This article did get me thinking...while the AVERAGE price has gotten ridiculously high, there are some great cars (by 10-20 year historical averages of quality/content) under $20k. I've rented some surprisingly good cheap cars in recent years: Kia Soul, Nissan Versa, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Versa Note, Mazda2...even some crappier cars still have good content for cheap: Dodge Avenger, Chevy Sonic, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus sedan.
Advertising shows us all driving nicely equipped family sedans (that sticker in the $30k+++ range) but the cars that don't get mainstream press still provide relatively affordable platforms with A/C, stick-shift, 100k+ mile reliability, 30+ MPGs...
I still stand by prices being too damn high, but there are options for the modern new-car buyer in the US.