Duh enda duh car?

[wolverine]

The comments from the 20-somethings sound a lot like what I thought, and heard, when I was a city-dwelling, move-around-alot, subway-riding 20-something. Then I became a 30-something and did things that are commonly seen in that age range. Then a 40-something, and I have the suburban house and 3-car garage and those motorized things that go in it, and horrors, I like it.

Short version: 20-somethings, don't assume your preferences and priorities will never change. They almost always do.

Emerging needs are the demand for excellent public transportation as 30-somethings move to new areas where there are also great schools and recreational opportunities. Not quick and speedy freeway travel or how many cars you can fit in the garage. There was a great article about this that I should dig up. If someone was in their 20's in the 80's, quite a bit has changed today. Priorities evolve and cities can evolve. The desire for safe places, great schools, and efficient and affordable means of transportation [[whatever it is) do not change. Cities must satisfy those priorities of young families if they want to continue to boost this decade's trends of retention

[Zacha341]

Awesome point Gnome! I have been driving for many, many years and ON PRINCIPLE I only purchase nice used cars and have never financed a car. My cars average about six years of life well over 200K miles. But I am careful about what kind of car I purchase.

I'd cannot deal with or afford the combo car note/ insurance thing and prefer to spend my money on something else.

The author incorrectly assumes new car purchases are the only way people buy cars. Sorry, the used car market in booming. Cars last a long, long time nowadays and in is not uncommon to find a perfectly presentable vehicle with a 100,000 or even 200,000 miles.

in the olden days, a car rusted out after 50K on the odo.

[Zacha341]

Absolutely IMO for me. I need to get where I have to go fast [[not speeding) but reasonably on time. Some people prefer to drive, some even like the experience of driving... I know I do.

Preferences differ. Person, place, region.

What? You expect people to sprout wings and fly? You'll always need a car around here.

[Novine]

Owning a car is a huge financial drain especially for young people. If you can live without one, why waste the money on one?

[AUSSIE]

I told him that Americans were too attached to their cars.

Australians too

The CAR will NEVER disappear, the opposite is happening, the fact is we shall see the sales increasing more and more in the future.

BIG V8's too, death to hybrid/hydrogen/100MPG nonsense!

[Bham1982]

I don't totally agree with your conclusions. If "young people" have $1700 a month to spend on a cracker-box sized apartment @ the Broderick, without building any equity, $7 cups of coffee, and $10 Ho' lettuce, they certainly have money to spend on cars, houses, and swimming pools. .

Except they aren't. How many young people in Metro Detroit pay $1700 for a cracker-box sized apartment downtown? A couple hundred out of half a million? And why would you assume people living downtown don't have cars? I bet you the strong majority of downtown residents [[and especially the $1700 a month renters) have vehicles.

[old guy]

Not likely, even oil executives note that when you begin fracking and utilizing tar sands to extract oil and gas, we're hitting the bottom. Time to wake up and utilize new technology. The ignorance and greed, coupled with the lack of concern for future generations makes me sick to my stomach.

[Honky Tonk]

Not likely, even oil executives note that when you begin fracking and utilizing tar sands to extract oil and gas, we're hitting the bottom. Time to wake up and utilize new technology. The ignorance and greed, coupled with the lack of concern for future generations makes me sick to my stomach.

If you want to get "sick to your stomach" take a look in the parking lot where I work. Why any single person needs a 9-mile-to-the-gallon vehicle is beyond me.