Why Americans, particularly millennials, have fallen out of love with cars

[dubu]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

the rise of the back to the city movement, ride sharing and city bikes may have changed the game for millenials and gen z'ers. we will see for sure as they get older.

i member when monsterous suvs and soccer moms were all the rage in the 90s and that came out of nowhere, so you never know what transportation trend will boom.

maybe gen z will love self driving fusion powered cars? or give up cars for elon musk hyperloops?

speaking of, free rides in los angeles begin dec 11th:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/22/...a-date-opening

i think elon musk should build a underground city in cali, have it go down to where the underground streets are and have light go everywhere, above ground would be desert and you could ride a 4 wheeler with sand tires. maybe thats what will be the new thing for cali.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by dubu

i think elon musk should build a underground city in cali, have it go down to where the underground streets are and have light go everywhere, above ground would be desert and you could ride a 4 wheeler with sand tires. maybe thats what will be the new thing for cali.

Have you ever been to Imperial County, Calif in and around Glamis? It's been the thing for as long as I can remember.

Lots of people from the populated elite coastal regions off road out there on the weekends, as a hobby.

[twister244]

Gotta say, as a millennial, I absolutely hate owning a car. Do I enjoy taking the car for a spin out to the mountains, or around town on a weekend evening? Sure.... but to me, it's just not worth the cost. I live in Denver and work in Boulder. Whenever possible, I ride my bike down to Union Station, hop on the bus, and take an express route out to Boulder. It's an hour ten from door to door, which is a little longer than if I drove, but much cheaper, and I can work on the bus. If I really want that leisure drive, I can go find a car2go in the form of a Benz nearby and take it for a spin......

If I lived in a city like Chicago/NYC/SF, I would just ditch a car all together. There's enough ride sharing services now that owning a car isn't nearly as necessary as it used to be in metro areas.

And.... I feel like younger folks smell the age of autonomous vehicles coming, which makes us feel less desire to take a dive into a large auto loan.

[chris08876]

I wonder what % of millennial know how to drive manual. My first car was a manual, learned on it. A Volkswagen Jetta.

More folks should learn manual. It builds character.

Yet again, they can barely drive an automatic, so maybe its a bad idea.

Germany has some good drivers. Folks there understand traffic rules. Plus, driving school is a lot harder.

Here, they give anybody with a pulse a license.

[emathias]

I like cars. I love driving them when I have no place to be. I would hate commuting by driving. But I sometimes get one of the fancier ZipCar models and drive around for fun, especially in the spring and summer and autumn.

Originally Posted by chrisvfr800i

Show me a "Car-Free" person and I'll show you a friend group that secretly feels put-upon.

I've been car-free for 20 years. I think I've borrowed a car zero times in the past decade, and asked for a ride zero times (I have, occasionally, accepted an offered ride), but the last one I was offered I turned down and said I'd take the train - which I did - and the wife of the guy who offered it said (without sarcasm), "That's Eric, always so independent." Not exactly the response of people feeling put-upon.

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

...
i was car-free for over a decade before settling down and getting married. i never leaned on friends or family for their cars. walking, biking, transit, cabs, and car sharing/rentals can easily 100% supplant car-ownership if you choose to live in an urban environment.

and now that we're in the era of ride sharing, going car-free is an even easier proposition for urban dwellers. and soon we'll have autonomous car-sharing, which will make the idea of personal automobile ownership even more anachronistic in urban settings.

Yep.

Originally Posted by RCDC

Zipcar is great when you need it. You can rent a compact car or a truck or van, it's great. But you have to adjust the seat, mirrors and radio station each time.

I've spent about $2,000 in a month on ZipCar twice, in twenty years. One month was when my fiance was in the hospital, the other was when a friend was homeless and I was helping get him off the streets.

I've been a member of ZipCar or similar for almost twenty years, and have probably averaged $75 per month, but have also gone long periods of time without spending anything (for example, I think April was the last time I used a ZipCar this year).

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Yeah. No. In fact, if a car-full person visits my apartment, I'm the one who feels put-upon because I feel bad they have to pay my building's garage exorbitant rates...

Yeah, I used to have friends ask to use my parking space when they came downtown *even when it wasn't too visit me* (the space came with the condo, but I don't have a car). Talk about being put-upon. Now I rent it to my favorite neighbors for $200/month so my friends are SOL ...

Originally Posted by sopas ej

...
Speaking of cars, what do you guys think of the 2019 BMW 3-series' rear? It looks like a Honda Accord!
...

