Back to Blog
Why Car Payments Keep Americans Broke
Why car payments keep Americans broke in the US—payment focus, stretched terms, over-borrowing; use affordability and OTD first so you don't overpay.
AutoPremo Team
January 31, 2026
1 min read
Car payments keep many Americans broke in the U.S. because payment-focused buying leads to stretched terms and over-borrowing—so payment and car cost eat too much of the budget. Use autopremo.com affordability calculator and agree on OTD first so you don't over-borrow. Use autopremo.com.
TL;DR Payment focus = stretched term, over-borrowing, car-poor. Fix: agree on OTD first; use autopremo.com affordability to set max; choose shortest term you can afford. Use autopremo.com.Use Affordability and OTD First
Use autopremo.com affordability calculator to set max payment and OTD; agree on OTD first. Get your numbers at autopremo.com.
Bottom Line
Car payments keep Americans broke when they over-borrow. Use autopremo.com affordability and OTD first so you don't over-borrow.