A $1,000 fix is out of reach for many Americans – and so is good public transportation Cars are essential to everyday life for most Americans, and more than 75% of people use cars to commute every day according to the 2025 census . But emergency car costs can upend families financially. Of 10 parents who joined a WhatsApp group to regularly chat with Guardian journalists, nearly every one said that an emergency car expense had left them struggling financially this year, if not decimating their savings. That’s a deeply American experience: most car owners spend more than $1,400 annually to keep their vehicles running, said the travel organization AAA, which also conducted research that found 64 million Americans go into debt to absorb these costs. Continue reading...