Study: Teens can't afford to drive

[Dr Frankenstein]

1.  Do teenagers really need a smartphone that does everything in the book?  IMHO, one that just does calls and, maybe, text messages would be more affordable & practical.  Heck, I only got a cell phone 7 years ago because pay phones were just getting too scarce and my cell today is just a standard unit for calls and texts (no Smartphone).

Unfortunately, yes, I think so, at least for kids in middle class neighborhoods. It's more a societal pressure thing- if all their friends have a smartphone and expect to communicate by text/app, they're going to need to be able to do that to in order to maintain a healthy social life. That's really shitty and I hate that we're to that point, but I think we're there. If a kid as a limited amount of money and the choice between a car and a good phone to stay socially in the loop, I can see where they'd be inclined to pick the latter if they have alternate transportation options.

I resisted to the social pressure of getting a cell phone at all in high school. Then in college, smartphones became the trend and I had this old prepaid Samsung flip phone that I got used. I made it a point to not get a smartphone until I got a secure job. I got my current iPhone 3GS used for $20 about 1 year into my current job after graduating.

That didn't make me an outcast. A few friends were a little annoyed because they couldn't share cat videos with me right now, but that's a non-issue.

Growing up in a small farm town (population 790), it was highly impractical not having a car while in college, so I got one about one year into college, after a lot of carpooling headaches. Moving to a dorm would have been more expensive than my excellent condition 1992 Honda Civic which I bought for $1,200 + the surprisingly small amount of gas and maintenance it required. A big chunk of my extended family lives in Montreal and kept telling me I didn't need a car. I think that they failed to realize that the closest bus stop was 9 km (5.5 mi) from home.

[DeaconG]

My mother refused to let me get my driver's license because she would have to insure me on her vehicle (at the time a '72 Coupe DeVille, this was in '75); at the time I understood that, I wanted the license so that if I did have the chance to get a car I'd be able to drive, but she wasn't hearing any of it.

Of course, this came back to bite me in the ass when I enlisted and got to my first duty station; when I was told that I would have to drive a government vehicle in order to perform my job and where was my license, I had to admit I didn't have one.  You could have heard a pin drop in my section office that day, followed by a chorus of "YOU DON'T HAVE A LICENSE?" I remind my mother of that decision every time I see her in person.  Thanks, Mom...you embarrassed me two years later!

So, needless to say, my first driver's license was a government driver's license (issued to me after I went to a class at Fort Bragg to drive their vehicles, including a 6x6 Gamma Goat [which I thought was neat]) and my first state driver's license was from North Carolina, upon which I bought my first beater ('72 Chevy Vega) for $600.  Even then, the insurance rate for males under the age of 25 was ugly, even for beaters; when I bought my first new car years later ('87 Mustang GT 5.0, fresh off the lot) I was paying close to $1600/year for full coverage.

Which brings me to this remembrance: I was at a local insurance place to pay my monthly bill on the Mustang (this was about '88 or '89) and this woman comes in with her 14-year old daughter, she wants to put the kid on her insurance so that she could drive Mom's car.  When she told the agent that she drove a Dodge Dynasty with all the trimmings, I knew what was coming; when the agent quoted her a price of $2200 the woman's jaw hit the floor. Meanwhile, I'm shaking my head and saying to myself fourteen year old driving a Dodge Dynasty? Oh, hell no! What was this woman thinking?

[Duke87]

I guess the question to be asked here is how much or how many of those smartphone features are actually needed to accomplish/stay in touch.  Phone & texting abilities, again I can see as a need.  But everything else is just fluff IMHO.

you would have better seen the point I was trying to make regarding a teen's decision to by a Smartphone vs. a more economical cell phone.

Social status. I was a relatively late adopter of smartphones for someone my age - got my first Droid in August of 2011 at age 23, after having held onto my previous flip phone (which still worked!) for over five years. Before I went and did that, people would give me shit for having such an old beat-up phone. As nutty as it is, young people treat cellphones like fashion accessories and if you want to look sharp you need to always have the newest and most expensive model. Most of why I switched was so I could have the features of a smartphone (which I like having) and send text messages a lot more easily by having a keyboard instead of just a dialpad (which, I'm not kidding, noticeably opened up my social horizons). But simply looking more respectable was also noted as a benefit.

Anyways, point being, I can see where a 15 year old today might not consider an "economical phone" to be an acceptable option.

[PHLBOS]

this woman comes in with her 14-year old daughter, she wants to put the kid on her insurance so that she could drive Mom's car.  When she told the agent that she drove a Dodge Dynasty with all the trimmings, I knew what was coming; when the agent quoted her a price of $2200 the woman's jaw hit the floor. Meanwhile, I'm shaking my head and saying to myself fourteen year old driving a Dodge Dynasty? Oh, hell no! What was this woman thinking?

I'm surprised that there are states that still issue licenses to 14-year olds even then.  Even when I got mine at 16-1/2 back in 1982; the youngest age elligible in some states (not MA where I got mine) was 15 (ME at the time).

