Goodbye car; Hello phone as Favorite toy

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: thunderfog
No way, man. Your car is your castle at those ages.



You have to tell that to the couples of all ages I have seen using mass transit in Chicago, New York, and New Orleans to name a few.


but those examples are large cities, with effective mass transit systems.

in most of the country, this just isn't the case.

Heck, my county had better mass transit coverage 100 years ago than they do now.
there are buses in the City, but for those of us in the surrounding county, the only option if you don't have a car, is a Taxi, that would likely cost me $20 each way just to get to/from my job.
and we are the commercial center for the surrounding 5-6 counties, which are largely farms/ farming communities.
no real public transport in those counties,except for, again crazy expensive taxis.
100 years ago, this area was crawling with trolley's, inter-urban electric railways,etc...

 

[pkunk]

It's all relative to the geography. I'm 8 m. from the nearest store, 70 m. from a Walmart and virtually no cell service. What's more important?

 

[Merkava_4]

The cell phone will be attached to the brain when those millennials get to be 60.

No keyboard, trackpad, or touch screen necessary; your thoughts will control the cell phone/computer.

 

[bvance554]

Originally Posted By: horse123
Originally Posted By: veryHeavy
More-and-more I hear that millennials don't view cars as a necessity.




I don't find that to be anywhere near remotely true. Adults (talking 35ish+, you're not REALLY an adult at 18) are the ones capable of admitting they don't need a car and taking the bus. I tried multiple times when I was in school to convince kids you don't actually need a car to live, and no one was ever having any of it. They think they need a car. Whether it's a 98 civic with rust holes in every panel, or a 2017 BMW X5.

Now, do some people need a car for the way they currently live? Yes. But 99.999% of people could survive fine without a car.


You are obviously living within the bubble...

 

[DoubleWasp]

Millenials are fulfilling the Boomer environmental ideal of ride-sharing and public transportation, and the older generations couldn't be more angry about it.

Millenials are taking well to Baby Boomer inventions (computer, smartphone, etc.) and the older generations couldn't be more angry.

STarting to look like Millenials are not the issue. Just grumpy people who can't be happy with anything.

 

[CharlieBauer]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Millenials are fulfilling the Boomer environmental ideal of ride-sharing and public transportation, and the older generations couldn't be more angry about it.

Millenials are taking well to Baby Boomer inventions (computer, smartphone, etc.) and the older generations couldn't be more angry.

STarting to look like Millenials are not the issue. Just grumpy people who can't be happy with anything.


The more things change, the more things stay the same.

 

[Andrew1972]

It's far less expensive to strive for a phone then a vehicle. Vehicles are a serious financial strain in all the costs involved.

I'd say only about 20% of the millennials at my work place(software developers) under 28 actually own a vehicle. The balance make do with bus system/walking.

 

[SEMI_287]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Millennials think driving is boring because the dodoboxes they drive ARE boring.


That's what they're taught to buy!

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Millenials are fulfilling the Boomer environmental ideal of ride-sharing and public transportation, and the older generations couldn't be more angry about it.

Millenials are taking well to Baby Boomer inventions (computer, smartphone, etc.) and the older generations couldn't be more angry.

STarting to look like Millenials are not the issue. Just grumpy people who can't be happy with anything.


Absolutely agree. Boomers setup living and spending your life in a car by committing stupid distances to afford oversized homes and expensive vehicles. My local community has a terrible time attracting great businesses as they cannot attract the millennial labor they want due to lack of close affordable housing coupled to restrictive development.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Millenials are fulfilling the Boomer environmental ideal of ride-sharing and public transportation, and the older generations couldn't be more angry about it.

Millenials are taking well to Baby Boomer inventions (computer, smartphone, etc.) and the older generations couldn't be more angry.

STarting to look like Millenials are not the issue. Just grumpy people who can't be happy with anything.


Absolutely agree. Boomers setup living and spending your life in a car by committing stupid distances to afford oversized homes and expensive vehicles. My local community has a terrible time attracting great businesses as they cannot attract the millennial labor they want due to lack of close affordable housing coupled to restrictive development.


Maybe your town can't attract great businesses for the same reason that every state north of the Mason-Dixon line has had difficulty in doing so for the past thirty years or so?
It's no secret that wages are lower in the South so that's where new business development has gone. It's also no secret that few Southern conurbations have anything resembling effective mass transit systems and some are known for gridlock 24/7.
Many Millennials would prefer the historic beauty of a New England community to the trashy pre-fab look one finds in many communities in the South.
Employers have no desire to pay Northern wages, though.
The South also has the advantage of minimal winter which most people do find attractive.

