Why younger people don't care about cars

Discussion in 'Member Casual Chat' started by Polydectes, Oct 25, 2019.

  1. Pants

    Pants Well-Known Member

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    Anyone with a mediocre income can lease an expensive car. And it is a massive waste of money.
     
  2. Creasy Tvedt

    Creasy Tvedt Well-Known Member

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    After big McMansions, fancy cars are the next worse "Big hat, no cattle" fake status symbol.
     
  3. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    I agree but then again I've always been rather pragmatic.
     
  4. Spim

    Spim Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    pretty popular in the 70's & 80's too, we went there almost every weekend.
     
    Dayton3 likes this.
  5. BigSteve

    BigSteve Banned

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    I'm not so sure about that.

    A local dealer, Adamec, just built a brand new dealership here in northeastern Florida. When it comes to matter is finance, the owner is brilliant. He wouldn't have spent the money he did for the new build if Harley was heading towards trouble.

    The reason you don't see many "kids" on Harleys is that they're expensive. Most younger adults don't yet have the financial wherewithal to buy a bike which, price-wise, can sometimes approach $35 or $40K. But older, more established people do have that ability, and they're spending money.

    The kids who don't own a Harley now may very well own a Harley 20 years from now...
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2019
  6. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    Ever seen a fishing tournament? At them you routinely see women lined up on the shore waiting for the results and how they are dressed indicates they have not the slightest interest in fish.

    It simply confirms the old saying:

    "For every man who can do something better than other men, there's a woman willing to sleep with him because of it."
     
  7. AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS

    AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS Well-Known Member

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    The younger generations are all obsessed with screentime too much to develope an understanding of machines..
    Most probably couldn't even figure out how a simple serpentine belt works..

    I was raised with machines as my fun instead of electronics, therefore I have a great natural instinct of all things mechanical and have the capability to buy and maintain a whole fleet of very cool cars, most of which cost me less than half of what most NPCs eventually pay for their financed shitbox grocery getters..

    I'm sure people wonder how I afford my cars, and afford to actually drive them and rack up huge miles on them..
    It's not the money that affords me this, it is the inteligence..

    And you will loose thousandsof dollars on your financed and leased cars with plummeting value..
    My cars go UP in value, lol..

    If you are driving a boring newer car, it's hard for me to not think you are a sucker..

    My most boring car is German..
     
  8. BigSteve

    BigSteve Banned

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    Or a telephone.

    This is absolute gold:

    https://thebusfm.iheart.com/content/2019-01-14-millennials-struggle-to-figure-out-rotary-dial-phone/

    I've never leased a vehicle, and I haven't had a car payment in 21 years...
     
  9. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    I hear this kind of thing all the time but that's just an excuse not to relate to them. people turn on their phones and look at them when they're bored anybody.

    I've taught younger people about all sorts of things. And I never had to compete with the screen.
    then they're either not very desirable cars are you bought them before they shot through the roof. These days it's a rich man's hobby. Even if you want to fix something up.
    I've been a professional mechanic and you can't do this without money. Cars do not run on intelligence. you can't buy replacement parts with intelligence.
    I drive a 2009 f150 it's dependable. I don't like German cars they are not dependable and when they break down they are expensive to maintain even if you have the know-how you still have to buy parts. I do have the know-how but I still won't maintain them.

    They aren't really worth the aggravation.
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2019
  10. AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS

    AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS Well-Known Member

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    I had video games and computers too but didn't much like them.. I'm not too old to have grown up with technology, and am quite decent at it..

    Buy only "special" cars when they ave reached the bottom of their depreciation, ones with the best sport packages and whatnot, know what the market is like for them, know how to inspect mechanicals including scanning if applicable, be willing do drive a long way for the right car, pay in cash and know how to haggle over what your inspection finds..
    Then you can buy a $10k car for $5k or less and it will hold or even gain value because it is special.. You want to buy like the best optioned example of a specific generation, the peak of that generation, so it will remain in the highest demand..

    Parts are actually pretty cheap if you are good at sourcing..