Governments mandate so many things now, it's not surprising cars are looking more and more alike.

Originally Posted by mhays

...
In the middle of a big city, a car seems like a pain in the ass.

I loved the idea of driving until I hit 16 or so. I drew cars, got a license at 15, and loved the chances I got to use it. But once I started working a real job at 16, I never had the slightest thought about having one. Stuff like travel and eventually supporting myself were important. I don't recall ever even trying the math.

Yeah, except I was growing up in a tiny town, so I walked everywhere or rode my bike to the nearby towns. I put off getting a license until I was 18 and my parents forced me to get one so I could drive my brothers around. I liked cars, I just didn't want to own one. I'm not a Millennial, though, but I do identify with a lot of their supposed attributes.

Originally Posted by JManc

Peter Pan syndrome. Let's put off "adulting" as long as we can and maybe we'll get a car when our parents kick us out of the house at 30. I get it...if you live in New York, Chicago, SF or DC, you really don't need a car but most people (millennials) do not live in these cities. My two millennial brothers live in Upstate NY...they've had cars since they were in high school.

Yeah ... no condescension there ...

I haven't lived at home since the summer after my freshman year of college. But I do live in downtown Chicago.

Originally Posted by chris08876

...
More folks should learn manual. It builds character.
...

I haven't owned a car in twenty years, but I know how to drive a stick, which has been helpful when renting cars outside the US on trips. And fun on small, twisty roads.

[Doady]

Compared to the past, car ownership is not as much a romanticized, "rite of passage" thing today, becoming less and less a part of American culture and identity, so people are more open-minded to alternatives. People still buy cars, but because they need them, not necessarily because then want them, and I think that is an important difference.

[F1 Tommy]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

^ right, but 61% of boomers say they enjoy most of the time they spend driving, whereas less than half of millennials say the same.

that's the shift taking place that the article is talking about. it doesn't mean that millennials don't or won't drive cars, they're just less enthusiastic about driving and owning cars than previous generations.

It's that damn texting and driving law. Can't stop texting and hate anything that tries to stop you from doing it.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by chris08876

I wonder what % of millennial know how to drive manual. My first car was a manual, learned on it. A Volkswagen Jetta.

More folks should learn manual. It builds character.

If I had to estimate I would say about 90% of American millennials don't know how to drive stick while 90% of Europeans do. Of course it helps if your driving school/program teaches you how and not just some uncle or older brother or whatever.

[dubu]

are cars more automatic now? the last time i drove it was a old manual car and the car had broke down and never driven again not long ago becaus it would be the same amount to get a new car. the new car was a automatic and it was a downgrade what my dad got. id never own a crapy car thats a auto. unless it was free like my dad got the car from my aunt.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by twister244

Gotta say, as a millennial, I absolutely hate owning a car. Do I enjoy taking the car for a spin out to the mountains, or around town on a weekend evening? Sure.... but to me, it's just not worth the cost. I live in Denver and work in Boulder. Whenever possible, I ride my bike down to Union Station, hop on the bus, and take an express route out to Boulder. It's an hour ten from door to door, which is a little longer than if I drove, but much cheaper, and I can work on the bus. If I really want that leisure drive, I can go find a car2go in the form of a Benz nearby and take it for a spin......

If I lived in a city like Chicago/NYC/SF, I would just ditch a car all together. There's enough ride sharing services now that owning a car isn't nearly as necessary as it used to be in metro areas.

And.... I feel like younger folks smell the age of autonomous vehicles coming, which makes us feel less desire to take a dive into a large auto loan.

So do you own a car and choose not to drive it, and buy a transit pass?

I would think that that is the worst of both worlds. I would either own it and drive it, or sell it all together and go all in on transit. You would save on maintenance costs, insurance, registration, depreciation, car payments, claims, parking fees, etc.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by Doady

Compared to the past, car ownership is not as much a romanticized, "rite of passage" thing today, becoming less and less a part of American culture and identity, so people are more open-minded to alternatives. People still buy cars, but because they need them, not necessarily because then want them, and I think that is an important difference.

How would you know this?

I haven't met a teenager that wasn't excited to get their license and first car. It's still very much romanticized in Hollywood. We just had like 8 Fast and the Furious films.

[RCDC]

Originally Posted by emathias

I like cars.

Cars hate me, that's why I refuse to own one. People I work with feel the same due to them being time and money pits. Car rent/share is "use it and forget it." Zipcar includes free parking in any legal curb space in DC, whether it's metered or limited to an hour or whatever.

