Need a new car? Move to Washington D.C.!

Now this is an attention grabber. I knew things were rough but I hadn't appreciated how rough it actually was for average American households.

Looking to buy a new car, truck or crossover? You may find it more difficult to stretch the household budget than you expected, according to a new study that finds median-income families in only one major U.S. city actually can afford the typical new vehicle.

One city? Which could that be, I wonder? One city does seem to be having parties and celebrations as if nothing bad were happening in our economy..could it be? Why, yes.. It is!

According to the 2013 Car Affordability Study by Interest.com, only in Washington could the typical household swing the payments, the median income there running $86,680 a year. At the other extreme, Tampa, Fla., was at the bottom of the 25 large cities included in the study, with a median household income of $43,832.

Apparently, working for the Government is the best path for solid earnings and economic options these days. Perhaps this is why so many inside the beltway seem tone deaf and oblivious to the pain of the rest of the nation?

Bottom line? A buyer in the capital can purchase a car with a sticker price of $31,940, slightly more than the new vehicle average for the 2013 model year and about what it would cost for a mid-range Ford Fusion sedan or a stripped-down BMW X1 crossover. The buyer in Tampa? They'll just barely cover the cost of a basic Kia Rio, with $14,516 to spend.

Source

Enjoy your Kia, America! This sounds like the modern version of 'Let them eat cake!'. Well.... I like their cake better. I think income redistribution is called for. Lets start in D.C. where it seems the rich folk are, with all that money they're hoarding, while telling us all with a straight face that things have never been better for improvement and recovery. Err.. wait, is this recovery week or doom week? It does seem to change, one week to the next, which message Washington is pushing...eh?

Nothing new. Washington is boom town. They are buying $10k bottles of wine, 5 million dollar houses, 200k cars with cash. America is being sacked just like Rome was sacked. This has been going on for years. No budget means theft is easy.

reply to post by jimmiec


Very true on the lack of a budget. It's not just a thing to say what can be spent on what programs but sets the lines to stay WITHIN and not cross for spending. It's that second part I think lay behind the interest by both parties in seeing it remain a nation without a budget. There is no such thing as overspending when there is no bar to set 'over' by, right?

I have to say, this report was a bit of an eye opener though. To hear that Government employment is exploding and Government salaries are going up while everyone else is losing quality of life is one thing. To see it put into such easily related terms is another. Ouch..... A Kia? Really? It's particularly ironic when we consider how much of the national treasure and effort was expended on car companies this says the average American can't even buy a car from anymore.

It`s pretty disgusting that the taxpayers who financed the auto industry bailout can`t even afford to by cars from the companies that they bailed out.
The only ones who benefited from the bailout are the auto companies and the washington fat cats who can continue to buy their favorite brand and model of american made vehicles. This is a perfect example of how the fat cats are financing their lifestyles with tax payer money.
The elite would be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for their new american made luxury mobile if the tax payers weren`t subsidizing the cost of it with bailouts and tax loopholes for the auto industry.

Any of those counties around DC would be a good bet. Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Va have averaged low $100K median income for years, highest in the country.

Who said government work doesn't pay? Big government = Big money.

reply to post by Tardacus


Oh, they are not buying American cars generally. They are buying lamborghini's, etc

Hmmm, but is the high median income due to high government salaries, or to the high salaries of lobbyists and the fact that many corporations keep head offices there?

Although logically, most government bureaucracies would have their headquarters in DC and so the highest employees (with the corresponding highest salaries) would also be located there. What industry does Tampa have other than tourism? Not sure.

Edit: Just wanted to add that the reason I am asking this not to suggest that I approve of Federal employees making huge salaries, but that the many feds that I know personally don't make anywhere near what I do. This would suggest an alternate reason.

reply to post by Montana


For every dollar spent on lobbying, they make $200. Obviously if you work for the government you would want your office in Florida or Hawaii, California. It is a bit like the USSR. If you were uncooperative they sent you to Siberia.

reply to post by Montana

I think there are two very distinct and different classes of Federal employee. (Actually, they have a GS rank system to determine all this) but the clerk at the local Social Sec office or front desk secretary at the FBI Office isn't making a fortune, No question, they aren't rich.

On the other hand, Washington is where the administrative and middle to upper management levels live. They are a long way from the desk clerks who actually make the system work and keep things running smoothly. The worker bees get screwed while the managers get nice paychecks and a good GS rank to hang them from, is my take.

Lobbyists are also a major thing and K street probably represents more collective wealth these days than Wall Street. That's part of the problem, isn't it? It's not JUST this guy..it's been over a decade of Lobbyists basically owning the elected officials like family pets.

reply to post by jimmiec


DC is Rome. The rest of the Empire went to support Rome too.