POPSCI: Why you can't sell me a car,

[t vago]

Originally Posted by sheepdog 44

My take is that the economy has been tough on this recent generation. Recession, high debt, worthless college degrees, jobs that would rather have experienced older workers. Has this been the case in previous decades?

Also take into account the cost of workable beaters of at least $1000, and that would all-but-require a trip to a relatively expensive auto mechanic for repairs. Combine that with what I perceive to be an aversion to getting one's hands dirty/injured in the process of fixing said beater by one's self in order to avoid the trip to that auto mechanic. Factor in gasoline at $3+ per gallon.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by B440

I live out in the country where it is necessity to own a car, not privilege as the DMV considers it. I love open space and farms, so the "walkable" community is ridiculous to me.

Your forefathers considered it walkable unless they were fortunate enough to own a horse.

[Frank Lee]

They'd rather spend $400/mo out of their $500/mo budgets for wireless services.

[nemo]

Originally Posted by t vago

Also take into account the cost of workable beaters of at least $1000, and that would all-but-require a trip to a relatively expensive auto mechanic for repairs. Combine that with what I perceive to be an aversion to getting one's hands dirty/injured in the process of fixing said beater by one's self in order to avoid the trip to that auto mechanic. Factor in gasoline at $3+ per gallon.

Is it an aversion to getting one's hands dirty or is it they have no experience because no no one around them does it and every one talks about how hard and complicated these new cars are?

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

They'd rather spend $400/mo out of their $500/mo budgets for wireless services.

Budget what is a budget?

What did we waste our money on before cellphones,video games and internet? Oh, yea cars.

[user removed]

I'm all for making cars more basic, maybe the manufacturers will get it and provide more "BASIC" transportation cars. One reason they don't is the profit margin on basic cars is very low, while options generally are marked up 100%. My Echo even had manual steering and no AC, and manual windows.

I learned the hard way how to fix cars, trial and error, mostly error, but after a while I got past the error part and later I got the trial part down to a system. Eventually I got good at maximising my labor for benefit ratio. Eventually I got to the point where I could fix just about anything and I knew it. Some of the crap I made cars out of you wouldn't believe.

I doubt you will ever see the circumstances under which I learned to work on cars again.

regards
Mech

[Ryland]

I know plenty of people in their 20's and 30's and a few in their 40's and 50's who don't drive and the amount of money that they save is amazing! and the idea of not being able to enjoy open space is BS, I was 24 before I started driving a car and when you are walking or biking you find all kinds of open space and the open space is right there in front of you!

I really enjoy living in an area that I can walk and bike and not having to use my car for days at a time, it allows me to loan it to friends, saving them the cost of owning a car of their own, if we had a car share service here I suspect many of us wouldn't own a car at all.

[brucey]

I watched this and all I could think is:

"I am a man child that doesn't want to take responsibility for myself or my actions. I would rather watch cartoons."

[jakobnev]

Self driving, cheap, and electric.

I think he wants one of those toy cars that go in one direction until the bump into something, then go in another direction

[HydroJim]

I believe I'm 1 of maybe 5 kids in my grade who could change the oil in their car. I have 337 kids in my graduation class so through my quick calculations, 20 out of the 1350 kids at my school know how to change their oil.

Yet, there are kids driving BMWs, camaros, mustangs(NEW), Mercedes, and even fully restored classic cars. I've heard kids complain about the car their parents bought them or the fact that they have to drive their family's old car.

I want to say society will keep trending upwards and things will only get better but I can't see how. Nobody in my generation has tangible skills or any sort of desire to do anything with life. They just want to constantly party and have fun but don't want to work for it.

I just don't know...