As bad as the whole sub-prime loan fiasco has been in the mortgage industry, there was at least some rationale to it. Over time the value of real estate generally increases and if someone buys a house they have a reasonable expectation of being able to sell it for more than they paid. Of course that presumes you don't ridiculously over-pay in the first place. However, aside from some rare classic cars, no car ever goes up in value. In fact, many people refuse to buy new cars for the very reason that they depreciate as soon as you drive them off the lot.