    The F150 will probably NEVER do anything but go DOWN because it is like the least rare vehicle in America, lol..
    Unless it is something very special like a Ford Lightning but then still eh..
    Dependable? A lot of those Ford engines had terrible spark plug problems and cam advance problems..

    Lets take an E30 325 2wd manual coupe for example..
    Very reliable BMW straight 6..
    Parts are quite cheap and they are SUPER easy to work on..
    Prices have easily tippled from the bottom, are still rising, and will probably never go down..

    Compare that investment prospect VS buying a new honda civic that will do nothing but lose $20k, and you get a very excellent to drive car that is cheap and easy to maintain in comparison due to its simplicity, and you keep your principle invested into the car, probably make money on it if you bought it right, and didn't pay any interest because you could afford to pay cash for it..


    And everyone will think your rich because you can afford to drive a badass classic car, but not really, you are just smarter than them..
    Especially when you have like 3 of em for the same price they will eventually pay for their new Honda..

    In 10 years the Honda will be worth it's weight after the crusher..
    In 10 years 3 E30s will be worth $50k-$100k maybe..
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2019
  11. Creasy Tvedt

    Creasy Tvedt Well-Known Member

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    A Harley dealership in Florida may make financial sense, because Florida has a growing 'grey hair" population, and that's the target demographic of Harley, old people. That may work out for a Harley dealership as a localized regional thing, but it's not working out that way across the nation.

    I seriously doubt it. Motorcycle ownership is in decline across the board. It's just not as big a thing as it used to be.

    Capture.PNG

    Harley is actually holding their market share better than most, but things still ain't looking good for old Harley.

    Capture.PNG
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2019
  12. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    again when you blame technology 4 younger people being disinterested I don't buy that. If your hobby can't compete with a cell phone or a video game then you're not making it interesting enough.


    unless you happen upon a sucker you're not going to find it a car that's going to go up in value for $5,000 that's not an utter wreck. The reason why is because they have reached their peak. Younger people being disinterested means the only people interested are older people. if you want top dollar for your cars that appreciate in value you need to sell to them before they die. Have you noticed how so many car museums are just going bankrupt.


    for rare cars no they're not.
    if I invest in something that I want to go up in value it's going to be gold. An F-150 is transportation.
    in my life is it professional mechanic are you have never come across a car that has no problems.


    BMWs are not cheap to work on and they are not dependable. I've made quite a bit of money fixing people's poor investments.
    well you're wrong a Honda Civic does more than lose $20,000 of its value. it's value isn't based on how much you can sell it for its value is based on its use. A Honda is dependable and they are far cheaper and easier to work on than a BMW.

    two groups of people will think you're cool for driving a classic car. Little kids and old men.
    in 10 years the Honda will still be a dependable car. And I have a feeling the bottom is about to fall out of the classic car market. Car museums shutting down in people's overall disinterest in it bodes pretty badly for the hobby.
     
  13. AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS

    AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS Well-Known Member

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    An F-150 is absolutely terrible transportation.. Trucks are for transporting firewood, not people..

    They are dead slow.. Slow to accelerate, slow to brake, slow around corners, slow to avoid an accident, yuck.. No fun..
    Even in the winter they are dead slow and no where near as good handling as a proper sporty winter car..

    I have been around plenty of ford trucks and I can tell you that they are not cheap to keep running right either.. And you only get more expensive as you go to 250s and 350s and heaven forbid a deisel (still slow) for "transportation"..

    Do you enjoy yourself driving that Ford or do you wish to yourself that you were driving that proper RWD 5 speed car you see over there?

    If you would rather drive a pickup truck, like on purpose while your not using it for work, then we have significantly different interests in automobiles..

    The enjoyment I get from driving a proper car made for driving is also value based on its use like you say the honda is, but I get the value of the driving experience and the value of transportation at the same time..


    You are really a professional mechanic? Car/light truck mechanic?
    Did it make you hate cars?
     
