I know this probably isn't worth much, but after reading through most of this thread, I must say I appreciate your efforts to explain the existence of the working poor here. I am probably biased, because you have essentially been representing the way my family was forced to exist for my entire early life (you have no idea how crazy spot on that "$300 car that just happens to be a corolla" example was --core memory unlocked, as they say), but either way, I just thought you should know that your efforts and apparently immense patience in the face of bad faith arguments and willfull ignorance is truly appreciated.
I have so many car stories from when I was young. Cars that had no floor (you could literally see the street as you drove), to cars that needed 2 people to start (solenoid bolt was stripped so it required someone holding it in place).
I've been driving my current vehicle since 2004 (a corolla, actually) and I plan on driving it for another 15-20 years if I can. The one thing that would convince me to get rid of it is if it started leaking oil. I've just seen too much of that when I was young, constantly putting oil in because it's leaking and it's too expensive to fix.
To this day it feels magical to have a reliable vehicle I know will start when I turn the key. That stuff sticks with you.
