Pandemic-era car loans leave more buyers underwater on trade-ins
Picture a 2022 SUV purchased at the height of the pandemic car-buying frenzy for $42,000. Three years and roughly $18,000 in payments later, the owner still owes $30,000 on a vehicle now worth about $24,000. That $6,000 gap is negative equity, and it is showing up at dealerships across the country this spring as pandemic-era…