People really have no idea how their car works

One of my kids did this as a new driver at 16-- hit the freeway in our SUV in second gear, realized it was “loud” and pulled over to call me. Going 65 in 2nd with a small V6 is indeed noisy. Lesson learned. Seems like that’s something basic we should be teaching new drivers.

but is it really that common to finance cars for 72(!) months over there?

“According to information-services company Experian, the average used- and new-car loan spans between 67 and 69 months — somewhere between five and six years — as of July 2023.”

So yes, it’s so common that the average is now close to 70 months. Though most people I know who finance do 60 month loans. I did for my last new purchase, but that was a 0% rate from Mazda so it cost nothing.