The cheapest car in Europe appears to be the Dacio Sandero, which works out to around USD 8,500. There's several problems with the base trim level that would render it unacceptable on the US market: No A/C, no radio, no automatic transmission, and a truly anemic engine that takes 13 seconds to go from 0-100 km/h. That engine might be acceptable on a city car in Europe, but most US drivers are going farther (and faster). But hey, at least it's certified for collisions and emissions; you can't say the same for the Indian cars we're referring to.
I've seen plenty of computers last >10 years. So, we'll see how this one goes. Even if one component does need replacing at some point, it'll likely still have been the best choice. Nothing else offers that kind of performance at a remotely comparable price point unless you're willing to build a PC from scratch.
The low end Dacia are a demonstration of making affordable cars by abandoning options like motorized windows, A/C and radios. They are very successful. I think you can pay a bit more to have all options, which is still a good deal for a brand new car.
Yes, Europeans generally speaking have smaller cars than Americans. All cars have manual transmission.
I've seen plenty of computers last >10 years. So, we'll see how this one goes. Even if one component does need replacing at some point, it'll likely still have been the best choice. Nothing else offers that kind of performance at a remotely comparable price point unless you're willing to build a PC from scratch.