<i>Of course, there are things a driver must give up with the typical $25,000 car, including leather seats, navigation systems and eight-cylinder engines.</i><p>I can get a used Cadillac and an add-on GPS all for less than 5000 dollars.  I honestly don't know what happens to people's brains when it comes to cars.  25K is what your average person makes per year after paying taxes.  Would you exchange a <i>year of your life</i> for something that costs the manufacturer maybe 1000 dollars more to produce than and is functionally identical to the entry level equivalent?