Don't take your foot out of it until he looks like a cat getting flushed down a toilet grabbing for door panel and dash then make it perfectly clear not to call your kid a liar
What happened to young people and driving culture?
- Thread starter oldmansmonte
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i disagree with this view. while i wasn't a fan of the cash for clunkers program. it has been falsely blamed for high used car prices to the demise of the car culture.
cash for clunkers officially took 690,000 vehicles off the streets. eligible vehicles had to be less then 25 years old at time of trade in. that means most 1984 vehicles were ineligible and all 1983 and older vehicles were also ineligible. compare this to the tremendous amount of vehicles sold prior to cash for clunkers, north american auto sales ranged from 15 million to 17 million units per year between 1994 and 2008. thats more than 200 million vehicles.
that turns out to be .35% of the total sales volume.
the numbers don't add up for me.
here are the top ten vehicles traded in.
1 Ford Explorer 4WD
2 Ford F-150 pickup 2WD
3 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
4 Ford Explorer 2WD
5 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
6 Jeep Cherokee 4WD
7 Chevrolet Blazer
8 Chevrolet C 1500 pickup 2WD
9 Ford F-150 pickup 4WD
10 Ford Windstar minivan
now with that being said, did individual dealer groups or states jump on board and enact their own version of cash for clunkers, california comes to mind, most likely?
was it an economic boone dogle, maybe?
When i was 16, if I wanted to see the world I had to move my *ss there via some mode of transportation. I wished to see the world however limited mine was at the time, and therefore drove or rode in a car to see it. As Turna eluded to, when the world is available at the end of your fingertips, there is little desire to travel.
Again, it depends on where you live. If it snows a lot where you live and real estate is expensive, having a rear wheel drive high hp car doesn't make a lot of sense because you need a place to store it 6 months out of the year.
kids are lazy and like to "work smarter, not harder". If something doesn't make logical sense, they aren't going to do it. Having a car you can't drive 1/2 the year and can't afford to store for 1/2 the year doesn't add up to them.
When life was simpler and housing was cheaper, maybe the numbers added up. When my wife is watching those House Hunters shows and they are looking at a $600K house with 1 garage and it needs work and think to myself "that is not living".
Oh he's gonna be pumping the air brakes and climbing the back of the seat like it's Mt Kilimanjaro!!
When I was a teen in the late 1970’s my first car (dad’s older car given to me instead of traded in) I had was so I could go to my part time job, school, and help in running errands. Getting my license was my way to get away from the house and have some freedom to do what I wanted. As long as I did not get into trouble and was home before curfew (8:30 on school nights, 10:30 on weekends) my “freedom” was secure.
Most of my friends like myself could not wait to get our license because we felt like we we made it into adulthood because we drove. I know that was far from the truth, but in my time it was a rite of passsage we dreamed of for years.
The only tech to keep in touch was our home phone, pay phone, and the cb radios we all had because of the Smokey and the Bandit craze back then. That cb radio, talk about addicted, was on in the house or car 24 hours a day. Never wanted to miss a buddy getting on. This lasted a few years until it got too crowded and lost its luster. The most fun was when a parent would chime on to remind us of curfews or checking in on us! lol Could not escape them! lol
The car culture was huge back then as far as my group of friends because we wanted those powerful 60’s muscle cars that kicked our butts on a regular basis. We worked on our own cars to save some money. Plus it was fun to learn new ways to make our cars better or faster.
The time I was a teen was so different then today in many areas. In some ways it was easier, but that does not mean it was better. Who knows how different I would be if I grew up today? I was just fortunate enough to end up with a group of friends that were car nuts and I have been hooked ever since. Problem today is there are so many distractions out there trying to win over our kids attention and hopefully the love of cars will not become a victim of those societal changes and shifts?
Most of my friends like myself could not wait to get our license because we felt like we we made it into adulthood because we drove. I know that was far from the truth, but in my time it was a rite of passsage we dreamed of for years.
The only tech to keep in touch was our home phone, pay phone, and the cb radios we all had because of the Smokey and the Bandit craze back then. That cb radio, talk about addicted, was on in the house or car 24 hours a day. Never wanted to miss a buddy getting on. This lasted a few years until it got too crowded and lost its luster. The most fun was when a parent would chime on to remind us of curfews or checking in on us! lol Could not escape them! lol
The car culture was huge back then as far as my group of friends because we wanted those powerful 60’s muscle cars that kicked our butts on a regular basis. We worked on our own cars to save some money. Plus it was fun to learn new ways to make our cars better or faster.
