NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

Ran across a story on the Silicon Valley execs that participated in racing sports cars as an alternative to golf when it comes to doing business outside of work. Within the story was this interesting paragraph:

Sociologists have recently begun to chart a diminution of American car culture. People in the United States are driving less than they used to, the rate of car ownership per household is declining, and young people are not as interested as they once were in getting driver’s licenses. There are many explanations, including the last recession, but one theory involves the rise of digital technology. A 2012 study by the United States Public Interest Research Group found a sharp decrease in the number of miles driven by people under 34; one of its key explanations was the fact that driving isn’t very conducive to goofing off on your phone. The tech industry now seems bent on attacking the car industry head-on, with Google, Uber, Tesla and reportedly even Apple each working on projects that could radically change the structure of the business.

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That's why if my kids ever bring home a video game console it's going into my outdoor wood boiler. Then we go to the shop to restore an early Ford.

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

Part of it is the fact that cars don't need to be fixed anymore, other than oil changes, tired and brakes. I got my start pumping gas and working in a real service station. My son, who is a millenial, likes working on cars, but he feels alone in his interest.

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we often speculate here on the future of the Model "A" hobby, and what do you guys think that will be, if this article is accurate? My opinion, based on sheer intuition, is that the cars won't end up in museums nor seriously devalued in value, but that fewer collectors will end up owning more cars.

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It's hard to believe that driving is diminishing when traffic (at least in Portland) is worse than ever.

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As Yogi Berra said, "It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future."

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

It seems (to me) that the "Love Affair with the Automobile" is over for most of the public. Cars have become just another appliance for most people. Look at how they drive their cars as if they are "disposable" like most things produced today.

I bet most drivers don't even know how their cars (mechanically) work. All they know is how to turn the ignition switch, press the gas pedal and press the brake pedal with expectations for it to work every time.

Heck, I don't even think they offer "Auto Shop Class" in High Schools anymore. Evolution has become a sad thing.

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Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

Yes, I know it's a good move for safety's sake, but still, it's hard for kids to fall in love with cars when they spend their first eight years or so strapped into a car seat, and the first two or three riding backwards!

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When I was young we were very excited to turn 16 and get our drivers licenses. Kids now days often wait until they are 17 or 18. They dont have that same exitement about it driving.

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

I belong to a MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization), I'm part of the PAC (Public Advisory Committee). We make recommendations to the TAC, etc etc.
This is federal transportation planning. What we are finding out is that young people are moving away from automobiles in droves. The Federal Transportation fund is broke.

The rationales are manifold but I think the reality is most kids (working class) simply do not make enough money to justify an autos expense.
Insurance, fuel, repairs and the car itself. They are moving to public transportation etc, internet buying too. I know kids with degrees flipping burgers. We all had GM, Ford etc where we could work, their GM and Ford is Wendy's and Burger King.

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One could envision folks with our cars say, 30 years from now needing to do this:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Gasoline

Since all car might be Electric or Hydrogen.

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I can't say I like the idea, but 100 years from now there will probably be as many cars at the house as there are horses now. 100 years ago I expect no one could envision a world without horses.
:(

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Plus kids today are 'taught' that automobiles, coal, nuclear power, etc. are evil things bad,,,, bad,,,,, they have a poor relationship with the sources of energy that made this country the great nation it is.

But the idiots that go around brain washing people into this mindset are perfectly fine with private jets to scoot them around, convoys of Chevy Tahoes at 11 MPG armed with body guards to protect them from us, the common guy,,,,,,, nobody questions those things.

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

As Yogi Berra said, "It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future."

Niels Bohr-1924

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

Every thing they say is true I mentor a first robotics team and those kids are the motor heads of today they do amazing things that we couldn't even dream of but the one thing they have in common is a lack of interest in cars they see them as purely transportation but the few that are like late model sports cars and European cars. My son that is in Chicago until last week hadn't been behind the wheel in over three years and his social group is just as disinterested . what this all means for the auto motive hobbie as a whole remains to be seen.

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Dream on! Article must have been written by someone living in NYC or other megopolis. Don't need a car there. Everywhere else you do. Going to walk to the grocery store in LA or any suburb?

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Tell that to my 14 year old daughter!

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Why is it a bad thing if cars are no longer number 1 for the up coming generations? I do not remember my grandfathers being overly concerned that I did not like riding horses. Let the kids move on, but do not stop doing your thing.

Ian

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The way things are going camels will be our next mode of transportation.:eek:

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With new internet technology it will become "cyber driving", just put on a pair of gaming goggles & headset and you can simulate driving thru the county........the internet may lead to the destruction of the human race!

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"The way things are going camels will be our next mode of transportation."

Tom, believe you meant to say-electric camels................

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

The car culture on Long Island is booming. There are more events than one can possibly attend throughout the good weather months. As for newspapers, they are a dying industry and cannot be trusted.

