Used car prices spiked so aggressively during the pandemic supply chain crisis that slightly driven, pre-owned vehicles were actually selling for thousands of dollars more than…

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Used car prices spiked so aggressively during the pandemic supply chain crisis that slightly driven, pre-owned vehicles were actually selling for thousands of dollars more than their brand-new counterparts fresh off the assembly line. Because semiconductor shortages halted new car production, desperate consumers willingly paid absurd markups just to secure a vehicle immediately, completely shattering the rule that a car loses value the second you drive it off the lot. It was a bizarre twilight zone where your rusty 2015 Honda Civic was suddenly appreciating in value faster than prime real estate or a robust stock portfolio. We spent generations listening to financial advisors scream about how cars are terrible depreciating liabilities, only for a global virus to magically turn them into the most lucrative short-term asset class on the planet. Naturally, the bubble burst, and everyone who financed a used sedan at luxury prices is now severely and hilariously underwater on their predatory auto loans