I think it's time to take off the nostalgia glasses for five seconds, because that is a load of crap.
Are we seriously going to argue FM is a lesser car game because you can get into a modern V8/RWD muscle car from minute one? Do we always HAVE to start in a crapbox (plus or minus the AE86, depending on the game) from the late 80s or early 90s? Because quite honestly, I'm over that era.
This is not because I'm tired of the cars specifically, but yeah, the world has moved on. "KEEDZ these days and their attention spans / back in MAH day" isn't just a ridiculously asinine rah-rah take, it's critically missing the point and much simpler explanations.
Maybe the average person playing the 2023 racing game wants to drive relatively modern cars and not the idea of a starter car that worked in 2007? Maybe it's about providing a selection of cars that showcases different driving styles, like, oh, I dunno, a front-wheel drive Civic Type R, a rear-wheel drive Mustang, and an all-wheel drive Imp S209 can showcase? (All three of which I'll note looked like they were B-class cars, which in Forza has always meant "Not overly slow, not overly fast" and are generally good beginner cars.)
Maybe let's not stress over the starter cars, especially if you're already an enthusiast or experienced at racing games???
And I could also cover the current real-world automotive context we live in, with used prices being absurd, modern cars being anything but cheap, and the fact your beloved crapboxes are either as old as, or approaching the age of, a classic Mustang when FM4 came out.
I do, in fact, love the classic old hatchbacks and every manner of what was once considered cheap cars you can throw at me. But these cars are old. They should be in the game, but it doesn't make sense not to showcase a sampler of interesting, modern cars to make a good first impression.
Ah, there it is, the mating call of "I refuse to get out of my comfort zone."
Q.E.D.