U.S. auto loan debt has reached $1.68 trillion — a record high that now exceeds credit card debt and roughly matches total student loan debt, confirmed by Fortune, CNBC, and Edmunds data. Monthly payments have surged to $680-$735 on average, forcing many buyers into 7-10 year loan terms, which means many Americans will spend $88,000+ on an asset that depreciates. The underlying economic facts are verified, but the post uses emotional framing (ALL CAPS, daily depreciation emphasis) to emphasize the problem rather than presenting it neutrally. Missing context: whether this trend reflects genuine hardship or rational responses to inflation and vehicle cost increases — the post implies pure waste without acknowledging that car ownership remains economically necessary for most American workers.