  14. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    For fast and cornering I'll buy a motorcycle. I'm a motorcycle enthusiast I like them I want one. I can't afford it right now.

    But I like the truck because it's big and i can do things with it that I can't do with a car. I can go off road how fast are you over a Jeep trail I bet I'm faster. That's more fun to me then driving fast in a car.

    No really the thing that made me hate cars is car enthusiast.

    Truck enthusiasts aren't as much of jerks. Neither are motorcycle enthusiasts. You'll get some rivalry between Ford and Chevy, and the Dodge people will try, lol. But it's light-hearted.

    But I think super cars are cool I would never own one but I can appreciate them, classic BMW are neat. I don't want one because I don't like working on German or frankly any European car. Rice burners are cool for the Japanese mod cars I probably wouldn't own one of those either.

    If I got into any of it it would be an American muscle car. And the reason is not because it's better cornering than your BMW or is that it got better stats or whatever Fanboy nonsense you can come up with and it makes your car better, it's because I like them they are cool looking, they are garish and over the top. They're loud and forceful but that's what I like.

    as far as being a mechanic goes yes I'm a professional mechanic has been a mechanic for 15 years I started out working on heavy equipment and semis. I always liked big trucks and big heavy things that move Earth. I enjoyed working on them for the most part. But I could make better money if I freelance. Sometimes I work out equipment sometimes I work on people's cars sometimes I work on ATVs or chainsaws.

    But I'm moving out of that field because I found one that's better suited for me and I can make more money.
     
  15. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I hate to say it, but I suspect the reason is the proportion of lower middle class white males in the country - the main demographic for those motorcycles - has been going down.

    The middle class has been hollowed out, so that demographic is now either too poor, or are liberal professionals in urban city areas.

    Also, in many major population centers, there's less surrounding open space than there used to be, and more cars on the roads, making motorcycle riding less attractive.

    Many millennials in the younger generation are too poor to afford an extra motorcycle for fun. Either that or they're too busy working and studying.
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2019
  16. AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS

    AGWisFAKEsillyBABYKILLERS Well-Known Member

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    Well, I don't mean to be a jerk so sorry if I came off that way.. Just trying to state my method of buying and driving vehicles..

    I like real offroad truck enthusiasts a lot, as long as they are building towards practical performance and not just for show..

    The truck enthusiasts that make me shake my head are the guys with perfect paint, that jack up their trucks and put on mud tires just to drive around and look "good", but will never actually take their truck offroad for fear of scratching it..
    Lifting trucks and putting on big wheels and tires just makes them worse on road..
    Me, I would like a 2wd stick puckup lowered on summer performance tires and maybe some suspension mods to keep it flat, like more performance oriented shocks and sways..

    I like American Muscle cars too.. I like the looks, and power, and the classic build quality, etc.. But they aren't my bag..

    I like the cars that have what it takes to be serious track contenders.. So that usually means small RWD manual cars that have a chassis with proven track potential..

    I like E30s for example because they are like a gocart.. Excelent fun to drive and a great chassis that has the potential to be seriously competitive on a road course..
    I don't have an E30 anymore, but it is a good example of a real practical sports car you can drive daily and has good long term value prospects..

    But I am a huge fan of BMW straight 6 engines, say M54 and older, and find them extremely easy to work on and actually engineered to be easy to work on..
    They are just so easy to take apart and put back together because they were designed to be..

    Compared to anything FWD V6 for example, lol, they are miles easier to work on.. I'm sure you can admit that RWD layout cars are usually much easier to work on no?


    When I say "fast" cars I don't necessarily mean a lot of power.. To me cornering capability and braking capability are more important than straight line speed because that is what I can actually have fun with on the road during my normal everyday driving.. And I feel safer in something that I know I can throw around hard to avoid something, or actually stop fast, than an SUV or truck that has no choice but to slam into it..


    I have a bike too, but I don't feel comfortable pushing it hard in corners, which is what I personally like most, so I don't like the bike all that much..
    Isn't as much fun for me because it is not my comfort zone..

