Yeah, my state is larger than England with population of about 10 million with no public transport. Not to mention our particularly harsh winters that would make a scooter impractical for 6ish months out of the year.

Most everyone buying a car does get a traditional loan, did I miss something stating people were using credit cards? Also, a lot of commutes include highways which scooters/mopeds can't reach the speeds necessary. Unfortunately cars are a necessity for many outside of the few cities that have actual mass transit.