The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’
Published . Updated .
People under 35 are hunting for no-frills rides they can pay for in cash and fix themselves – defying expectations to take on steep loans Jack Price joined the Marines in fall 2021 knowing he would need a car to get around base and that he couldn’t afford a new one. A joyless, month-long search through dealer classifieds and Facebook Marketplace listings ended when his mother spotted a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta posted on her office listserv by a co-worker moving abroad. With just 60,000 miles (96,560km) on themeter, the car (a manual!) was mechanically sound, and the air conditioning, sunroof and Bluetooth radio worked too. At $6,000, it was a steal. Price paid in cash. Five years on, the Jetta, which he called the Pewter Pebble, is still carting him from A to B in unassuming style. “I’ve completely driven it into the ground,” says the 30-year-old, who lives in Los Angeles. “All over bases, cross-country a couple times, not really lovingly. I get so much crap from people, but not people my age.” Continue reading...
Directly affected
Indirectly affected
- CARZ First Trust S-Network Future Vehicles & Technology ETF
First Trust S-Network Future Vehicles & Technology ETF: it holds carmakers and parts makers. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story.
- XLY Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR+0.3% 16d
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds carmakers and parts makers. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story.
- XLF Financial Select Sector SPDR-3.9% 30d
Financial Select Sector SPDR: it holds banks. Linked by “loans” (banks) in this story.
- TSLA Tesla+3.7% 30d
Tesla (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story.
- GM General Motors-12.9% 30d
General Motors (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story.
- TM Toyota Motor+2.2% 30d
Toyota Motor (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story.
- F Ford Motor-16.4% 30d
Ford Motor (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story.
- JPM JPMorgan Chase-5.3% 30d
JPMorgan Chase (national commercial banks): banks' earnings move with lending, deposits and rates. Linked by “loans” (banks) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| METANo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| VWAGYNon-US listing (OTC); price checks may stay empty | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CARZNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XLYNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XLFNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| TSLANo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GMNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| TMNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| JPMNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
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People under 35 are hunting for no-frills rides they can pay for in cash and fix themselves – defying expectations to take on steep loans Jack Price joined the Marines in fall 2021 knowing he would need a car to get around base and that he…
Source: The Guardian
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar sold Meta Platforms (META), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Sep 2026. That is 29 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Meta Platforms (META) (held by a dependent child), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 30 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar bought Meta Platforms (META), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 22 Sep 2026. That is 31 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Tesla (TSLA) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 28 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Tesla (TSLA) (held by a dependent child), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 11 Sep 2026. That is 42 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Tesla (TSLA) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 4 Sep 2026. That is 49 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, sold General Motors (GM), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Aug 2026. That is 60 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Ford Motor (F), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 53 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Ford Motor (F) (held by a dependent child), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 10 Aug 2026. That is 74 days before publication. Filed 4 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse sold Jpmorgan Chase (JPM), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 4 Sep 2026. That is 49 days before publication. Filed 1 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse sold Jpmorgan Chase (JPM) (held by a spouse), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 4 Sep 2026. That is 49 days before publication. Filed 1 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Jpmorgan Chase (JPM) (held by a spouse), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 27 Aug 2026. That is 57 days before publication. Filed 4 Sep 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd (CARZ)
Companies tied to this story
- CARZ First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd
For “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’,” First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd (CARZ) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: First Trust S-Network Future Vehicles & Technology ETF: it holds carmakers and parts makers. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
- XLY Select Sector Spdr Tr
In “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds carmakers and parts makers. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
- XLF Select Sector Spdr Tr
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLF) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 23 Oct 2026 story “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’.” Reason on file: Financial Select Sector SPDR: it holds banks. Linked by “loans” (banks) in this story
- TSLA Tesla
In “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’,” Tesla (TSLA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Tesla (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
- GM General Motors
In “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’,” General Motors (GM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: General Motors (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
- TM Toyota Motor Corp/
For “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’,” Toyota Motor Corp/ (TM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Toyota Motor (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
- F Ford Motor
For “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’,” Ford Motor (F) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Ford Motor (motor vehicles and passenger car bodies): carmakers move with demand, costs and trade rules. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
- JPM Jpmorgan Chase
Jpmorgan Chase (JPM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 23 Oct 2026 story “The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’.” Reason on file: JPMorgan Chase (national commercial banks): banks' earnings move with lending, deposits and rates. Linked by “loans” (banks) in this story
First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd (CARZ)
“The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’” (23 Oct 2026) reaches First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd (CARZ) through this story.
First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd (CARZ) is on the page because First Trust S-Network Future Vehicles & Technology ETF: it holds carmakers and parts makers. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY) is here too. Its reason reads: Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds carmakers and parts makers. Linked by “cars” (autos) in this story
Dates and price levels for First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd (CARZ)
CARZ traded between 107.73 and 108.19 across 1 sessions. The latest close on file is 107.73. XLF traded between 52.82 and 56.03 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 55.07. XLY traded between 110.56 and 116.21 across 16 sessions. The latest close on file is 113.12.
What the saved facts support for First Tr Exchange-Traded Fd (CARZ)
46 out of 100
“The young Americans choosing Y2K cars over shiny new SUVs: ‘I get so much crap from people’” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 8 linked companies.