If you’re eyeing a new ride, now’s the time to hit the dealerships. New cars and trucks are more affordable, relative to average family income, than at any point since 1980, thanks to financing and rebate incentives out of Detroit.

Driving away in a new car required an average of 23.6 weeks of income for a family making $58,000 a year, the median in the third quarter of 2006. That’s nearly three weeks fewer than five years ago and 7.3 weeks less than in late 1994.

In the past year, the average price consumers pay for a light car or truck, including finance charges, dropped 5 percent to $26,500. At the same time, median family income rose about 5 percent.

The numbers crunched for the Comerica Bank Auto Affordability Index concern only the actual vehicle price. Obviously, after you get the car, you have to factor in insurance (which is an unavoidable legal requirement for staying on the road — a bigger state-sponsored scam I’ve never seen) and fluctuating fuel prices. The glow of the bargain fades a bit at that point.