I have a nephew who just turned 19.
He is a poster boy for the 21st century world of e-communication that embraces texting, tweeting and every other way that the new world order of social interaction takes place on this planet.
The bottom line is the notion that social interaction can actually take place in cyber-space and a car is no longer necessary to a large segment of young adolescents.
The cost of a vehicle, coupled with high gas prices and very high dead teenager insurance rates, has priced the car out of the reach of a new generation.
This is probably true for many kids, particularly in large urban areas, but I don’t buy it as a general and rigid philosophy for any era of kids-even the horse and buggy crowd from the 19th century.
My nephew was at my place a few days ago and we covered a broad range of topics that are important to guys of any age.
The topics don’t really change drastically; it’s just that I now enjoy a sense of moderation that was never evident when I was nineteen. I have already been through the trial and error phase of socializing many decades ago.
One subject that has obviously remained near and dear to my heart is the car guy culture. My nephew alleges that he doesn’t embrace cars as tightly as his father and his younger brother, but our conversation proved otherwise. He is indeed a closet car guy who understands the whole philosophy of a car.
He told me how great it was to drive his car out of town and explore the back roads and small towns in our neck of the woods. The purpose of the trip was the freedom to choose any destination that piqued his interest.
What he learned is the romance of the road. He was able to pick and choose his route in any as-the-crow-flies-fashion that the road led him. He was master of his own destiny for the first time in a tangible way as a newly minted sixteen-year-old driver, and he loved the feeling. That is a car guy’s philosophy. In a nutshell.
I can imagine a time in the future when he will remember his first car as fondly as his first other- things- that- happen- in- cars-and-out-of –cars in our restless youth.
He will remember that car and deeply regret the day he sold it.
The same will never be said for his first laptop.
Jim Sutherland @mystarcollectorcar.com
more car stuff at https://www.mystarcollectorcar.com/
COMMENTS
BEN:”Here’s a short list of my Son, and his friends cars they own and drive
1. Son Martin-1987 403 Olds powered Cutlass
2. Friend Harrison Regen-1982 Chevrolet El Camino, 350 V-8 powered
3. Friend Aaron Blessing-1985 302 V-8 powered F-150
4. Friend Justin Distefano-1996-302 V-8 powered Mustang
5. Friend Tom Bilgrav-1997 Dodge Ram Pick-up V-8
6. Lucas Dalfonsi-1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28, 350 V-8 powered
No, interest in cars, is not dead, it’s just the fuel supply is running out”.
