Future of the hobby

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Most of the US doesn't have mass transit availabilities at the present. If I lived in a huge metropolitan I would be less likely to drive a car if I owned it because of the parking headaches and I might have been inclined not to get a drivers license or a car.

I would like to see a study of rural America verses Metropolitan America to see the differences.
 
Yeah. NYC going rate for a parking space in a garage, downtown Manhattan is $2K mo. You'd better have something nice or a very good reason to need a rig, there.

Whatever. There will be a few here and there, even if mass transit takes over. I think it's a pipe dream, based on economized population, trying to gain perception from that and from car sales on a supposed culture shift. I don't think it's as big as it was, but I don't think it's going dead any time soon. It could certainly happen, though. Anything is possible.

Cool shot at the A&W above the article.

30CAR-articleLarge.jpg


Spent more time on that, than I did reading. lol
 
You sure as hell wouldn't think this is true by the traffic around here!!!

Spokane and Coeur d Alene might 's well not have mass transit. About all it amounts to in Spokane is govt. subsidized cheap rides for the poor. One of the most expensive and under-used agencies I can think of, offhand

In Coeur d Alene, I doubt there's one person in a thousand who depends completely on public transit. If they do, they don't go much of anyplace
 
We've got a reasonable mass transit. They just punched the W line through east/west light rail. Stop is across the street from my house.

Oddly enough, 2 mopars sitting in the driveway and one in the garage. I have yet to take the new line anywhere, because I haven't needed to, but Amy had a book of passes she uses to get to class.

It runs close to my work, too, but the cost of the damn thing with transfers, both ways, will add an hour to my commute each way and rival the cost of fuel and insurance that I'd still pay for, because I go other places, aside from work.

If I took the train to work every day, even if I felt like pissing away 2 more hours of my day, I'd also have to calculate what my time was worth at work, into the scale of pro vs con.

I haven't done the hard math, but from a distance, it's not as promising as everyone wishes it were. I'd still love to take it downtown, though. Just to get wasted and not have to call a taxi. It's super convenient, being across the road. hahaha...

Aside from that novelty, though, I have yet to find a real use for it.
 
the car culture in the US will never end in any of our life times....regardless what some president says who half through his run anyway.

this is the only country that cars outnumber the people by almost 3 -1

they can stop making cars all together tomorrow and we would have enough cars to around for another 100 + year.

the idea would be like trying to stop Americans from eating Bacon......might benefit health but is highly unlikely and highly un-realistic.
 
Yeah, you can take it about as seriously as a documentary on a pop star. It's a little more neutral than Fox News, and while I think there are legit lower numbers to be had these days, just like in demand for certain antiques (that market suffers a bit more), it's not going anywhere, any time soon. I'm going to chalk the whole death of a subculture thing up to overzealous journalism.
 
roadrunnerh said:
Remember folks, it was in the NY Times.....
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Yes it was in the times, but many things in the article are happening everywhere. This isn't something that will happen everywhere, but the younger generation has less desire for getting their lisence today as opposed to those 20 or more years ago.

That was my point, it is happening Not that mass transit was going to take over everywhere.

Most smaller urban areas will never have a good mass transit system and most are used just by the poor.

But how many 15 year olds think only about getting their drivers lisence?

Do you know what you did the day you got your lisence? Well I should have gotten them that day but had to take the driving test and had to go back on Monday when the guy was there. The day I should have gotten them I had a date with Debbie, dad let me go even though I didn't get my lisence that day. We went to the drive in in my 67 Barracuda.

That next Monday when taking the driving test the guy ask who's car is this. Told him mine. 67 Barracuda, with a set of Shelby slots, super charger tires, air shocks and fresh dark blue paint.

Debbie was a little older and already had her lisence and a 67 dark Blue Mustang with Cragers.

Damn that was 39 years ago, seems like yesterday
 
DaveBonds said:
I'd still love to take it downtown, though. Just to get wasted and not have to call a taxi. It's super convenient, being across the road. hahaha...
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Before I had my license (16), I used public transit all the time.

Ours was fairly sucessful and you could get almost anywhere from almost anywhere else. My mom didn't even own a car until she was 30, and still took the bus to work.

I agree with the DUI issue. I sure as hell would love to go to Ybor or Orange Ave, and not have to worry about it.
 
The money isn't available everywhere, for mass transit. The versatility and freedom,of owning/driving a car,does such a positive thing to one's psyche... I enjoy driving to work,in a 97 Taurus. Don't have to ask about Mopars,other wise you wouldn't be here.
 
Car sales dropping? Cars are getting expensive

Less miles being driven? Gas is expensive.

Car ownership dropping? Insurance is expensive.

Teens not getting licsences? They are expensive themselves. Cars, gas and insurance is expensive.

Don't read to far into this people. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this **** out especially when looking at the economy. I'm a teenager, I can tell you all these are the real reasons.
 
