Is a car a necessity? Gen Y has a different outlook than previous generations.

[JOHNNIE36]

plex, I heard of this tax credit also and wish I would have know more about it at the time. John Stossel of the Fox News Network got a free golf cart through this credit. He had a show on it one night to indicate what a
joke this credit was. That's politics for you.

 

[LakeTravis]

Wow. I bought my first car for $400 (a 1964 Ford Fairlane 500) when I was 15. It sat in the driveway until I passed my drivers license test on my 16th birthday.

I lost my virginity in my car. I put 200 miles a day on my car. I worked to put gas in and pay the insurance on my car. I washed and waxed my car once a week. I listened to my first Queen, Nazareth, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin songs in my car.

How times have certainly changed.

 

[ShortInSeattle]

I'm surprised the article didn't mention the environmental angle. I know a lot of younger folks who dislike cars not just for the expense, but also for the environmental impact.

SIS

 

[JOHNNIE36]

I'm surprised the article didn't mention the environmental angle. I know a lot of younger folks who dislike cars not just for the expense, but also for the environmental impact.

SIS

Don't get me started on the environmental impact. These same younger
folks probably use other modes of transportation that require the burning of fossil fuels.

 

[ShortInSeattle]

Don't get me started on the environmental impact. These same younger
folks probably use other modes of transportation that require the burning of fossil fuels.

Ok. I'll try not to get you started. (smile)

 

[Sarah in SC]

I live in a "gotta have a car" town. I got my license at 15, and got my first car, a full size Chevy Blazer, the same day. Even now we have two trucks, two cars, a tractor, a mini-bike, and an RV in the yard. Fossil fuels-r-us! I guess one day we could live somewhere we could get by on public transport, but not in our town.
I had to laugh at the "mobile bedroom" commentary- that old blazer had a might big back seat! Not that I'd know, but my brother drove it before me!

 

[traineeinvestor]

I live in a city where cars are completely unnecessary - public transport is excellent and cheap and the distances are relatively short. Not having owned a car for the last 20 years has saved us a huge amount of money - cars cost a lot more out here due to a combination of taxes, petrol prices and parking costs. There is also the convenience factor - it's one less thing to look after and maintain.

Quite frankly, given the congestion and pollution on Hong Kong's roads, I'd like to see private cars treated the same way as smoking - taxed to death as a matter of policy.

 

[Nords]

I lost my virginity in my car.

I happily gave mine away in my first car, and I have no desire to go looking for it or to ask for its return!

I listened to my first Queen, Nazareth, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin songs in my car.
How times have certainly changed.

Our cars sure have changed over the years, but not so much my tastes in music...

 

[FUEGO]

I thought small mopeds or scooters with an engine under 50cc still require a driver's license, and these vehicles still have to be titled and registered. What they do not require is a motorcyclist license. The presumption is that they do not require special motorcycle riding skills, and any legal car driver would already know the rules of the road to ride safely. These have a headlight, brake light, turn signals, and a horn.

Maybe it varies by jurisdiction. This guy I knew kept getting DUIs and lost his license. That is when he became a moped rider. Gas engine of some sort... max speed 35 mph IIRC

 

[kramer]

While it is possible to live a mostly regular life without a car in some places in the USA, getting a license is really necessary for many careers and convenience in life in certain situations.

I was an engineer but my career would have been impacted if I couldn't drive as I traveled a lot. I was well spoken and my career was really enhanced by the ability to face customers but without a license it would not have been as practical.

Also, it is a practical requirement for properly enjoying some vacations.

Now that I live overseas, I own a motorbike and my life would be negatively impacted without the ability to do that. Even though I don't drive nearly as much as when I was in the USA. If I was in the USA again, I would definitely consider a scooter instead of a car.

