[MiddleAgedAl]

Sad but true....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15847682

I have to say, I do feel sorry for kids these days....

[koreez88]

Less teens on roads, I'm ok with that. It's safer to facebook then to drive anyway.

[rhouck]

In a survey to be published later this year by Gartner, 46% of 18 to 24-year-olds said they would choose internet access over owning their own car. The figure is 15% among the baby boom generation, the people that grew up in the 1950s and 60s - seen as the golden age of American motoring.

That is a pretty stupid statistic for the article to jump to the conclusion that it did... Internet access today is social, shopping, work, education, etc. People that grew up in the 50s and 60s are often those that view the internet as an annoyance and wish it would go away

Plus, with so many people living in settings where it would make sense to take public transportation (or just borrow the parents' car) if needed. These settings include:
1. Urban living -- all the kids living in cities
2. College -- the % of kids 18-24 attending college and less likely to need a car is far higher than it ever was
3. Living at home -- a higher % of kids are living at home rather than moving out at 18, which means they can share a family car rather than needing to own their own

[MiddleAgedAl]

Rhouck, I would agree with your points. Having said that, I think the overall theme of the article has a lot of merit.

My very unscientific observations of 18-24 yr olds today tells me that, in general, they are less likely to own a car than my generation was, which is understandable, given economics today.

However, it seems they are also far less likely to even have a drivers license either. Of course, graduated licenses today take longer, but I'm talking kids in their early 20's who have not even bothered to begin the process of getting a license.

Kids now are a LOT more likely to treat cars as an annoyance or an appliance than they did when I was young and foolish. The desire used to be more prevalent, even if the financial ability to indulge that desire wasn't. Now, that fire doesnt seem to exist at all in a large percentage of kids. IMHO, thats a sad thing, to not be exposed to the idea that a car can be a wonderful thing of joy, not just a transportation appliance.

[rhouck]

I was more annoyed by the line re Facebook and the survey cited than the conclusion they came to. Comparing something the UN views as a basic human right (internet access) to owning a car (vs. sharing/taking the bus) struck me as a bit silly. Especially when there were plenty of other solid bases for supporting their conclusion.

Originally Posted by MiddleAgedAl

Kids now are a LOT more likely to treat cars as an annoyance or an appliance than they did when I was young and foolish.

I'm also kind of curious as to what % of kids these days (versus the "golden age") are truly car fanatics. For example, what % of kids from your youth actually loved an automobile for what it was (i.e. would enjoy taking it out for a drive alone just to drive?) versus it being the only method of social interaction, shopping, getting to work, etc.? Has it really dropped that dramatically, or is it just that the people who drove because it was a requirement now have alternatives?

[Greenkirby21]

i blame insurance. I didn't get my license until 18 because honestly, I only went to and from to school, which was on my dads way to work, and he did not feel like spending that much money.

In fact, my insurance right now is more then all of my family members combined(dad,mom, and sister), even though I have never had any accidents or tickets!

[Bakeme521]

Sad but true, but at the same time good. I don't mind less unexperienced drivers on the road at all. I don't get that though, I could not wait to get my license and have my own car. My dad saved his beater e36 318 for me because my parents could not wait to wake up 30 min later so they didn't have to bring me to school.

[Nedim]

I remember getting my license, I was so damn excited. Drove an 89 honda accord. that thing was a piece of shit, leaked water through the sunroof, was rusty, and leaked oil but I loved it

[MiddleAgedAl]

To this day, I recall taking the bus almost 45 min to a mall with another gearhead friend of mine because we heard they were going to have a Countach there. We would have ridden our bikes, but it was just too far. I dont remember why it was there, but that doesnt matter, I remember it like it was yesterday, a 14 yr old kid standing there on a Saturday afternoon, staring at this outlandish black car in the flesh for the first time. There were other kids our age there, also drooling.

At a recent show and shine nearby, there were several amazing rides there, but mostly guys my age doing the drooling.

I started the process of getting my license as soon as I turned 16, even tho my financial situation meant I was not going to have any sort of car at all of my own for years. Many of my buddies were in the same boat.

I remember driving my first crappy car several hours to a road course just to watch club racing. I'd sit there in the stands, and watch folks go around in their 1st gen RX-7s, and I was not the only under-25 spectator there. Now, when I go, there's NOBODY there under the age of 25 (unless they are the children of the racers themselves).

