> However, as a professional with student loans, I will be furious until the day I pay off my final loan at the 6.55% I am paying. I could get a car for cheaper.
And you should be able to get a car (or house!) for cheaper because those are items that can be sold to cover the outstanding loan balance. Secured credit is always cheaper.
It'd be one thing if student loans were true unsecured debt but they're not. The government backs most student loans (even private ones) and they are not dismissible through bankruptcy. So, in some ways they're more "secure" than a car/house/etc.
And you should be able to get a car (or house!) for cheaper because those are items that can be sold to cover the outstanding loan balance. Secured credit is always cheaper.