    I'm all about twisty country roads in a practical sports car for the summer, and a snow rally setup car for the winter..

    You mention Jeep trails, I am also very into offroad and snow rally type cars, but once you get into "jeep" trails with deep mud and huge ruts is where a low fast rally car gets left behind..

    But in my everyday driving life in the winter most roads I drive on are snowpack and/or ice roads all winter that are mostly smooth, even with many inches of fresh snow, but obviously slippery..
    I also enjoy this type of winter driving very much and I prefer a low light quick rear biased AWD manual..

    I actually like driving in the twisties, summer and winter, probably about the same way you like to go driving on Jeep trails.. So you prefer your proper vehicle for Jeep trails and I prefer a proper vehicle for the twisties..

    I am not much into supercars because they are not practically attainable or really practical to drive all the time.. I drive my cars all the time, always, every day, to go to the doctor, or work, or get groceries, in the rain and in the snow..
     
  17. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    I think it's great either way
    I don't have a problem with that either. Different people have different ideas on what looks good.
    that's cool as well.
    the problem with them is they're expensive. I also like the AMC gremlin with the 401 in it.
    front-wheel drive rear-wheel drive all wheel drive rally drag track or drift I get it all it's all pretty cool.
    I heard people like Mazda miatas for that. I think the only sports car I truly don't like is the RX-7 RX8. That rotary engine is garbage.

    But I am a huge fan of BMW straight 6 engines, say M54 and older, and find them extremely easy to work on and actually engineered to be easy to work on..
    They are just so easy to take apart and put back together because they were designed to be..
    That all really depends.

    what you don't drive the truck like a race car that's not what it is.

    Sure, bikes aren't for everyone.
    it's knows where I live about once every 10 years and it's around for maybe even half a day. So I never even think about that.
    yep and I wouldn't tell you something like cars are for picking up groceries driving kids to soccer practice. I'll tell you I don't like BMWs. Generally speaking and it's because they're such a pain in the ass to work on.
    I would never own a supercar even if I could afford them because it's just a stupid thing to buy. It was never something I wanted. But as a child I had posters of them because they're cool looking. And I get that people like those and they buy them and drive them and enjoy them more power to them.
     
  18. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    it's this attitude that really soured me on the whole scene. "You're not using your vehicle that you bought the way that I think you should be using it so therefore I hold contempt for you."

    This is the attitude of a certain type of car enthusiast that makes the hobby less appealing.

    Would you want to hang out or be around people who told you in every chance how stupid it was of you to waste your money on a BMW? What makes you think you're car is so great you can't pull a stump out with it you can't drive up washed out path with it. It's worthless all you can do is zoom around and who wants to do that.
     
  19. Ritter

    Ritter Well-Known Member

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    I am not allowed to drive due to my optic problems which is why I haven't bothered to start caring about cars. To be honest, I never really had too much of a fascination with cars which maybe is a bit rare for a boy... I don't know.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2019
  20. Blaster3

    Blaster3 Well-Known Member

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    todays gens see cars as what they are, tool for transportation, the most important factors being how many IT features does it have... brand, make, model no longer apply...
     
  21. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    No they don't. I've seen plenty of youngsters modifying cars.
     
  22. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    I don't think it's that on I never had any interest in team sports like baseball.
     
  23. HereWeGoAgain

    HereWeGoAgain Banned

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    I used to ride and thought about riding again. Then I saw that motorcycle riders are 30 times more likely to die in an accident than auto drivers.

    Those odds are just too much to ignore.

    https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/risk_factors.htm

    Smoking increases the risk of death from lung cancer by 4 to 9 times that of non smokers. So riding motorcycles is about 7 to 10 times more dangerous than smoking.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2019
  24. Blaster3

    Blaster3 Well-Known Member

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    small percentage for a niche novelty, same as the '50's car clubs... a small percentage of total population of vehicle owners just a niche in a world full of niches...

    sentimental bs, imo...

    there goes another term with 'mental' at it's root
     
  25. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

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    Yeah but that's really all it's ever been.
     

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