Looking Up and Down the Road: a 70-year Perspective
#16
Lexus Fanatic
back to the utilitarian concept, the vinyl on my LS430 drip molding came up, vinyl being keyed to the color of the car. I could simply peel it off, revealing a dull aluminum look, right? The part lists for $202, no way would I pay that, and $139 discount, no way again. I found a new OE on eBay for $85 plus shipping, so I bought it.
There are people hungry even in the USA, and I have $85 to spend on a molding where the vinyl peeled off 4"? In an ethical world, it can be questioned on why I would spend $85 on this. Perhaps a millennial would not.
#17
As I read these latest posts about millennial's I have to wonder. You are only referring to those who live in an urban area that have access to uber etc. I guess they walk/bicycle to work.( do they even work?)
What about all the other young people that don't live in the urban jungle? No uber, no lyft, no buses, no public transportation.
What about all the other young people that don't live in the urban jungle? No uber, no lyft, no buses, no public transportation.
#18
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
I rather fear for the future of not only the automobile as we know it, but the human race as a whole. It's a rather Orwellian world where we don't have real social contact or derive pleasure from simple things like exploring new vistas, traveling the backroads to see where we come from, placing a value on fresh air and sunshine, or engaging in sports. Too many young people are finding their reality on a touchscreen, engaging with a virtual world to the exclusion of the real world. Each generation is becoming increasingly disconnected with physical reality. A computer screen or phone is the only world experience our grandkids may ever know . . . and I don't think that's healthy on so many levels.
now the wall-e picture does raise a VERY serious issue and that is obesity. between lack of activity, over medication, and vast quantities of cheap (or free thx to govt) food available, the developed world is mostly obese. even if we start out skinny, staying that way is hard. it's always been difficult, but more so today with so much sedentary work, so many time-outs to check the phone, write a text, driving, etc. maybe the self-driving car will help because maybe people can exercise in their car while it's driving itself.
Maybe the automobile, despite glorious technological predictions, is going the way of the clipper ship and the steam locomotive. No longer an object of wonder to young boys, they're becoming cultural relics of a bygone era.
now as far as the GOOD parts of driving and owning (or renting/leasing) a car, i expect it will become more novelty for the 'haves', like so many things (boats, planes, even fancy harley motorcycles can only be bought by relatively well off people). driving won't go away completely but it will become an expensive privilege for the few.
#19
Lexus Fanatic
i think that's far too pessimistic and not accurate. go to any hiking place and you'll find TONS of young people hiking. they may be pulling out their phones ever other minute to take photos and share them, but so what. plus they're rock climbing, biking, skiing, and on and on. sure they have their electronics to use anywhere... was just talking to someone who said their 2yr old can find things on youtube on an ipad but really i watched tv a LOT from probably 4yrs old i guess onward, but i still did have a lot of time outside. i do see small kids on bikes with training wheels, or at little league, or dance recitals, etc., so it's not all 'wall-e'.
now the wall-e picture does raise a VERY serious issue and that is obesity. between lack of activity, over medication, and vast quantities of cheap (or free thx to govt) food available, the developed world is mostly obese. even if we start out skinny, staying that way is hard. it's always been difficult, but more so today with so much sedentary work, so many time-outs to check the phone, write a text, driving, etc. maybe the self-driving car will help because maybe people can exercise in their car while it's driving itself.
i don't see that as a bad thing. liberating people from the drudgery of the morning/afternoon commute will add billions of hours of productivity or leisure to the world, not to mention reduce traffic, pollution, and transportation costs. there will be no reason at all to own a car in a few years. when i see parents with very small children, i often remark to them that i doubt they will ever learn to drive. parents seem surprised.
now as far as the GOOD parts of driving and owning (or renting/leasing) a car, i expect it will become more novelty for the 'haves', like so many things (boats, planes, even fancy harley motorcycles can only be bought by relatively well off people). driving won't go away completely but it will become an expensive privilege for the few.
now the wall-e picture does raise a VERY serious issue and that is obesity. between lack of activity, over medication, and vast quantities of cheap (or free thx to govt) food available, the developed world is mostly obese. even if we start out skinny, staying that way is hard. it's always been difficult, but more so today with so much sedentary work, so many time-outs to check the phone, write a text, driving, etc. maybe the self-driving car will help because maybe people can exercise in their car while it's driving itself.
i don't see that as a bad thing. liberating people from the drudgery of the morning/afternoon commute will add billions of hours of productivity or leisure to the world, not to mention reduce traffic, pollution, and transportation costs. there will be no reason at all to own a car in a few years. when i see parents with very small children, i often remark to them that i doubt they will ever learn to drive. parents seem surprised.
now as far as the GOOD parts of driving and owning (or renting/leasing) a car, i expect it will become more novelty for the 'haves', like so many things (boats, planes, even fancy harley motorcycles can only be bought by relatively well off people). driving won't go away completely but it will become an expensive privilege for the few.
