I often think about my parents and what they owned. My dad drove his vehicles until they basically couldn't go anymore and basically never went on vacations out of state. I also knew nothing of their finances. They could have been borrowing money for all I know.
I'm not trying to target anyone individually; don't go harass this person. But when people talk about not being able to get ahead, they often cite stuff like this. I just don't think it represents the death of the American Dream; they're prototypical middle-upper class concerns.