Yes, in my generation there were some who drove because they had to get somewhere, and now they have better options, but based on my possibly biased subjective observations, I'd say there are fewer die-hard gearheads today.

Anyone been in a high school lately? How many lockers have photos of supercars stuck inside the doors now? Less than when I went, I'd bet...

[Comet]

I recall that prior to getting my license I didn't care much for cars
but I still got it, and the second I started driving independently, I knew I couldn't live without a car
Most of my friends treat cars as a luxury good that they don't need. They all had cars when they used to live with their parents, but since they moved out, they mostly sold their cars or take public transportation instead to save on gas/parking/insurance/etc..

[carve]

I'm 34 with a 20 year old brother. I got my license on my birthday in 1995. He didn't get his until after high school, even though my parents had their old PT cruiser waiting for him from the time he was 16. He just had our mom chauffeur him around.

While I agree that things like Facebook make tele-socializing easier, I see that closer as a replacement for the 2-hour phone calls kids would make with each other in the 90's than as a replacment for a car.

I took my bro on a road trip in my 335i when he was 18, and my wife and I told him about all the fun, crazy, independent things we did with our cars in high school. We did a little hooning, too- including me explaining all the forethought and precautions I'd take before doing something "dangerous". He basically slapped himself on the forward and got his license as soon as he could. He realized that he really missed out on a lot of fun opportunities.

I think a lot of kids just don't know what they're missing. Unless you're one of the few who live in a dense, urban area, a car is essential for independence as a young adult in the US. Even Skype is a poor substitute to actual interaction and travel.

[NYCGP]

Got my permit the day I turned 16. Got my license the day I turned 17. Drove home from the DMV... have never asked for a ride since.

Parents that allow themselves to become slaves to their children are negatively effecting their ability to be independent in the future.

[TroyDeJ]

im 18 and i personally hate facebook, i dont understand whats fun about it, looking at peoples picture who i dont care about? i hang out with one of my friends and he has to check his facebook constantly and it gets really annoying. I always loved cars and driving, if theres nothing to do or everyones busy ill go buy $10 in gas and drive around for an hour just going for a cruise of on a windy road having fun. Why waste time looking at pics of other people doing stuff?

[Comet]

Originally Posted by carve

I'm 34 with a 20 year old brother. I got my license on my birthday in 1995. He didn't get his until after high school, even though my parents had their old PT cruiser waiting for him from the time he was 16. He just had our mom chauffeur him around.

bolded is the reason he wasn't psyched. j/k

car looks like a hurse..

[Maestro]

If Ferris Bueller had a day off now ... fill in the blank.

He would post on facebook he was taking the day off and before he knew it he had a flash mob showing up at his house for a party and he would not be driving daddy's Ferrari since he would not know what stick shift was.


In reality, I have to agree with the article that most kids rather interact through social media then face to face or cruise around in a car like the past generation. Car ownership is too costly and the kids and young adult who show up here do not represent the majority of the population.

In my day, I could easily buy a car for $250 which ran and I could easily work on if it stopped running. Insurance on that car was not that high about $500 so I could get a car and run it for a year for under $1000 easily. Today, you talking close to $10k for a kid to own and operate a car, it is not worth it.

My son turn 16 last year and was on permit for 6 months, and we made him drive everywhere, before he got his license he had over 100 hours drives and close to 3000 miles, we still make him drive us everywhere we go and by far he has more experience behind the wheel than his friends the same age. He realize he does not want his own car, since it would cost $2K to $5K to find a decent working car and another $2K to insure it plus all the other maintenance and repair, he rather save his money than own a car. However, he is not a facebook kid either he hate it and rather be outside doing things unlike most kids today.

[BTM]

Yea but did the article poll kids with access to a Ferrari 250GT California? Pretty big factor IMO

[Bimmer Nerd]

I think most of you guys are overlooking one major factor. Back in the 1960/70's gas was like 50C a gallon ? Insurance didn't cost nearly as much (inflation aside) and kids were able to get jobs relatively easier if they wanted to compared to today's job market.
I am 19 and i work at a local whole foods about 24-30 hrs a week, while going to school full time. If i didn't have this job, i would still be without a car because i can't justify me asking my mom to buy me a car that she has to take care of on top of the expenses that she already has. Its not that she wouldn't want me to have a car and be independent, but simply because its too much money on top of the usual expenses. Her being a single parent is stressful enough for her and i couldn't justify me asking my mom for a car knowing how hard she works for everything. Thats why i am paying for my gas/insurance (1 totalled car)/food...everything.
Thats why i believe that its not that most kids choose to NOT drive, but most of their family's just simply don't have the needs to meet the monthly requirements of maintaining the car and paying for insurance/gas if the child doesn't work.