As my dad got older, suddenly he seems to talk about obesity a lot...he said when he was my age, he put on a lot of weight, I do remember being in HS and seeing my dad working with his shirt off and thinking, man is my dad fat! lol I think I have become him!! Now don't get me wrong, many of us could lose 10-20 lbs., right? To be in better shape, my doc says it's a package deal, lots improves with weight loss....
my kid's on his training wheels and I want to get him on skis....and I'm not sure if my son will like to drive. Although it does seem innate somehow, since < 1 he gravitated to the driver's seat and grabbed the wheel. Also dropped coins down each of my wife's vents (ugh got em all but 1)....
I do hope today's kids can experience the feeling that I did in 2015, landing in Atlanta, heading to the Emerald Aisle to get my rental, and seeing a brand spanking new white GTI sitting there. I can only imagine my grin from ear to ear at that moment....
#20
Lexus Fanatic
I'm with Bob on this one. While I myself hold the Christian belief that this physical world, cars or not, is only a transition zone for us, and that we will spend eternity somewhere else (in one of two places), I'd still strongly prefer not to live the rest of my Earthly life in a world without private cars that are driven the traditional way...steering wheel, gas/brake (and sometimes clutch) pedals, and a transmission shift lever. IMO, always was the ultimate relaxation....and always will be.
#21
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (3)
One reason many (not all) millennials don't care for sports cars is that they have been conditioned, through years of propaganda (and their instructors in college), that vehicles should all be like Extended-range Priuses or pure-electrics....or even bicycles LOL. They simply don't view a lot of new cars like we do, who grew up with them. To them, sports cars are simply wasteful, expensive toys that burn up valuable fossil-fuels and pollute the air just for the sake of giving their owners some driving-fun. Only reluctantly do some of them even step into a minivan.
What you've described in your post is a growing group of people who not only don't want a car - they also don't want to have a real job, family, children, or responsibilities. Put simply - they don't want to grow up. These bearded attention starved clowns with questionable art degrees armed with generous mommy's and daddy's allowance remain "funemployed" with infinite leisure time that they spend on playing with bicycles and skateboard in the middle of busy cities, while sipping on their $12 artisanal soy lattes. They can afford to wake up at 11am every day, to eat out every day, and to get drunk or high at a bar every night, and call uber to take them home. And believe or not, many of these kidults are not even millennials, a lot of them are well into their 30ies if not 40ies. If these snowflakes ever decide to grow up and get a real job and family - good luck getting by without a car when you need to do the school run, shopping, get to work, family outings and run about other errands.
#22
Lexus Fanatic
There are a lot of misconceptions about millennials in this thread, and in general. There are many normal millennials that wish to live a traditional lifestyle, and want, even need a car - but cost of living is so expensive now that they simply can't fit a vehicle into their budgets. For instance cost of housing here in NYC has literally quadrupled since the 90ies, and yet the wages are often near the same level as two decades ago.
What you've described in your post is a growing group of people who not only don't want a car - they also don't want to have a real job, family, children, or responsibilities. Put simply - they don't want to grow up. These bearded attention starved clowns with questionable art degrees armed with generous mommy's and daddy's allowance remain "funemployed" with infinite leisure time that they spend on playing with bicycles and skateboard in the middle of busy cities, while sipping on their $12 artisanal soy lattes. They can afford to wake up at 11am every day, to eat out every day, and to get drunk or high at a bar every night, and call uber to take them home. And believe or not, many of these kidults are not even millennials, a lot of them are well into their 30ies if not 40ies. If these snowflakes ever decide to grow up and get a real job and family - good luck getting by without a car when you need to do the school run, shopping, get to work, family outings and run about other errands.
What you've described in your post is a growing group of people who not only don't want a car - they also don't want to have a real job, family, children, or responsibilities. Put simply - they don't want to grow up. These bearded attention starved clowns with questionable art degrees armed with generous mommy's and daddy's allowance remain "funemployed" with infinite leisure time that they spend on playing with bicycles and skateboard in the middle of busy cities, while sipping on their $12 artisanal soy lattes. They can afford to wake up at 11am every day, to eat out every day, and to get drunk or high at a bar every night, and call uber to take them home. And believe or not, many of these kidults are not even millennials, a lot of them are well into their 30ies if not 40ies. If these snowflakes ever decide to grow up and get a real job and family - good luck getting by without a car when you need to do the school run, shopping, get to work, family outings and run about other errands.
