Youths lose interest in cars

One of the cheerleaders at my school got a convertible, white Benz with a red bow on it for her 16th birthday. The vanity place said LUVDADI.

 

How long until she wrecked it?

 

She ran into a fence at one point, but it didn't do too much damage to the car. She wasn't as bratty as you would expect someone that spoiled to be... She had a car phone, which in 1990 was just unheard of. I think it cost $1 a minute incoming and outgoing.

 

I think one of the issues these days is that it's hard to buy a car that runs for under $2,000 and you can't work on them anymore.

Used to be a whole group of guys at school who would tinker with cards, race them, etc., and everyone would go cruising and these guys would be the hot shots in that group.

Now they are so reliant on computers that you can't work on them at home.

 

Both sets of parents work. Do the math.

 

school

And jesus christ some of you sound old, regardless of your age. One other thing going against kids today (at least in California) is that if you get your license as a minor, you can't drive for one full year with any of your friends in the car. So yeah, its great to get your license, but you can't even grab your buddies to go cruise around for another year.

 

Also could be related to the shift in population toward bigger cities and metro areas. I could drive for months in my small town without ever getting on a highway/freeway. My kids won't be able to do that. Even on the major street they would have to use, there have been 4-6 fatalities in the 15 years we've lived here.

My kids will be driving at 16, but I'll be a lot more protective about it than my parents were.

 

I bet that the fact you can meet girls on the Internet now has changed the culture the most. For adults, the rule is "follow the money." For kids, the rule is "follow the girls." Sex, or the promise of it on the distant horizon, will drive youth culture. As it ever was.

 

In the suburban (upper middle class) community where I teach, it wouldn't be too over-the-top to guess that well over two-thirds of my upperclass students have cars.

But they also believe there's some sort of social stigma ( the "I'M SO UNCOOL I WILL NEVER GET A DATE" stigma) if they actually set foot on the big yellow Twinkie, so that motivates quite a few of them. That about 80% of our student body lives at least a mile away doesn't help, either.

 

The Nissan dealer near me had a policy (maybe it was a law, I don't know...) that if a car had more than 300 miles on it, they couldn't sell it as new. They were trying to get rid of the 1989 models as is but the price on the "new" ones was $6600. Mine had 302 miles on it so I got it for $4500.

I sold it four years later for $500 less than I paid for it.

 

I know it's borderline get off my lawn. but maybe parents have driven their kids around so much that they feel no need to drive. I used to walk or bike everywhere before I got my license.