Cars as appliances...

I had dinner with my 16 yr old the other day.

He doesn't get the obsession with cars. He wants a Tesla or Prius and says that is all he will need. At the same time he is OK paying $1000 for a pair of sneakers. He specifically said Porsches are no big deal - we have one in the garage. The "special" cars to him are stuff in video games that don't exist in real life. He did know about Veyrons though - so maybe there is hope.

I understand that style and taste and interests are all subjective, but I do not understand resigning oneself to a milquetoast experience everyday in the car. We spend a ton of time in the cars. They should at least be fun or enjoyable.

In his view they are just boxes to take you someplace. The faster we get self driving cars the better as far as he can see.

On the one hand I hope he does not turn into an adult who when asked what kind of car he drives, responds with the color. On the other, i suspect he will have more money to spend on sneakers....

My 11 yr old son enjoys riding in the Pcar. Whenever we go somewhere, he asked are we taking the 911? When I go out for a drive on weekends, he still asks me if he can come along. I’m happy for that, but if I take him to a car meet up event, however, he’s bored after 10 minutes. Many kids these days don’t care about cars anymore. Most are automatics, and most will never learn to drive a stick. The less involved, the better for them. It’s just a way to get from a to b. That passion seems to have left for video games, iPhones and social media.

on living in your parents basement a car doesn't represent the freedom it once did

and he'll change his mind right quick

He basically cannot fit in the Boxster. I might have to do a console delete to make it viable.

Even then, he had to take of his shoes to fit his feet on the pedals. An yes, it would be easier with shoes smaller than the Jordans he was wearing.

The other night he asked me what I thought of "JDM cars." I made some small talk, but the truth is I know very little about them and it is not like we can get them here anyway. He was talking about a right hand drive import as an idea.
I can only think that would be crazy expensive and likely not road legal. But who knows?

If he has trouble fitting into a Boxster...

The Top 20 Jdm Cars Of All Time

1998 Honda Civic Type R.
1996 Honda Civic.
2000 Toyota Altezza.
1992 Acura Integra RS.
2001 Nissan Silvia S15.
1984 Honda Cr-X/Mugen GT-4.
2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII RS.
1971 Nissan Skyline GT-X KGC10.

Get him a manual WRX or Golf GTI, and he’ll start liking driving.

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CarreraLicious
Get him a manual WRX or Golf GTI, and he’ll start liking driving.

Not necessarily. Just different strokes for different folks. Some people just want to do as little as possible. Shifting would be way too much work and effort for them. I've spoken to people who really would prefer to have self driving cars. For some of them, even having to hit the "HOME" button at the end of the day would be too much work.

It would be interesting to know what his interest in JDM cars is. It can't be nostalgia. Cool factor? Exclusive factor? Just want to drive from the passenger side here in North America?

I think they are discussion pieces on the school quad and cafeteria. I am not sure he has anything specific in mind.

But we will see. He is talking so there is potential.

I was thinking a Hyundai Tiburon would be a good first car for him - assuming his feet fit. We can talk about something better after he gets through the first year of "bumper cars."

My 43 year old MS ChemE son has two Prius hybrids, just installed solar, just downsized, is green as can be and so is his wife.

After 2 Boxsters (and a 914 and 2 Alfas), my last two cars have been hybrids. When I look now at the price of premium fuel and factor in the difference in MPG and depreciation, that fun was awfully expensive. And heck, it isn't like I couldn't afford a new 911 Turbo or two ...

My next car will cost as much as a '01S new and use no gas over its lifetime. No O2 sensors, no IMS, no coils, and no brake pads ... and get greener over its 15 year life as electric power sources change.

I'm almost 77. It isn't just the kids whose attitudes are changing. Every time I watch a Barrett-Jackson auction and see the ages of the buyers, I wonder if those prices are sustainable over a 20 year span. One generation's toys are not always the next generation's desires.

... (no arm) was about 1600 bucks in the early 90s. SOTA made 3 turntables at the time. Now they make 6, not including variations within the models. The Cosmos with vacuum, as the Star had, now runs about 9000, and their most expensive table is over 10. Ok, inflation hasn't been factored in, but somebody is buying these things. Maybe it's affluent hipsters. There's been an analog resurgence for well more than a decade, and apparently it's still going strong. Yes, IC engines may become economically untenable, or even outlawed, but I think the demand will be there for quite some time. Perhaps Analog is to Digital as IC is to Electric.

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mikefocke, '01S Sanford, NC
My 43 year old MS ChemE son has two Prius hybrids, just installed solar, just downsized, is green as can be and so is his wife.

After 2 Boxsters (and a 914 and 2 Alfas), my last two cars have been hybrids. When I look now at the price of premium fuel and factor in the difference in MPG and depreciation, that fun was awfully expensive. And heck, it isn't like I couldn't afford a new 911 Turbo or two ...

My next car will cost as much as a '01S new and use no gas over its lifetime. No O2 sensors, no IMS, no coils, and no brake pads ... and get greener over its 15 year life as electric power sources change.

It's a great thing to be green!
I just downsized to a SUPER energy-efficient new home to which I also installed full solar-powered system.
Heck I'm almost turning into the Incredible Hulk or the Green Lantern by being so green.
But when it comes to cars I will not give up one of my last pleasures which is driving a normally aspirated flat six Porsche everywhere I go.
I intend to drive it even into afterlife, as I told my wife that when I die, she should have a BIG hole dug out and have me buried in my Boxster.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

What is right for one person is not what should influence another.

I started out working on engines in my teens. Collected an amazing amount of specialized tools over a lifetime. I got tired of working on my cars beyond washing and driving them and doing simple things like battery swaps and windshield arm swaps.

I'm surprised at my son's green bent which certainly preceded any move of mine in that direction. I cite it as one example of his generation's movement away from the oil fuel use we grew up with. And think of how his approach parallels trends some economists have pointed to as impacting markets and values.

My wife is on her third Prius. It's her dream car. Doesn't want to drive something expensive and she likes being green (gave up straws well before it became a thing). She never liked driving any of my P-cars. Thing I like most about driving her Prius is playing the game of getting the best MPG out of it. It's the only thing that makes it engaging. One day, I may go for a plug-in Hybrid P-car. Use all electric putting around town doing errands in heavy traffic, but have the gas capability for road trips and those curvy roads.

There is a Prius prime for that. And in a few months the Rav4 hybrid will be available in a plug in. More HP than any 986 every coming out of the factory... 306 IIRC.

I wish I had waited for the Model Y even if it is the same cost as a new Boxster.