the discussion is whether it's cheaper for Europeans to go to the US for
learning to fly. Right now (IMHO) we're about $5K in the US plus
airfare, housing, time, etc. compared to about $10K in Europe.


For time building (for an ATP for instance) it makes a lot of sense.
Just for a PPL, I am not sure it does. It would still be a close call
though. You could probably get a PPL for something like $12K flying in
from Europe for a month. The extra 2K would be worth it since the
training in the US is probably a richer experience with so many
airports/airplanes/airspaces and the greater exposure to using English
on the radio.
Getting past the bureaucracy involved to train here might be the main
hurdle..


so a cheap used car sells for about $5K over there?


Yep, the US is a strange place, teenagers working in departmental
stores can drive swanky BMWs and Mercs here. It only costs a few
hundred dollars a month to hang on to a fancy car.