With regards to insuring certain types of cars; insurance companies do indeed profile vehicle types as well as the age of the driver.  I knew of one agency in Rhode Island that only insured X number of pony cars like Mustangs and Camaros (regardless of which engine) per yer and that's it.  A friend of mine's sister almost missed getting her '82 or '83 Camaro Berlinetta insured by said-company (that's how I know).

Had you went w/a new sedan like a Taurus or Crown Vic. rather than a Mustang; your insurance rate would've likely been lower.  At the age of 22, the annual insurance rate (full coverage due to an auto loan) of my '85 Grand Marquis (bought in mid-1988) sedan was about $900/year in Massachusetts.  Only $300 more than basic coverage on my old '76 Ford LTD.

Social status. I was a relatively late adopter of smartphones for someone my age - got my first Droid in August of 2011 at age 23, after having held onto my previous flip phone (which still worked!) for over five years. Before I went and did that, people would give me shit for having such an old beat-up phone. As nutty as it is, young people treat cellphones like fashion accessories and if you want to look sharp you need to always have the newest and most expensive model. Most of why I switched was so I could have the features of a smartphone (which I like having) and send text messages a lot more easily by having a keyboard instead of just a dialpad (which, I'm not kidding, noticeably opened up my social horizons). But simply looking more respectable was also noted as a benefit.

A few things here:

1.  I'm well aware of the fashion statement issue as such.  That doesn't necessarily make it right.  Back when I was in high school the same issue was regarding wearing certain type of sneakers even if one wasn't playing a particular sport; so the fashion statement complex has existed for quite sometime and spanned through the generations.  Again, some of the blame can be placed on the parents; especially if it's their money shelling out the expenses... at least initially.

2.  You bought your first smartphone at the age of 23 per your comment; well after you were out of high school and I'm assuming w/your own money.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  Was your primary reasoning for not getting a smartphone sooner basically because your old cell phone worked fine or due to cost?

3.  You mentioned this in past threads that you current car was a gift your parents.  Again, nothing wrong with that, mind you; but that certainly eliminated the vehicle purchase cost out of your personal budget equation.  The subject of debate in this thread for a current teen (who's old enough to drive) is to get a smartphone or a car (or even adriver's license); that is the question (a Shakespeare rip-off, I know).

In last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, there was a similar article on this subject.  It also listed smartphones and being able to stay linked to social networking as a more economical means of staying in conctact vs. actual face-to-face contact that involves driving on at least one person's part.  That's all well and good; but at a certain point (which was not mentioned in either this Sunday's article nor the OP's linked-article), there will be a need for true face-to-face contact w/someone and being able to drive to meet up with that person or group may be the only way to conduct such.  Again, not every city in the U.S. has as extensive of a transit system as NYC.

Additionally, per DeaconG's earlier example, one will still need to at least learn how to drive in order to get a job even if purchasing one's own car is a few years down the road.  While one may not need to commute by car to one's job, that's doesn't mean that a portion of one's job duties won't involve driving a vehicle owned by the company.  Plus, not every company out there allows for telecommuting and/or continuous internet conferencing as a means to perform one's job duties.

[Jardine]

I did farm work to buy my first car (a 74 Gremlin, LOL) and as soon as I went off to college with it, my parents bought my younger sister a car (a 76 Camaro!!!!!!!) because they really liked having 2 cars around.

And yes, after almost 40 years, I am still pissed.


I think all teens that want a car need to do something to earn it.

[Duke87]

You bought your first smartphone at the age of 23 per your comment; well after you were out of high school and I'm assuming w/your own money.  Nothing wrong with that at all.  Was your primary reasoning for not getting a smartphone sooner basically because your old cell phone worked fine or due to cost?

You assume correctly about who paid for it.

As for why I didn't get a smartphone sooner... yes, cost was certainly a factor. As was the fact that my old phone worked fine. And the fact that it's simply in my nature to be a late adapter of things, since it takes a lot to convince me that the change is worth making. To this day I do not own an iPod or any form of mp3 player and never have - I just use my computer to store and play music when I'm at home, and keep a box of CDs in my car. I expect my hand will be forced on this matter within the next few years, though, as they aren't making cars with CD players anymore.

[PHLBOS]

I expect my hand will be forced on this matter within the next few years, though, as they aren't making cars with CD players anymore.

I experienced similar regarding cassette players in cars.  The last car I bought prior to my '07 Mustang (w/a 6-CD player) was a new '97 Crown Vic. equipped w/a cassette player back in Nov. of '96; the dual-media (cassette & CD player) option didn't become available as on option until a couple of years later.  Had it existed then, I certainly would've ordered it.

[formulanone]

I expect my hand will be forced on this matter within the next few years, though, as they aren't making cars with CD players anymore.

They're still quite commonplace in nearly every rental car I get each week. In fact, it wasn't until the 2012 Chevy Spark that the CD player became a non-option (barring vehicle models that are over 20 years old). In 5-10 years, they will be  completely phased out, but they still sell those disks. Probably the last vehicles with CD slots will be those which an older population prefer.

