Millennials Don't Drive--And Here's Why They Aren't Likely To Start Anytime Soon

Started by ZLoth, October 25, 2014, 08:31:44 PM

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ZLoth

Quote from: Chris on January 05, 2017, 02:12:26 PM
Well, why would you spend $ 35,000 - 40,000 on a mid-size car, while you can spend $ 14,000 on a 4-5 year old model with a relatively low mileage? One's transportation cost could go way down without compromising too much on quality. At least in the Netherlands, the used car market is generally reliable, in particular for used cars that aren't too old. You can buy a decent used car with 40-50,000 miles on it without it being 'stained and dented with oil leaking out the engine'. That's a primary reason why new car sales are so low over here, the used car market is a better option for many. (140,000 new cars vs 1,800,000 used car sales in 2016).
And what is the feature set that the car has? And does it meet your requirements?

When I last went car shopping in 2014 (my 2005 Chevy Malibu was rear-ended and got totaled), there were specific features that were simply "must-haves". One of them was air conditioning because of California. The other was a Bluetooth connection because of smart phones. Yes, I listen to pre-recorded music and audiobooks on long trips. I ended up getting a 2013 Buick Verano with 15K miles on it. If I were car shopping today, that requirement would now be to have Android Auto integration because of the GPS.

The funny part was that, three weeks prior, my mother and I had a discussion about cars. If her 1998 car became non-operable, she was going to get my 2005 Malibu, and I was getting a new car. I had plans on getting a new car anyways, but not for a year or so at that point.  :-D
I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems and call them "paychecks".


Max Rockatansky

Quote from: ZLoth on January 14, 2017, 02:18:28 PM
Quote from: Chris on January 05, 2017, 02:12:26 PM
Well, why would you spend $ 35,000 - 40,000 on a mid-size car, while you can spend $ 14,000 on a 4-5 year old model with a relatively low mileage? One's transportation cost could go way down without compromising too much on quality. At least in the Netherlands, the used car market is generally reliable, in particular for used cars that aren't too old. You can buy a decent used car with 40-50,000 miles on it without it being 'stained and dented with oil leaking out the engine'. That's a primary reason why new car sales are so low over here, the used car market is a better option for many. (140,000 new cars vs 1,800,000 used car sales in 2016).
And what is the feature set that the car has? And does it meet your requirements?

When I last went car shopping in 2014 (my 2005 Chevy Malibu was rear-ended and got totaled), there were specific features that were simply "must-haves". One of them was air conditioning because of California. The other was a Bluetooth connection because of smart phones. Yes, I listen to pre-recorded music and audiobooks on long trips. I ended up getting a 2013 Buick Verano with 15K miles on it. If I were car shopping today, that requirement would now be to have Android Auto integration because of the GPS.

The funny part was that, three weeks prior, my mother and I had a discussion about cars. If her 1998 car became non-operable, she was going to get my 2005 Malibu, and I was getting a new car. I had plans on getting a new car anyways, but not for a year or so at that point.  :-D

Kind of begs the question, what is the expectation in a car for Millennials or in general pretty much everyone else.  I checked out a Chevy Spark before I bought my Sonic.  I would argue that the Spark had a lot more stuff in it that would appeal to younger people than the Sonic had, there was all sorts of connectivity stuff that could be had at a low under 20k price on a new car.  Really all these automakers are putting a huge effort to attract young people to entry level cars and it hasn't been working....it is people like me who buy them.  :-D

Really for me all I care about in daily driver is three things; automatic transmission, cruise control, and an AUX jack.  I prefer my cars to be new so I don't have to worry about what someone else might not have done in regards to maintenance.  You'd be amazed at how worn away a clear coat can be from 3-4 years of neglect.  Even though a daily driver for me is disposable I'd like have something that hasn't been neglected and I can maintain for a presentable resale when my use for it is done.


briantroutman

^ In my case–bucking the trend as a millennial who bought a new car last year–the decision to buy brand new and not even a leftover 2015 was primarily driven by the availability of new technologies.

With a new baby, a wife who's never been keen on driving, and currently living in an area with comically inept drivers, I wanted every safety technology we could reasonably afford. For 2016, Volkswagen began offering an optional Driver Assistance package for Golf models that includes lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic monitoring, adaptive cruise, forward collision warning with autonomous braking, and more. As of a year ago, that made the Golf one of the most affordable cars available with such a comprehensive suite of safety technologies–in addition to the fact that the underlying car does exceptionally well on all IIHS crash tests. VW had offered a "driver assist"  package in 2015, but it lacked many of the features that were added the following year, most notably autonomous breaking.

