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> Buying a new cheap car is the safest There is no such thing as a new cheap car.

otterley 5d ago
Not in the US, anyway. Outside the US, there are loads of them. You can buy a brand new car for about $3,500 in India: https://www.marutisuzuki.com/arena/s-presso https://www.marutisuzuki.com/arena/s-presso
- rsanek 4d ago
  What's interesting is other items, like food or housing, are also much cheaper in India.
  - otterley 4d ago
    There are a few reasons for that. First, the cost of labor is very low. Second, with the exception of food, you get what you pay for. The housing is of poor quality compared to what you get in the west—it’d never pass inspection there. Everything is made with cheap materials. The cars are just decent enough but also aren’t salable in the west—they wouldn’t meet crash safety standards (no airbags, insufficient bumpers, etc.). Think 1970s-80s econobox. Third, the government is more than willing to allow increased housing density. Towers are popping up everywhere. But the transportation infrastructure is still terrible, traffic is congested, and commutes are long. It can take over an hour to move 10km there.
    - thelastgallon 4d ago
      > The housing is of poor quality compared to what you get in the west—it’d never pass inspection there. Everything is made with cheap materials. All the houses are built with concrete. They are pretty much indestructible. You could say India has the worst products/services in the world, but housing might not be one of them. > The cars are just decent enough but also aren’t salable in the west—they wouldn’t meet crash safety standards (no airbags, insufficient bumpers, etc.). Think 1970s-80s econobox. Mahindra is selling cars in Australia: https://www.mahindra.com.au/ https://www.mahindra.com.au/ > Third, the government is more than willing to allow increased housing density. Towers are popping up everywhere. But the transportation infrastructure is still terrible, traffic is congested, and commutes are long. It can take over an hour to move 10km there. Spot on!
      - otterley 4d ago
        Mahindra is selling cars in Australia but they’re not the same models sold in India. Same names but different specs. Fair enough that the housing is made from concrete but the quality is still pretty poor. The foundations are uneven, as are the floors. The doors, windows, flooring, plumbing fixtures, etc. are, for the most part, cheap junk. The same is happening all around the world as builders race to the bottom, but India was pretty far down there. They’re in good company though; the same is true of all poorer nations.

Not in the US, anyway. Outside the US, there are loads of them. You can buy a brand new car for about $3,500 in India: https://www.marutisuzuki.com/arena/s-presso https://www.marutisuzuki.com/arena/s-presso

rsanek 4d ago
What's interesting is other items, like food or housing, are also much cheaper in India.
- otterley 4d ago
  There are a few reasons for that. First, the cost of labor is very low. Second, with the exception of food, you get what you pay for. The housing is of poor quality compared to what you get in the west—it’d never pass inspection there. Everything is made with cheap materials. The cars are just decent enough but also aren’t salable in the west—they wouldn’t meet crash safety standards (no airbags, insufficient bumpers, etc.). Think 1970s-80s econobox. Third, the government is more than willing to allow increased housing density. Towers are popping up everywhere. But the transportation infrastructure is still terrible, traffic is congested, and commutes are long. It can take over an hour to move 10km there.
  - thelastgallon 4d ago
    > The housing is of poor quality compared to what you get in the west—it’d never pass inspection there. Everything is made with cheap materials. All the houses are built with concrete. They are pretty much indestructible. You could say India has the worst products/services in the world, but housing might not be one of them. > The cars are just decent enough but also aren’t salable in the west—they wouldn’t meet crash safety standards (no airbags, insufficient bumpers, etc.). Think 1970s-80s econobox. Mahindra is selling cars in Australia: https://www.mahindra.com.au/ https://www.mahindra.com.au/ > Third, the government is more than willing to allow increased housing density. Towers are popping up everywhere. But the transportation infrastructure is still terrible, traffic is congested, and commutes are long. It can take over an hour to move 10km there. Spot on!
    - otterley 4d ago
      Mahindra is selling cars in Australia but they’re not the same models sold in India. Same names but different specs. Fair enough that the housing is made from concrete but the quality is still pretty poor. The foundations are uneven, as are the floors. The doors, windows, flooring, plumbing fixtures, etc. are, for the most part, cheap junk. The same is happening all around the world as builders race to the bottom, but India was pretty far down there. They’re in good company though; the same is true of all poorer nations.