Here are some grim facts to ponder over to get a sense of the car market and what the car-buying experience is really like in 2026. New car prices have now hit new highs (not good), monthly payments have also hit a record high (also not good), the number of people falling behind on their car loan payments continues to rise rapidly (very not good), and car repossessions are up by double-digits (very, very not good). So, tempted as you might be by the new Mazda CX-5, ask yourself this: What is the average APR for a car loan?
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