In addition, Volkswagen did a major overhaul of their infotainment systems between 2015 and 2016, and many reviews of the 2015 Golf included a comment along the lines of "...the new Golf is great, but wait to buy until next year when the electronics have been upgraded."

From the outset, I wanted a hatchback or wagon–so my shopping list was quite short when I started. In addition to the Golf wagon, I was also considering the Subaru Impreza and Mazda 3 hatches. But availability of technology was the final nail in the coffin for the two Japanese contenders. VW supports Apple CarPlay in a big way, but neither Subaru nor Mazda did as of a year ago (though I think Subaru is adding it for 2017).

Duke87

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 04, 2017, 11:51:20 PM
It seems like every age group growing up from Gen X on is approaching life stages 5-10 years from what the Baby Boomers and prior generations did.

To some degree it is also that people are doing things in a different order.

My parents met in college, got engaged right after they graduated, started having kids while they were still living in rented apartments, and didn't buy the house they settled down in until after all of their kids were already born.
I did not meet my fiancée until several years after I finished college, and after we get married we plan on buying the house we settle down in before we start having kids.
If all goes according to plan, while we will be marrying and reproducing at a later age than my parents did, we will actually buy the house we settle down in at a younger age than they did.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

SignGeek101


NJRoadfan

That chart lists a great irony. Someone is apparently worried about environmental impact, yet wants a NEW car.....

slorydn1

Well, this seems to be the most truthful item I've seen printed in the press in a very long time:


QuoteAs far as the most popular cars, the study found that the Ford Mustang is shared as the most popular performance car of the two generations





I can't argue with that statement!
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PHLBOS

Quote from: slorydn1 on January 26, 2017, 11:36:50 PM
Well, this seems to be the most truthful item I've seen printed in the press in a very long time:
QuoteAs far as the most popular cars, the study found that the Ford Mustang is shared as the most popular performance car of the two generations
*snip*
I can't argue with that statement!

Further down in the article:
Quote... but that's pretty much where the similarities ended. For example, in the truck category, millennials prefer the Chevy Silverado 1500, while Gen Xers prefer the Ford F-150. Among SUVs, Gen Xers prefer the Toyota RAV4 while millennials side with the Honda CR-V.
Split on brands, yes; split on vehicle types, no.

Fluff article IMHO; especially since the Mustang has been a vehicle to bridge so-called generation gaps since its inception.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

J N Winkler

All of the articles I have been able to find about this Autolist "study" look like paid placement--there is typically an inline link, apparently for the full study on Autolist's website, that actually goes to a listing page for the Honda Civic where you can find instances available for sale.  If I instead go to the top page for Autolist's website, I cannot (easily) find a press-release page where I might be able to find a PDF link either for the full report or for a summary.

Autolist also appears to be pandering to the popular "pampered snowflakes" stereotype about millennials.  I am especially suspicious of the statement that millennials like to keep cars for only five years while Generation X'ers keep them for ten years or longer.  The reality is that a middle-income cost- and value-conscious consumer of any age who is intent on not carrying a car payment will keep a car for as long as it remains in good running order with an acceptable appearance.  Depending on climate, service profile, and component reliability, this will be a good deal longer than 10 years.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

formulanone

Quote from: SignGeek101 on January 26, 2017, 09:24:39 PM
Found this interesting article discussing millennials and gen x 'ers and factors taken into consideration when buying a vehicle.

https://www.rickey.org/millennials-want-new-cars-and-dont-care-about-price-says-new-study/300583/

Eeep...that site is everything wrong with webvertizingaggregationbait today! Three paragraphs of information and a cloud of mustard gas.

Here's the data, posted 8/9ths of the way down the linked page:



Alas, 3800 responses isn't much to go by. Neither does it tell us how much X/Y prefers [car brand] over another and by how much.

jeffandnicole

Statistically speaking, 3,800 (or 3,383) is a decent sized sample for this type study.  You'll never get tens of thousands of people to respond to such a study.

What it reveals to me: Those that are younger purchase cheaper vehicles, and have a thought process they'll hold onto the cars for a shorter period of time.  I'm sure if we looked at previous studies, this will probably be representative of similar results.

kkt

Of course millennials drive less expensive cars than people 10 years older.  They're earlier in their career with less disposable income.

formulanone

Younger buyers usually buy vehicles that they'll be rid of in a few years; increased affluence, desire for a larger family, priorities which are prone to change as their interests progress. Also, they're also growing up with a sense that nothing is "built to last" or just becomes outmoded quicker than before. Asking someone how long they'll keep their new vehicle is a rather inane question...who knows? It's like asking newlyweds how long their second marriage will last. 


briantroutman

I thought the study concluded that younger buyers were willing to spend more than Gen X-ers.



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