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As the kids say now, "it is what it is!"

US country folk sure don't see the demise of the automobile, walking ain't fun.

The old US highways used to be almost deserted here in this part of Virginia, but all of those trucks, and Northerners going south and Southerners going north, on I-81 have driven the locals back to US-11 and US country folk back to the 7XX roads (half of them aren't accurately plotted on GPS).

Most youngsters I know have a 4WD PU or Jeep and they work on them as much as they can (engineering nightmares. Fine when they are working, BUT!)

Nineteen year old fellow working for me this morning is fascinated by my Model A (still in pieces).

BUT, he can afford $5000 for a jeep to go up the mountain to hunt and up I-81 to community college, but not $5000 (or is it $15000) for a running Model A.

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If you think that the collector car hobby is going away, take a walk around the fields of the Hershey swap meet or look at how thick your Hemmings Motor News has become.

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Our society as a whole has become much more affluent in the US (with2-4 cars in every driveway) I think the auto hobby will remain strong:)

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OK so maybe some may believe the love affair with auto is shrinking. I agree we don't offer wood shop classes, electric shop classes or few automotive classes i our high schools. Hell in my state they don't teach cursive handwriting. I guess you will get a printout of a bill of sale for a Model A and then affix your X on the paperwork. BUT I still see young guys going to the drag strips, pulling engines, reading Hot Rod magazine and for now when a little old lady widow offers a lathe or drill press for sale one of us rare breed will run over and make an offer. Is this what happened in Rome just before it collapsed? or will we always have a car interested group no matter how small?

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When I see stories about companies like Google developing cars that drive themselves, I say "who the heck would ever want that!" I actually like driving a car. But it all makes sense. If these kids today would rather be diddling on their idiotic phones than driving, then self driving cars is what they'd be interested in, and it will be the death of the car culture.

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Didn't the times also publish;

“The problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn’t have time for it.”
− The New York Times, 1939

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Sometimes I think my Tudor wants to become a self-driving car... :p

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I grew up with my fathers stories of camel trains heading off over the sand dunes to take supplies to Outback stations (farms). Don't want to go there again...

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Traffic in and around Seattle ain't getting any better either! I know, I drive a transit bus through it all!:eek:


Glenn

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

I lived in the Seattle-Tacoma area for around 35 years. After being away for nigh unto 25 years now, I can't stand the traffic. When we go visit the grandkids, I let my wife do all the driving.

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

This has made the circuit before, but seems an appropriate time to bring back Bitterman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb1pxwaRjIg


:)


Mike in Oregon

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I wouldn't worry about that, the CORN industry will ensure we have plenty of crappy gas!

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read an article in I believe Time the other day by NADA , it said that 50K new vehicles are purchased every day in the USA.The American people are car crazy, just look at the traffic. A slight slowdown in driving for the report might be caused by expensive fuel.
I have 9 vehicles with plates and insurance with 2 drivers, my son has 5 with two drivers, most everyone I know has 3-4 on the road. I'm with Yogi!

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

"SOCIOLOGISTS" "RESEARCH STUDY" ............2012.............."study" "theory" .....

I suggest this article was sitting in a basket waiting to be printed in the paper on a slow news day.

Re: NY Times on the demise of the automotive cult
 

In as much as I started this thread, I thought that it might be appropriate to comment on the comments. First off, everybody here is a car guy or gal and based on our collective experiences as well as our friends that share our love of cars, we refuse to see that the larger picture indicates that the love affair with the automobile is waning. Like others here, I have multiple cars registered and insured along with a couple of RV's. On the other hand, my sons, grandsons and assorted offspring of other friends could care less. My first car cost $65 and my share of the insurance on my folks policy was about $45 every six months. Gas was 29 cents a gallon and minimum wage was 95 cents an hour.

Priorities change and cars are just not as important to the current 16-25 year old generation as they were to our generation. Several posters have referred to HOT ROD magazine. Circulation peaked in the eighties and even counting electronic subscriptions, today's count is less than half of what it was.

Look at it this way; with less interest in things automotive by the youth of today, there's less competition for the cars we're interest in buying!

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My theory is that the change is in large part due to the change that's happened in popular music. Has anyone else noticed that when you've got an oldies, classic rock&roll station on the radio, there's a strong urge to drive faster and do what my mom used to call "cowboy" around with the car? Cars and driving were even popular musical themes. The Beach Boy's were probably the apex. Today's music just doesn't make you want to move.

I think that the other large contributors are changes in sexual mores and bucket seats. It used to be that a car was about the only place a guy could be reasonably alone with a girl. Nowadays, even if you are alone with your date, there's that damn center console to deal with.

I don't think that increased traffic congestion is relevant; that just means there's too many people who, for whatever reason, choose to not live within walking distance of their jobs. I doubt if most jammed up commuters see their daily drive as a fun part of their day.

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Results of studies depend on who pays for the study!