Then the house will just be sold, and with the proceeds, one can enjoy life in a rental apartment without obligations until the end of their life.
Most people will find it very hard to take this step. Practice shows this. And why should it be any different here in 30 years?
In 20 years, no one will be able to retire at 63 anymore.
All the more reason to save more. Practice also shows here that by 63 (actually partly even earlier) the vast majority have really lost interest in their job.
And cars with combustion engines will still exist in 30 years. The ban on combustion engines from 2035 is already wobbling heavily.
At least not in big cities, where there are (also specifically here with us) political majorities for combustion engine bans on existing vehicles by 2040 at the latest. It’s no use to me if I’m allowed to drive my combustion engine car out in the sticks; 99% of the destinations are in the city anyway.
And when will "life" start for you then? At 65?
We actually afford everything we want to afford. Sure, you can also spend 8,000 euros for 10 days of vacation instead of 4,000 euros for 10 days, but I hardly believe the vacation would be better then, and I rather think that the so-called "buyer’s remorse" will be more pronounced (when you spend 8,000 euros at once) and you actually get less out of it net. Only when it comes to the car do we actually drive two very old cars, although our main car is rather large and has many extras (automatic transmission, a lot of horsepower, size: mid-range, so bigger than a Golf & co.), just old, but comfortable. Here one could really blow a lot more money, but on the other hand, it’s only a means to an end to get from A to B (and in the city the car itself is already a luxury; public transport or the bicycle actually also does the job). With another, newer car, we wouldn’t get from A to B any faster and basically not any more comfortably either (rather, operating comfort & quality of seats gets worse every generation).
On the other hand, you naturally wonder that you’re in such a comparatively comfortable situation (many friends can’t even afford to buy an apartment here despite double-income academic salaries). Are we maybe too frugal after all? But what would you even spend more money on?
Another example: store brands. I consistently buy store brands where I can’t notice a difference. And where I notice a difference, I consistently buy the brand products. That’s of course not necessary, but why spend 200 euros more a month for 100% brand products if I absolutely can’t notice a difference!?