Hope that made sense

[MiddleAgedAl]

For sure $$ is a big issue. I also grew up in a single parent household, and like I said, even tho I knew when I was 16 that ownership of a car was years off (any money I made had to go towards saving for college), I still wanted to get my license ASAP. For me, that meant the chance to drive an old ratty Ford Escort once in a while; hardly a Ferrari 250 California.

It seems more and more kids now have no interest in even starting the process of getting their own license even in their early 20's. For me, the most startling stat in the article was "In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had obtained their first driving licence. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%". This is distinct from the more expensive step of actual car ownership.

Maybe the job situation today is so bad they have no hope of their own car for many years, so why bother at all?? Believe me, the chance to pilot anything with a roundel on the hood when I was still in my teens was so far off the radar it wasn't even funny, yet that didnt stop me from wanting to "get my wings", so to speak, and many buddies in the same socio-economic position were just like me.

It's not always just about the $$. It is worth noting that many 20-somethings who still dont even have a learners license have the latest iPhone with a big data plan, and upgrade the handset as soon as a new one comes out. I'd bet, adjusted for inflation, they spend the same on that over a year as I did on my first old beater. Poor kids dont know what they are missing. You cant get laid in the back seat of an iPhone...

[Bimmer Nerd]

Originally Posted by MiddleAgedAl

For sure $$ is a big issue. I also grew up in a single parent household, and like I said, even tho I knew when I was 16 that ownership of a car was years off (any money I made had to go towards saving for college), I still wanted to get my license ASAP. For me, that meant the chance to drive an old ratty Ford Escort once in a while; hardly a Ferrari 250 California.

It seems more and more kids now have no interest in even starting the process of getting their own license even in their early 20's. For me, the most startling stat in the article was "In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had obtained their first driving licence. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%". This is distinct from the more expensive step of actual car ownership.

Maybe the job situation today is so bad they have no hope of their own car for many years, so why bother at all?? Believe me, the chance to pilot anything with a roundel on the hood when I was still in my teens was so far off the radar it wasn't even funny, yet that didnt stop me from wanting to "get my wings", so to speak, and many buddies in the same socio-economic position were just like me.

It's not always just about the $$. It is worth noting that many 20-somethings who still dont even have a learners license have the latest iPhone with a big data plan, and upgrade the handset as soon as a new one comes out. I'd bet, adjusted for inflation, they spend the same on that over a year as I did on my first old beater. Poor kids dont know what they are missing. You cant get laid in the back seat of an iPhone...

Well said, you definitely brought up a good point regarding the iphone and such. The area that i live in is full of kids that get stuff handed to them (cars being no exception). Yet they still find ways to complain about life and how miserable their lifes are. It upsets me a LOT to see such people not appreciate what they have. I love my car dearly, i just had it rebuilt like a month back, it was in a shop for a month straight and i had to walk to work most of the time and made me appreciate owning the car even more. Yet people that get handed brand new BMW's are still complaining how some worker on subway put way too much mayo on their sandwich.

[thetedderbear]

I'm 17 and have been driving since the day I hit 16. I love driving and being able to get myself around. Like the article says, it's a bit of independence for me.

[thetedderbear]

And I almost never use Facebook anymore now that I drive.

[thetedderbear]

Originally Posted by rhouck

I'm also kind of curious as to what % of kids these days (versus the "golden age") are truly car fanatics. For example, what % of kids from your youth actually loved an automobile for what it was (i.e. would enjoy taking it out for a drive alone just to drive?) versus it being the only method of social interaction, shopping, getting to work, etc

Out of probably 400 kids who drive at my school, I'd say a dozen or so will drive their car for the sake of driving. Probably less. I know I do, and some of my friends who are car enthusiasts will. In my town, plenty drive, but mostly for a method of social interaction, etc, as you mentioned.
Sorry for the numerous posts, I'm on my phone.