[depreciation] might be something that a fleet manager would care about, but the average driver wouldn’t consider in a hundred years

This is just so completely wrong I don’t know what to say. Have you owned a car? Have you bought a new car? Have you ever sat down and penciled out the numbers to see what you could afford? Have you spent any time budgeting for your household? Have you ever checked out a cost-to-own calculator for cars, of which there are many online? Have you perused any consumer advice on car buying?

Depreciation comes up, to put it mildly.

People who actually buy new cars* – the only people who matter, as far as the market goes – think about this quite a lot, because they’re usually planning to trade in after five years, or three years, or what-have-you. Depreciation is reason schmucks like me can afford an (old) car at all.

* i.e., not me