Posted on 09/21/2010 8:39:16 AM PDT by Gordon Pym
Generation Y Giving Cars a Pass The generation gap is a growing, long-term headache for automakers.
Buzz Up! By Jim Ostroff Selling cars to young adults under 30 is proving to be a real challenge for automakers. Unlike their elders, Generation Yers own fewer cars and don’t drive much. They’re likely to see autos as a source of pollution, not as a sex or status symbol.
Motorists aged 21 to 30 now account for 14% of miles driven, down from 21% in 1995.
They’re more apt to ride mass transit to work and use car sharing services -- pioneered by Zipcar -- for longer trips. And car sharing choices are expanding, with car rental firms moving into the market, making it convenient for young folks to rent with hourly rates and easy insurance. Connect by Hertz, for example, is rolling out its car sharing services in the New York metropolitan area, with plans to eventually expand them to around 40 college campuses nationwide.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
Poor people tend to buy fewer cars, and a lot fewer new cars.
Remember that poverty can be ranked not just in employment and savings, but in debt as well.
Say someone has a good, entry level job at $36k. Half of that money, or $18k, is lost to taxes and FICA. Half of their net $18k goes to rent, leaving them with $9,000 they can spend each year on what they want, like food.
Oh, yes, and they also carry $80,000 in student loans that must be paid off.
They’ll take the bus, thanks. For the next 20 years. And they probably won’t be buying a house with a fat mortgage. Many will choose to not even get married or have children, because they are horrified of the idea of what would happen to them if they lost the meager income they have.
So they will just curl up in a ball in their apartment, work, and pray that they don’t end up a government caused hobo.
Car insurance is a huge bite out of the budget for young kids. My family it is the largest payment we have, even over housing.
Kids today don’t have jobs that can pay this. They live at home with mom and dad and can borrow the car. When the economy ticks up again, they’ll buy.
People can talk about mass transit and being green all they want, but only a car gives you freedom.
Silver lining: Less people in my way when I have to go to the city for a few days.
The author is WAY off base with his “they’ve all gone green” conclusion. They’ve all been “cash-for-clunkered.” The CFC program has resulted in doubling the price of cars people in that young demographic would ordinarily buy. Then, on top of that, their insurance will be through the roof too. They might have afforded the car at half the cost and the insurance as well; but not both. This problem is right at Obama’s feet.
Oh, the cost of used parts has more than doubled as well; thanks to CFC.
>>Especially after Cash For Clunkers eliminated a slew of “experienced” automobiles from the market.<<
Truth be told!
I had a great minivan with 80,000 miles on it. We bought it in 2005 (used salvage title) and had planned on having my daughters drive it while mom got a little cheapie rollerskate type.
That was until the hit and run driver destroyed it (thank you Jesus, I came through with only some airbag bruises). We went out looking for another van. Holy Moly, not a single one out there less than 12,000 with less than 100,000 miles on it.
I now have a cute little PT Cruiser. For some reason they didn’t fall into the “Cash for Clunkers” destruction. There is nothing out there.
In the coming sick nobama-world no one will be able to afford a car. It will be like in the old 60’s B movie, Americathon, where everyone lived in their cars and walked around in leisure suits. Thi has nothing to do with enviro-green, it has to do with no money-green. nobama is a destroyer of our society. nobama is our current plague.
LOL!
I’m a wiener!
Look around- how many youth do you know that understand anything requiring mechanical skills, or basic upkeep on a house, or anything likeunto. They do not have the logical skills, nor the interest, and in many cases no one around to teach them. They don’t even know they don’t know anything. They have their baggy falling off pants, their iPods etc which they don’t have a clue what makes them work-and they are happy.
It just plain costs more than it used too....sheesh!!
cars also cost money...
which implies you have a job...
which can pay for more than your food & shelter.
shortly, having a car... any car... will be a sign of the rich.