Originally Posted by emathias

I've spent about $2,000 in a month on ZipCar twice, in twenty years.

Zipcar is pricey for anything more than a say 4 hours. I just get an Enterprise for the day or several days when I need; they even offer pick-up and drop-off.

[RCDC]

Car ownership is "freedom" in the US because the built environment for much of the country is hostile to anything else and you no longer need to depend on someone to give you a lift to go anywhere.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

So do you own a car and choose not to drive it, and buy a transit pass?

I would think that that is the worst of both worlds. I would either own it and drive it, or sell it all together and go all in on transit. You would save on maintenance costs, insurance, registration, depreciation, car payments, claims, parking fees, etc.

The transit pass is free through work, which is pretty f'ing awesome actually. So, yes, I own it, but don't always drive it. It's a paid off 2010 Civic, so costs aren't that great on it anymore. I do still like to have the option of driving if I need to get out to the mtns, etc. But.... increasingly with time, I am starting to think this may be the last car I ever own.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by twister244

The transit pass is free through work, which is pretty f'ing awesome actually. So, yes, I own it, but don't always drive it. It's a paid off 2010 Civic, so costs aren't that great on it anymore. I do still like to have the option of driving if I need to get out to the mtns, etc. But.... increasingly with time, I am starting to think this may be the last car I ever own.

Oh, that makes sense and that's a great work perk!

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Doady

Compared to the past, car ownership is not as much a romanticized, "rite of passage" thing today, becoming less and less a part of American culture and identity, so people are more open-minded to alternatives. People still buy cars, but because they need them, not necessarily because then want them, and I think that is an important difference.

Most modern cars look alike..are pretty bland and uninspiring. To most, it's hard to distinguish a Mercedes from a Hyundai. At least a 71' Ford Maverick looked unique...sitting dead in the driveway where it's pretty hard to get excited over a 2012 Toyota Corolla even if it will run until the heat death of the universe. They've essentially become appliances.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by JManc

Most modern cars look alike..are pretty bland and uninspiring. To most, it's hard to distinguish a Mercedes from a Hyundai. At least a 71' Ford Maverick looked unique...sitting dead in the driveway where it's pretty hard to get excited over a 2012 Toyota Corolla even if it will run until the heat death of the universe. They've essentially become appliances.

Yes. However, one would think that this would mean a big business for customization.

I guess because I'm a Gen-Xer who grew up in SoCal, with the big car culture that probably doesn't exist in much of the rest of the US... Lowriders, rice rockets, cars that went boom... I guess in a decade or more, all of that will cease to exist, even in SoCal?

[mthd]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

...I haven't met a teenager that wasn't excited to get their license and first car.

to your useless anecdotal information, i'll add mine.

about half of my friend's or family's teenagers showed zero interest in getting their permit and license. my niece turned 16 and rejected all suggestions of it. she lives in santa monica. most of my older friends kids in the bay area eventually got their licenses, but don't drive often and don't have their own cars.

compare this to my generation, who was typically at the DMV the day they turned 15.5 to get their learners permit.

[mthd]

i love cars, i love road trips and the occasional run through the twisties with the top down.

but i will never move anywhere that i have to drive to work with traffic! my wife and i have two cars (and two kids lol) in san francisco. average mileage is about 2000 miles/year on each of them.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by RCDC

Cars hate me, that's why I refuse to own one. People I work with feel the same due to them being time and money pits. Car rent/share is "use it and forget it." Zipcar includes free parking in any legal curb space in DC, whether it's metered or limited to an hour or whatever.


Zipcar is pricey for anything more than a say 4 hours. I just get an Enterprise for the day or several days when I need; they even offer pick-up and drop-off.

By the time you factor in cost of insurance and gas, and the inconvenience of getting and returning the car, it's really not that big of a difference. For me, the convenience alone of being able to walk 1-2 blocks to pick up and drop off the car is worth it. And if you're as close as I am and rent it for a day, you have the parking space built in, so if you're in my neighborhood and want to do a3 hour thing in the morning and a three hour thing in the evening, you can park it for free in between. Can't do that with Enterprise or any other regular rental place. Short term parking like that could be tens of dollars in my neighborhood. So, yes, technically regular rentals are "cheaper," and I do occasionally rent a regular rental car, especially for multiple days, but it's not as cut and dried as you make it out to be.

Plus ZipCar has a selection of better cars and you can specify exactly which car you get, unlike most regular rental places where you just reserve a class of car.