Based on your financial expertise, provide your response or viewpoint on the given financial question or topic. The response format is open.

Who can truly afford luxury cars?
I don't think you're missing anything on the math side as far as the payments.  Likewise, it may seem everyone's driving a nicer car, but I'm going to predict that's based on area and a few other factors (for instance, my used car feels like riches in a college town).  The behavior of why people would pay money, especially with high interest debt, for something is a little different. To explain the behavior behind people who purchase luxury cars: for some people, a car is a purchase that they value, similar to a person valuing the clothes they wear, the house they live in, or the equipment they buy and either borrowing or paying full price on an expensive car is worth it to them.  We can call it a status symbol dismissively and criticize the financial waste without realizing, "Wait, this is something they value" like a rare book collector likes rare books (would a rare book collector pass on borrowing money if it meant a once-in-a-lifetime rare book purchase opportunity?). Have you ever felt, "Wow this is cool/awesome/amazing" with something?  Basically, that's how many of them feel toward these cars.  As much as I'd love to say they're only doing it for status (because I'm not a car person), that's actually somewhat de-humanizing and the more I've met people like this, the more I've realized this is their "thing" and to them it's totally worth it (even with all the debt).  I have no doubt that there's a percentage of them who truly may be misled - maybe they don't realize the full cost of borrowing money or leasing.  Still, for those who don't care the full cost, that's because it's their thing.  We can all agree that it's still not wise to do financially (borrow on a luxury vehicle), and it won't change that some people will do it.