I think it actually started with my generation. My only sibling who was born in the late 1940’s, 18 years my senior was and is a car nut, and apparently so where his peers. I never was car minded and neither were my friends growing up. I own an SUV, but to me it’s nothing more than a way to haul bicycles around and a way to get to work if it’s too wet or cold to ride a bicycle or my Harley.
I see a lot of bashing of today’s youth with respect to their inability to handle a lot of manual tasks (e.g., car repair and maintenance). Perhaps it’s the average age of the FR poster that makes it appear as if the attacks are aimed at today’s youth, I’m not sure. But as a 20-something, I can tell you the following:
- A lot of newer cars are sufficiently well-made that maintenance needs are reduced in general.
- Virtually all newer cars carry good warranties with higher mileage limitations, so why would I do myself what is covered under warranty?
- More cars (granted they tend to be luxury, but even this is filtering down to more mainstream cars) have normal maintenance and wear and tear items built into the price of the car, so again, why would I change or replace something routine on my own dime and time when I’ve already paid for it in the price of the car?
- Cars are far more electronically controlled today than they used to be. My BMW doesn’t even have a dipstick to check the oil level if I wanted to.
And lastly, to those who would still think today’s youth are useless in this area, I suggest you not mention your opinion of us while we’re fixing your computer for the umpteenth time. I do believe I’ve fixed my dad’s computer far more times than he helped me to fix my first car =)
That's nonsense. I don't maintain my car. I pay other people to do that for me. Of course I could mow my own grass, but I have a teenager to do that for me. When he tells me that the mower doesn't work, I put in the back of the aforementioned SUV and take it to get it repaired. Ditto for the home. When something needs fixing, there are people far more qualified than myself ready for hire. I'm in no way a ward of the state. If anything, I'm an economic engine.
I was 30 before I bought a car and drove regularly. I lived in an urban area, close to work, had a crappy income, but was able to save a lot of money. A group of us took turns renting a car quarterly for getting to a Sam’s Club, outlet mall shopping, taking a day trip etc. Timing it correctly, rental specials made this really attractive.
As we moved on with life, got better jobs, homes in the suburbs, etc. we bought cars. I knew a few couples that kept to one car.
Depending on how you live, this can be a huge money saver for some one that is young.
The skill set for tinkering is different, but with a cheap ODBII reader, it’s still possible to work on your own car. If anything, I think it’s easier to work on new cars since you don’t have to do things like synchronize carbs.
Hell, I’m 47, and last Summer it was upgrade time so I started with shiny new cases, liquid cooling units, video cards, processors et al, and built 4 computers from scratch, ran Cat5 (We’re gamers, wireless doesn’t cut it) seamlessly through the walls into 5 separate rooms, and had a full blown LAN party with a dedicated server going all before lunch. Technical savvy isn’t necessarily reserved for the young.
I boosted the power/efficiency of my car:
Replace paper air filter with K&N re-usable = > mpg
Replace factory muffler with high-perf = > mpg
Mobil 1 oil and extra-long life filter = > mpg
Performance rims and tires (50psi) = > mpg
Remove backseats for less weight = > mpg
Insulate air intake (cooler air has more oxygen)
Manual trans. = 10% more power/efficiency
So there are steps the avg. person can take to improve mpg and hp. My PT with a 5-speed can smoke the tires off with only the above mods.
“I suggest you not mention your opinion of us while we’re fixing your computer for the umpteenth time”
Computers are not as fun to fix as cars. Plenty of geezers can fix both.
Shouldn’t you be on BookSpace or MyFace or something?
Oh, and about that BMW.....you future wife will make you sell it to buy diapers - so you’ll need to get something cheaper to get you back and forth from your first and second job you’ll be working to pay for all these old-folk entitlements.
(he-he just kiddin’ around....)
Oh, I know that’s true — plenty of people older than me at work who are true electronic experts (engineers and the like, whereas I’m just a savvy computer user mostly). And I’m glad to hear that the passion for gaming and custom builds doesn’t fade as time goes on!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.