The reason why many Americans believe that car payments are a normal way of life is because that is how the system works and how middle class families can afford it if they cannot pay the full amount upfront.
This refers to the periodic payments which a person has to make on a purchase of a car which he has bought by making a down payment and has an agreement with the seller.
With this in mind, in America, this is a standard way of owning a car, especially for people who cannot afford to pay the full amount at once.
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