 

[Cujet]

Enjoy carrying groceries home on the bus.

 

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Enjoy carrying groceries home on the bus.

I had to laugh at this...I agree. With a family of four and three pets I spend 200 bucks a week on food. That is 10 to 15 grocery bags my nearest grocery store is 5 miles away...

You do the math...

 

[JustinH]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: madRiver
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
Millenials are fulfilling the Boomer environmental ideal of ride-sharing and public transportation, and the older generations couldn't be more angry about it.

Millenials are taking well to Baby Boomer inventions (computer, smartphone, etc.) and the older generations couldn't be more angry.

STarting to look like Millenials are not the issue. Just grumpy people who can't be happy with anything.


Absolutely agree. Boomers setup living and spending your life in a car by committing stupid distances to afford oversized homes and expensive vehicles. My local community has a terrible time attracting great businesses as they cannot attract the millennial labor they want due to lack of close affordable housing coupled to restrictive development.


Maybe your town can't attract great businesses for the same reason that every state north of the Mason-Dixon line has had difficulty in doing so for the past thirty years or so?
It's no secret that wages are lower in the South so that's where new business development has gone. It's also no secret that few Southern conurbations have anything resembling effective mass transit systems and some are known for gridlock 24/7.
Many Millennials would prefer the historic beauty of a New England community to the trashy pre-fab look one finds in many communities in the South.
Employers have no desire to pay Northern wages, though.
The South also has the advantage of minimal winter which most people do find attractive.


Sounds silly to me. Moved to Texas from Western New York and doubled my salary on day one. People down here are prospering.

Track style housing is all over the place not just down here. I see it up in Ohio as well. It just depends what your budget is. If you want a custom house down here it will be at least $400k otherwise you are getting something cookie cutter.

 

[john6974332]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Millennials think driving is boring because the dodoboxes they drive ARE boring.

I am a "millenial", and you're not far off. I guess in general, we view cars as more of an appliance/tool.

I drive an enjoyable car (Lexus GS) but I probably wouldn't like driving either if I had the typical car of my generation..POS Ford Focus, Yaris, etc. I rented a Nissan Versa once and the most enjoyable part of that car was returning it..

Maybe I should buy a V8 while it's still affordable to drive one.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Enjoy carrying groceries home on the bus.


In college I'd stuff my oversized backpack and then dangle a bag on each end of my bicycle handlebar. Dangerous but eh, young and dumb. Or smart, as I dumped the car when I realized I couldn't afford it, and then didn't have to deal with the parking issues that everyone else had. I just had to shop more often, and buy less each time. Store was halfway between, and it was only 4 miles between school and home.

But I wasn't shopping for four, you have me on that problem.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: john6974332
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Millennials think driving is boring because the dodoboxes they drive ARE boring.

I am a "millenial", and you're not far off. I guess in general, we view cars as more of an appliance/tool.


Gen X here, and I couldn't wait to get a license, and a vehicle--and freedom. I will jokingly offer to let my 10/12 year old kids drive, and so far, no interest. When I ask they say they are too young. Too bad--I'd let them (sit on my lap and steer, of course). I look forward to not having to drive them all the time.

At this stage of my life, it's definitely a tool&appliance. I never thought my vehicle "said" or defined me, but these days it's all about the utility. Then again, I spend 2 hours a day in a car. If I "hated" driving would I spend 2 hours a day doing so?

 

[Cujet]

When people grow up, they need capable transportation. It's always been this way, from ancient times, with horses and carriages, to today's pickup trucks. Live in the city? Don't forget that those of us who produce all that you consume can't do our jobs on mass transit. We need to haul stuff, from Homeless Depot, Rural Supply warehouse and so on.

Personal vehicles make us productive. Mass transit, the opposite.

 

[Silk]

My youngest daughter, now 30, got her license on her 15th birthday, my sons, now in their 20's only have learner licenses and have no real interest in cars, or even using them to get around.

 

[exranger06]

Most people need a car to get around, myself included. But if you can get by without one, you'll be financially far ahead. Cars are terrible drains on bank accounts. I would never disparage someone who doesn't have a car because they don't need one.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Enjoy carrying groceries home on the bus.

I had to laugh at this...I agree. With a family of four and three pets I spend 200 bucks a week on food. That is 10 to 15 grocery bags my nearest grocery store is 5 miles away...

You do the math...



Millennials with kids typically own a single car in family. However modern ones use amazon.com to deliver bulky stuff(pet food) and pantry stuff to their door step. Many folks who live in sticks depend on such services too. I find it interesting any different way of living or vehicle choice folks find it necessary to attack it maybe to make themselves feel better about themselves and their "superior" choices.