What year did automobiles become affordable?

Answer 1

Hard to pinpoint an exact year, but you could say "around 1925" and be pretty close. The Model T, which was mass produced, and offered with few options ("You can get any color you want - as long as you want black"), was the first "everyman" car. It was available for about $500 in those days funds - not cheap, but a drastic drop from most cars of the era.