#23
drives cars
There are a lot of misconceptions about millennials in this thread, and in general. There are many normal millennials that wish to live a traditional lifestyle, and want, even need a car - but cost of living is so expensive now that they simply can't fit a vehicle into their budgets. For instance cost of housing here in NYC has literally quadrupled since the 90ies, and yet the wages are often near the same level as two decades ago.
What you've described in your post is a growing group of people who not only don't want a car - they also don't want to have a real job, family, children, or responsibilities. Put simply - they don't want to grow up. These bearded attention starved clowns with questionable art degrees armed with generous mommy's and daddy's allowance remain "funemployed" with infinite leisure time that they spend on playing with bicycles and skateboard in the middle of busy cities, while sipping on their $12 artisanal soy lattes. They can afford to wake up at 11am every day, to eat out every day, and to get drunk or high at a bar every night, and call uber to take them home. And believe or not, many of these kidults are not even millennials, a lot of them are well into their 30ies if not 40ies. If these snowflakes ever decide to grow up and get a real job and family - good luck getting by without a car when you need to do the school run, shopping, get to work, family outings and run about other errands.
What you've described in your post is a growing group of people who not only don't want a car - they also don't want to have a real job, family, children, or responsibilities. Put simply - they don't want to grow up. These bearded attention starved clowns with questionable art degrees armed with generous mommy's and daddy's allowance remain "funemployed" with infinite leisure time that they spend on playing with bicycles and skateboard in the middle of busy cities, while sipping on their $12 artisanal soy lattes. They can afford to wake up at 11am every day, to eat out every day, and to get drunk or high at a bar every night, and call uber to take them home. And believe or not, many of these kidults are not even millennials, a lot of them are well into their 30ies if not 40ies. If these snowflakes ever decide to grow up and get a real job and family - good luck getting by without a car when you need to do the school run, shopping, get to work, family outings and run about other errands.
#24
Lexus Fanatic
There are a lot of misconceptions about millennials in this thread, and in general. There are many normal millennials that wish to live a traditional lifestyle, and want, even need a car - but cost of living is so expensive now that they simply can't fit a vehicle into their budgets. For instance cost of housing here in NYC has literally quadrupled since the 90ies, and yet the wages are often near the same level as two decades ago.
What you've described in your post is a growing group of people who not only don't want a car - they also don't want to have a real job, family, children, or responsibilities. Put simply - they don't want to grow up. These bearded attention starved clowns with questionable art degrees armed with generous mommy's and daddy's allowance remain "funemployed" with infinite leisure time that they spend on playing with bicycles and skateboard in the middle of busy cities, while sipping on their $12 artisanal soy lattes. They can afford to wake up at 11am every day, to eat out every day, and to get drunk or high at a bar every night, and call uber to take them home. And believe or not, many of these kidults are not even millennials, a lot of them are well into their 30ies if not 40ies. If these snowflakes ever decide to grow up and get a real job and family - good luck getting by without a car when you need to do the school run, shopping, get to work, family outings and run about other errands.
What you've described in your post is a growing group of people who not only don't want a car - they also don't want to have a real job, family, children, or responsibilities. Put simply - they don't want to grow up. These bearded attention starved clowns with questionable art degrees armed with generous mommy's and daddy's allowance remain "funemployed" with infinite leisure time that they spend on playing with bicycles and skateboard in the middle of busy cities, while sipping on their $12 artisanal soy lattes. They can afford to wake up at 11am every day, to eat out every day, and to get drunk or high at a bar every night, and call uber to take them home. And believe or not, many of these kidults are not even millennials, a lot of them are well into their 30ies if not 40ies. If these snowflakes ever decide to grow up and get a real job and family - good luck getting by without a car when you need to do the school run, shopping, get to work, family outings and run about other errands.
There used to be an expression failure to launch, now they even say failure to reach the launch pad.
My friends who live in the upper 80's on the West Side, for a decade had a 1995 Volvo wagon, but they got rid of it. Their kids will probably go to Choate and know German, French, and Mandarin (overboard imho). Friends who used to live in NoHo, had no cars, now live in VA and have two Volvos. Everybody's different, and odd I seem to have friends who have Volvos....
#25
Lexus Fanatic
I was told we (Americans) are wasteful when I was in Norway. See, the thing about this entire thread, is, it's all about perspectives, they are all real.
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kargahi
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04-10-08 05:46 PM