More free trade nonsense.
You argue that adjusted for inflation the price of a car is cheaper than it was in 1970 then argue that because of more technology they are actually more expensive. Which is it ?
The 1970 vintage car is what is not on the market. The present day one is. If you compare what a VW beetle cost in 1965 with what a Kia costs today, adjusted for inflation it is about the same. If you compare a midsize sedan of 1965 with a midsize sedan of 2005, adjusted for inflation it is about the same. Since by category the price of the car has remained constant, then the variable is the purchasers income which has dropped to the point where a car loan must be 6 years FOR THE SAME MONEY where then it was 3 years.
That's like saying that the high cost of housing has resulted in a decline of our standard of living -- because the 4,000 square foot colonial on a half-acre lot with a two-car garage costs more than the two-bedroom sh!t-hole that was the "norm" 100 years ago.