The time I was a teen was so different then today in many areas. In some ways it was easier, but that does not mean it was better. Who knows how different I would be if I grew up today? I was just fortunate enough to end up with a group of friends that were car nuts and I have been hooked ever since. Problem today is there are so many distractions out there trying to win over our kids attention and hopefully the love of cars will not become a victim of those societal changes and shifts?
Things go in cycles. Cars/trucks have been in and out as the “thing” for kids for as long as I can remember. I got my license in 1967 at the height of the muscle car era. At that time cars (and street racing) WERE THE THING. There were a bunch of neat cars in my high school parking lot my senior year (a GTX, a hand full of mustangs, 3 SS396 Chevells, a Nova SS, a Fairlane GTA, etc etc) Of all the guys I went to high school with, there are probably only 3 of us were really into cars and stayed with it.
I don’t think kids have really changed, cars are just not the hot thing/status symbol right now. Reading over the thread there are a few kids out there that (at least for now) are the ones that are really into cars and trucks. Probably about the same percentage as it was 50 years ago.
I’m one of the lucky ones, my oldest grandson is usually over about once a week and has been following me out to the shop since he was old enough to walk. Somewhere along the line he picked up a love for old cars.
About a year ago he asked about getting the old 74 Mustang I had built for his Grandma back on the road…….long story short, his mom and I agreed that he would get the car, provided he kept his grades up and paid for all the parts and did all the work on it.
cleanup 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr
He wants the car, so for the last year he’s been pretty hard at it. He’s been painting buildings, doing yard work, and even helped me re-top coat the roofs on the house and shop. He’s not necessarily a great student, but has generally kept his grades up enough to keep working on the car.
So far he’s converted it back to a 4 speed (I had put an automatic in it for his Grandma) and gone back to a manual rack. The 2.3 is no ball of fire but kind of fun with the 4 speed and just about right for a 15 year old to learn on.
2 by M Patterson, on Flick
There is still a ways to go (tires, radiator, timing belt etc ) but he keeps plugging away at it.
74 Mustang 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr
Basically he’s one of that small percentage of us who probably enjoys building the car as much or more than driving it. He’s got a younger brother and sister who I suspect will be the ones with the attitude that “a car is just a car” unless cars become the “thing” again in the next couple of years.
That’s OK, they just reflect the majority of the people in this country……just as it always has been. We can’t all be car guys and gals.
.
Back to the shed by M Patterson, on Flickr
I don’t think kids have really changed, cars are just not the hot thing/status symbol right now. Reading over the thread there are a few kids out there that (at least for now) are the ones that are really into cars and trucks. Probably about the same percentage as it was 50 years ago.
I’m one of the lucky ones, my oldest grandson is usually over about once a week and has been following me out to the shop since he was old enough to walk. Somewhere along the line he picked up a love for old cars.
About a year ago he asked about getting the old 74 Mustang I had built for his Grandma back on the road…….long story short, his mom and I agreed that he would get the car, provided he kept his grades up and paid for all the parts and did all the work on it.
cleanup 1 by M Patterson, on FlickrHe wants the car, so for the last year he’s been pretty hard at it. He’s been painting buildings, doing yard work, and even helped me re-top coat the roofs on the house and shop. He’s not necessarily a great student, but has generally kept his grades up enough to keep working on the car.
So far he’s converted it back to a 4 speed (I had put an automatic in it for his Grandma) and gone back to a manual rack. The 2.3 is no ball of fire but kind of fun with the 4 speed and just about right for a 15 year old to learn on.
2 by M Patterson, on FlickThere is still a ways to go (tires, radiator, timing belt etc ) but he keeps plugging away at it.
74 Mustang 2 by M Patterson, on FlickrBasically he’s one of that small percentage of us who probably enjoys building the car as much or more than driving it. He’s got a younger brother and sister who I suspect will be the ones with the attitude that “a car is just a car” unless cars become the “thing” again in the next couple of years.
That’s OK, they just reflect the majority of the people in this country……just as it always has been. We can’t all be car guys and gals.
.
Back to the shed by M Patterson, on Flickr
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I like to work smarter and not harder. Does that mean I'm lazy? I mean, if it doesn't make logical sense, then by all means don't. Not I sure I follow this logic.
You need to film the drive and post it!!!
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