Young'uns don't care about cars anymore, supposedly

Sh1tbag OToole

Every now and then I see these articles propping up on mostly American car sites about how young people don't care about owning and driving cars anymore. The said article will usually blather on about how since 50's everyone had to have a car but this isn't the case anymore and starts pimping up Uber, Lyft and a few other 'ride sharing', 'car pooling', 'mobility solutions providers' and other hip tech startup hipster companies. These companies are usually based on paying every month or every time you use a car and some bunch of eejits who coded a website shoving a load of cash into their pockets for doing nothing.

Now I'm wondering does this have any relevance over here or is it just a USA phenomenon, do you know anyone who gets around solely by using one of those services and can't be arsed driving? Is it just the fact that young'uns are too busy preening into their smartphone screens to be bothered with cars? Around here there are plenty young lads into cars and tearing around (although not to the same extent as during the tiger) but does anyone beg to differ?

chocksaway

Considering the price of petrol, insurance, tax and parking the car share/ uber options can work out cheaper for those who dont need full time access to a car.

ShadowHearth

I am pretty sure a lot of young ones just can't afford driving anymore. The price of having car on the road is starting to become idiotic.
At least you could have a banger on the road cheap enough, now with insurances so high on older cars you can't even do that. Not many young people can afford a 2006++ cars.

Sh1tbag OToole

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I am pretty sure a lot of young ones just can't afford driving anymore. The price of having car on the road is starting to become idiotic.
At least you could have a banger on the road cheap enough, now with insurances so high on older cars you can't even do that. Not many young people can afford a 2006++ cars.

"Back in the day" it was worse. 10-15 years ago lads starting off were regularly being quoted 4 and 5k for starlets. Costs have come down a good bit even since the tiger and it's only in the past year or so that the insurance has gone up a bit

shietpilot

Seems like it anyway.

I'm 20 myself and I still have lots of mates who have no licence or a learners permit and just couldn't be bothered doing lessons/the test. Personally I got my provisional on the day of my 17th birthday :pac: Couldn't imagine taking a bus or taxi to be honest... €1500 a year for insurance, €280 a year for tax, fuel and maintenance costs are high but if it wasn't for the car I'd be getting wasted every weekend :pac:

Toyotafanboi

It's probably more expensive to learn now than it ever was.

I started in 07 @ 17 with a 2000 Daihatsu Cuore 1.0, my first year on that cost €3500. Got my provisional, jumped in and drove, done a few lessons with dad and passed my test around 6 months later, petrol was under the magic €1.00 per liter and tax was €150 iirc and you got 2 years test for your €50 :P.

My sister started last year, 2000 Yaris 1.0, paid €2500 I think, 12 mandatory lessons costing the guts of €400, tax and fuel have crept up a fair bit too.

So really things aren't a whole lot different. The biggest difference is access to money, when I as 17 I strolled into a supermarket and got a 20 hour after school contract on €9.50 an hour which was a right few quid for a lad still in secondary school and I could run a car no hassle whereas the sister can't get a job for the life of her and if my parents weren't able to give her the opportunity of the car, there's no way she'd have one.

Sh1tbag OToole

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

It's probably more expensive to learn now than it ever was.

I started in 07 @ 17 with a 2000 Daihatsu Cuore 1.0, my first year on that cost €3500. Got my provisional, jumped in and drove, done a few lessons with dad and passed my test around 6 months later, petrol was under the magic €1.00 per liter and tax was €150 iirc and you got 2 years test for your €50 :P.

My sister started last year, 2000 Yaris 1.0, paid €2500 I think, 12 mandatory lessons costing the guts of €400, tax and fuel have crept up a fair bit too.

So really things aren't a whole lot different. The biggest difference is access to money, when I as 17 I strolled into a supermarket and got a 20 hour after school contract on €9.50 an hour which was a right few quid for a lad still in secondary school and I could run a car no hassle whereas the sister can't get a job for the life of her and if my parents weren't able to give her the opportunity of the car, there's no way she'd have one.