All I know is I always have young kids digging my cars, even kids who don't even have a license yet, very cool to see this....maybe the generation after the lame A$$ "Fast & Furious" movies will like our older cars. When I go to car shows, I see lots of young kids into cars so that is a great sign too.
 
roadrunnerh said:
Remember folks, it was in the NY Times.....
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thanks for pointing that out...lol

hate to say this and sound like a wing nut...but mass transit is another elimination of your freedom...the govt can control where you go with mass transit...get you out of your car and they control where and went you can go ....ok..done...tin foil is off...lol
 
Less people driving just means more gas for us. 4 barrels - sixpacks - tunnel rams
cross rams arrrrrhhhhh more gas for us hahahahahahah aaaarrrrrrr. LOL.
 
typical northeast liberal newspaper writer.

a bunch of crap.

transit costs a whole ton of money to move a handful of people.

look at follies such as bill richardsons silly train and gov browns pipedream
train in calif.

only a few contorted sections will ever be built - in the central valley, indirect, and of benefit to only a few. the money will run out and that will be the end of it.
 
newmexguy said:
typical northeast liberal newspaper writer.

a bunch of crap.

transit costs a whole ton of money to move a handful of people.

look at follies such as bill richardsons silly train and gov browns pipedream
train in calif.

only a few contorted sections will ever be built - in the central valley, indirect, and of benefit to only a few. the money will run out and that will be the end of it.
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Exactly! This article was more about the hopes of the writer and NY Times editorial staff...........
 
Is this from the same govt that allowed GM to basically deal a death blow to mass transit in the 40s and 50s just to sell more busses?? Check the facts on what GM did in Cleveland way back in the day!!
 
Good point, I bet most don't know about all that.
 
newmexguy said:
the money will run out and that will be the end of it.
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No, it will continue to be subsidized to benefit a few compared to the rest of the state and the rest of the state will do the subsidizing.

Sarah and I used to have this discussion from time to time. She used to lament the fact we don't have a mass transit rail system in place like Europe does. But all those little countries in Europe aren't anywhere near the size of the United States and we are a lot more rural. Buses run around here from the local larger small cities to the smaller villages a couple of times a day, but the nightmare in infrastructure makes it prohibitive to run a rail, say, from Elmira, NY to Syracuse, NY, connecting a city with 30K+/- to a city with 250K+/-.

One of the things to take in account, too, is that our large rural areas have a different culture in the way we do things as compared to those who "live in town."

When I had the grocery store just around the corner from me in Elmira, it was nothing to shop for a couple of days at a time, depending on what we felt like having for dinner, what the sales were, etc. A lot people in Elmira don't have cars, it's no big deal for them to walk to the local grocery store and do the same thing... shop for a couple of days at a time to make it easier to carry home on foot.

Living 15-20 mins from the local grocery stores, now, I make a run every couple of weeks. If I need something from the local lumber yard/hardware store for the house, then I try to plan ahead as to what I'll need to finish a job or get a good start on the next one. I try to narrow it down to one trip, if I can, so as to save on gas and save time, not having to drive another 40 minutes round trip.

As far as the car culture and the NY Times article, Matt gave us a few very valid points. The associated costs of owning a car can be a killer for a kid just entering the workforce and trying to stretch a minimum wage job to pay for everything. Insurance for a kid isn't cheap and the cost it takes to fill a tank isn't exactly inexpensive either. Then add in registration, the cost of inspection for those who live in inspection states (which is never just the cost of inspection... cars require repairs), the cost of maintenance...

Here in NY state, now you have to pay for everything up front when you get your permit... the written exam, the road test, the 5 hour safety course, your permit and you license, all due up front. Once upon a time you paid as you went, which meant you could spread the cost over time. Now, a kid is expected to pay close to $200 up front.

And none of this is taking into account the job markets in areas. Kids and adults are competing for the same jobs. I live in a tourist area, with a lot of seasonal jobs with very little manufacturing. Once upon a time the seasonal jobs were filled by the kids in the summer and then back to school. Now those seasonal jobs are being filled by adults, trying to make ends meet.
 
What is not mentioned is . When you don't have a job why would you need a car . Or how can you afford the expense .

Sort of like when they say unemployment is down. The study is done by those who are on unemployment. Those that had there unemployment run out but are not working are determined as getting a job.

So when it is said that employment is up. It is due to the unemployed out of benefits. They didn't find a job. The state is just not paying them any longer.

Just a way they can make the economy look better. But its not..

The same goes for drivers. They go by how many cars are registered. Some of the rich have many cars with one driver. They are all considered as having one driver per vehicle. Just a way to make it look good for the goverment.
 
ramenth said:
Here in NY state, now you have to pay for everything up front when you get your permit... the written exam, the road test, the 5 hour safety course, your permit and you license, all due up front. Once upon a time you paid as you went, which meant you could spread the cost over time. Now, a kid is expected to pay close to $200 up front.

And none of this is taking into account the job markets in areas. Kids and adults are competing for the same jobs. I live in a tourist area, with a lot of seasonal jobs with very little manufacturing. Once upon a time the seasonal jobs were filled by the kids in the summer and then back to school. Now those seasonal jobs are being filled by adults, trying to make ends meet.
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Man Rob, and I thought I was getting hit by a money racket when I had to go to the DMV and get my after 9 restrictions lifted for $10.

As far as the job makets, you are right on! When I worked at wendy's I was working with kids my age on up to a lady in her 60's, and no she wasn't a manager. When I worked a seasonal job in furniture, I was the youngest person there. Ages ranged from 26-retirement age. They would work 6 months in the summer, get laid off and draw unemployment for 6 months till it was time for hire again. The factory made furniture for college dorm rooms. Finding a job as a teenager with little to know experience is ridiculous when you are competeing against adults. And you are gaurenteed to get slave labor pay because if you don't like it, there are 50 people behind you willing to take your job for minimum wage. Its a mess.

The only reason I own my car is because it was given to me.

Frankie said:
That's simple: Expensive.
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BINGO! The only reason I still own my car is this site. I can't drive 4 hours accross the state to go to shows and swap meets, there are no junkyards around here with the parts I need. If I need something for my car, it's either autozone or the internet. Even buying from here is a logistical nightmare! I can't begin to think what it would cost to ship an engine here from california vs just being able to pull one out of a yard.
 
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