That being said, one of my most important factors for any neighborhood is its walkability. One of my favorite sites when I was looking for neighborhoods in the USA was: Get Your Walk Score - Find Walkable Apartments and Rentals

 

[marko]

One of the main drivers (pun) in getting a car when we were kids was to socialize...go out and find your friends. Today, they just sit in their room texting/facebooking.

My nephew: "why go outside? its nice and air conditioned here and I can sit by the pool and talk to my friends all day (via text)"

The other observation is that many kids today are petrified behind the wheel. When we were kids we were crazy...today they view driving as a dangerous activity...it is of course, but they just seem a whole lot more terrified when driving than I ever was.

IMHO

 

[REWahoo]

Timely info for you non-car public transportation users: Study details how to avoid the weirdo on the bus

One handy tip...

...sit next to an old woman. "Old women rarely stink," he says. "Old women are rarely crazy."

 

[W2R]

Timely info for you non-car public transportation users: Study details how to avoid the weirdo on the bus

One handy tip...

Sit next to an old woman, even though empty seats are available since old women are rarely crazy, huh?

Then I guess YOU are the crazy one, since the article also states,

the researcher also noted big commuting no-nos, such as sitting next to someone when other seats are available, which one passenger said immediately branded you as "weird."

 

[ziggy29]

Then I guess YOU are the crazy one, since the article also states,

the researcher also noted big commuting no-nos, such as sitting next to someone when other seats are available, which one passenger said immediately branded you as "weird."

Anyone who has ever been in a men's room urinal know this is an unwritten rule. Heck, it's probably actually written somewhere...

 

[MichaelB]

Then I guess YOU are the crazy one

GMTA. When riders begin sitting next to other passengers and not you, that might be a sign who looks the craziest.

My DD commuted her final year of high school. Rush hour both ways. It was tough for her. In the beginning she complained of the fellow passengers, mostly men, sitting too close, getting weird. Then she stopped complaining. Toward the end of the year we traveled together one day and I saw why - when she sat down in an empty bench seat she transformed and looked seriously mean. Nobody would sit next to her. But when a woman in a suit walked in she straightened up, smiled and got her seat mate.

 

[ERD50]

Anyone who has ever been in a men's room urinal know this is an unwritten rule. Heck, it's probably actually written somewhere...

Written? Heck, there are instructional documentary videos on Youtube!

Here is my fav, started at the key 1:53, but the intro is worth watching also.

Urinal Rules - YouTube

DW thought I was kidding about some of these rules, but they must be adhered to!

-ERD50

 

[FUEGO]

On the bus route I ride, the seats are like urinals (or at least smell like them). And no, you don't use the one right next to where someone else is sitting. That is just rude and weird.

 

[Gumby]

Written? Heck, there are instructional documentary videos on Youtube!

Here is my fav, started at the key 1:53, but the intro is worth watching also.

Urinal Rules - YouTube

DW thought I was kidding about some of these rules, but they must be adhered to!

-ERD50

The same maximal spread rule applies to elevators too. If you want to freak someone out, stand next to them when there is still plenty of room in the elevator car.

 

[Normah]

I went 2 years without a car once. I remember feeling at times that those in cars were part of a privileged class. I think it depends if you have dependents and a lot of things to carry. More and more people seem to be lightening their loads, so to speak, and this tends to make a car-less life more liveable. I must say the lack of a car payment is nice, that's for sure!

 

[FUEGO]

I think it depends if you have dependents and a lot of things to carry.

This is one thing that I forget. I have young kids, so hoofing it a half mile or mile isn't as easy to do. And waiting on a bus with kids is less than appealing if you have an alternative (such as a car). I could get the kids where I needed to get them (caretaker's house while I'm working and to school for the most part), but it would take an extra hour or two every day.

 

[kramer]

Hopefully, driver-less cars will greatly reduce the need to drive within a generation. I suspect the early adopters of driver-less car services will be those without a driver's license, Zip car users, and the elderly.

There are so many advantages to driver-less cars that they are hard to list, but they may reorder how cities and homes are built within a couple of generations.