Low skilled jobs are hard to come by with things being automated at the rate they are and companies don't trust young people, though I suppose if things got boomier that will change again

Dean12319

I'm 18 driving provisional for the last year. I think the costs have a lot to do with it. Last year for my first insurance I paid €1700 on a 09 fiesta add up €400 for lessons €300 tax and petrol. Only for the help of my parents and my hard earned cash I wouldn't be driving. I can only speak for myself but I look after my car like a baby mechanically and cleanliness. It's unfair to say that all us youth don't care there's plenty of older people who gladly drive their cars into the ground.

coolbeans

Dean12319 wrote: »

I'm 18 driving provisional for the last year. I think the costs have a lot to do with it. Last year for my first insurance I paid €1700 on a 09 fiesta add up €400 for lessons €300 tax and petrol. Only for the help of my parents and my hard earned cash I wouldn't be driving. I can only speak for myself but I look after my car like a baby mechanically and cleanliness. It's unfair to say that all us youth don't care there's plenty of older people who gladly drive their cars into the ground.

€1700 is well cheap and you're only on a provo.

CIP4

shietpilot wrote: »

Seems like it anyway.

I'm 20 myself and I still have lots of mates who have no licence or a learners permit and just couldn't be bothered doing lessons/the test. Personally I got my provisional on the day of my 17th birthday :pac: Couldn't imagine taking a bus or taxi to be honest... €1500 a year for insurance, €280 a year for tax, fuel and maintenance costs are high but if it wasn't for the car I'd be getting wasted every weekend :pac:

Same in my college class mad rush for lads to sit their test and pass it now and buy a car as they all suddenly realised how the fcuk are they going to get to work in July when we all start full time jobs.

Then you have me who sat outside the tax office at 8.30am on the morning of my 17th birthday to collect my provisional licence the lad behind the counter in the tax office wasn't half freaked out when he was like oh it's actually your birthday today then he said 'happy birthday' :pac: I'm not even joking 9.10 am I was on the road driving

Dean12319

coolbeans wrote: »

€1700 is well cheap and you're only on a provo.

Yeah and I only renewed it a few days ago for €1400! I know friends who payed around 2k first time.

selectamatic

Was that a clever pun at the end of the OP :P


imagen

StudentDad

I started driving roughly 15 years ago. Named driver on small car. I've forgotten how much it cost to add me. I spent £100 on 10 lessons and passed the test.

SD

PrettyBoy

I've been driving since my 17th birthday. I've always been mad about cars so it probably came as no surprise to anyone that I couldn't wait to get on the road - what does surprise me though is that it's 10 years later and the majority of my friends still don't drive. They're all aged between 24-27 and most of them don't know how to drive yet, let alone own a car.

I always thought this was fairly bizarre - the only time I've been without a car in the last 10 years was when I sold one car quicker than expected and was searching for a replacement for about 4 weeks. I felt like I'd lost a limb during that time. I find it really strange that my friends could be going into their 30's still not knowing how to drive and/or not having ever owned a car but their current lack of interest towards it all suggests that's what's going to happen.

Special Circumstances

PrettyBoy wrote: »

I've been driving since my 17th birthday. I've always been mad about cars so it probably came as no surprise to anyone that I couldn't wait to get on the road - what does surprise me though is that it's 10 years later and the majority of my friends still don't drive. They're all aged between 24-27 and most of them don't know how to drive yet, let alone own a car.

I always thought this was fairly bizarre - the only time I've been without a car in the last 10 years was when I sold one car quicker than expected and was searching for a replacement for about 4 weeks. I felt like I'd lost a limb during that time. I find it really strange that my friends could be going into their 30's still not knowing how to drive and/or not having ever owned a car but their current lack of interest towards it all suggests that's what's going to happen.

Wow, you might expect that in a massive city with decent public transport, but ireland? Pretty tough to get by without a car unless you're a hippy pedalling around galway. Or so I would have thought at least.

PrettyBoy

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Wow, you might expect that in a massive city with decent public transport, but ireland? Pretty tough to get by without a car unless you're a hippy pedalling around galway. Or so I would have thought at least.

I completely agree. The funny thing is that most of them don't even use public transport - they rely almost entirely on lifts from friends, family, GF's, co-workers, etc. If there's no one around then they'll walk if it's not too far. Only on very rare occasions will they get the bus or the Luas.

ironclaw

I think one also needs to factor in the 'throw away' mentality that has grown in recent times. A car is no longer a long term investment, its a commodity you can trade up in a few years because of cheap and easy finance. Why care for something that you don't actually own and is likely being service by someone else on a regular schedule you paid for? Something goes wrong, Google it or drop into a garage. We also have a massive 'who's who' culture and 'keeping up with the Jones'. Again, why care for something that is 'old'? Furthermore, the incentive to learn and look after just isn't there for the majority of people. Remember, there are people who are genuinely perfectly comfortable with getting behind the wheel and climb to 120km/h all while having absolutely no idea how the metal can around them works. To me, that's utterly terrifying.