You lease new. You buy pre-owned.
I’ll likely have to go used since new cars under 27k are slim, but used cars at 25k are plenty.