Still, if I buy an album in a store, I don't want to wait until I get home to listen to it...

[Takumi]

Probably the last vehicles with CD slots will be those which an older population prefer.

Indeed, the last car sold with a cassette player was the Lexus SC430, which ended production in 2010.

[Rick Powell]

As a teenager I broke the curve.  Drove about 25-30k miles a year when I was 17 and 18, driving from home to my apartment working on the construction of I-55 in McLean County IL, driving home or to friends at the end of the week, and going places on the weekends.  After a relatively low mileage past few decades, I am up to that kind of annual mileage with my work.  Back in my youth, a lot of my driving was necessary but some of it wasn't, but I was paying for the gas and insurance out of my paycheck.  My parents would let me drive one of their beaters rather than trade it in back in those days so I did get somewhat of a break, but I went ahead and bought a new truck when I was 18.

[Duke87]

I expect my hand will be forced on this matter within the next few years, though, as they aren't making cars with CD players anymore.

They're still quite commonplace in nearly every rental car I get each week. In fact, it wasn't until the 2012 Chevy Spark that the CD player became a non-option (barring vehicle models that are over 20 years old). In 5-10 years, they will be  completely phased out, but they still sell those disks. Probably the last vehicles with CD slots will be those which an older population prefer.

I see this as a recent thing. My father's 2011 Nissan Sentra has a CD player. My sister's 2013 Nissan Sentra does not.

The really scary thing is that CD drives are starting to be no longer standard equipment for computers. That's a real game changer since if your computer doesn't have a CD drive you can't even rip CDs to mp3s anymore, which seems to be my preferred method of obtaining music these days (I have no objections to digitally downloading music but Amazon MP3 and iTunes can both suck it and most major artists don't sell mp3s through any other retailers).

[formulanone]

Just rented a Mitsubishi Outlander, and it had a USB reader and Bluetooth. But it had no AUX port, which is how 99% of current vehicles also (or only) allow it. The head unit was apparently not designed for an iPod with 8000 songs, as it was very sluggish. Still, the USB connection is also nice enough to charge your smartphone.

I've copied all my software to a backup USB hard drive, since I saw those days coming...actually, most of what I use on a regular basis would fit on a current 16GB thumb drive, not counting an operating system.

There's two map CDs (USA 98.) I own which refuse to work unless they always have a disc spinning in the tray, but with the advent of online maps, I haven't used them in years.

I feel a bit off-topic here. This shouldn't be about me, getting old. Or technology just doing what it's always been doing, except at an increasingly faster rate of obsolescence.

[PHLBOS]

Probably the last vehicles with CD slots will be those which an older population prefer.

Indeed, the last car sold with a cassette player was the Lexus SC430, which ended production in 2010.

On the domestic side, the last sedan equipped w/a cassette player was the 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis.

While I don't believe that Ford has phased out CD players yet on their cars; they have indeed reverted back to offering only single-CD players rather than CD players that can hold (& play) 5 or 6 within the last 2 model years.

[1995hoo]

I would be quite vexed not to have a CD player in the car. I'm kind of spoiled in that my Acura TL's stereo plays DVD-Audio discs. That format was a commercial failure, but what I like about it is that I can burn my own DVD-Audio discs using Cirlinca's software. The discs can handle either very high-resolution music (such as 24/96 downloads from HDTracks.com) or very large quantities of CD-quality music. I rip the CDs to .WAV and then use the Cirlinca software to arrange it on the DVD and burn the disc (the codec is not the same as a DVD-Video disc). It makes it easy to carry far more music than I'd ever need in the car without carrying more CDs than will easily fit–for example, I have a single DVD-Audio disc that contains the Beatles' first ten albums (the equivalent of 11 CDs because the White Album is a double-set). With a six-disc in-dash changer, I can feed it six discs and drive all the way to Miami without making it all the way through all six of them. The LightScribe drive helps a lot when burning the discs because I can use it to list what albums are on a given disc and how they're arranged in the different "groups" (similar to directories; it helps in terms of arranging albums, but it's also good because you can only have up to 99 tracks in a group–so for that Beatles disc, for example, using multiple groups was necessary, and I put the first four albums in one group, the next three in another, Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour in a third, and the White Album in a fourth).

My previous car had a trunk-mounted aftermarket CD changer put there by the person who had leased it before I bought it. I like the in-dash unit a whole lot better!

My RX-7 has both a cassette player and a CD player, but the CD player currently doesn't work.

[oscar]

Jumping in a little late -- I got my driver's license, and car, as soon as legally possible in the early '70s, which IIRC was before my 16th birthday.  When I was growing up in southern California, my family was without wheels and relied heavily on public transit (not bad for a suburban community, but still not a great way to get around), so there was a big push for me to get my DL ASAP so I could drive them around.

My sisters and I brought a car (before they were eligible for their own DLs, but they got the car when I went off to college), with a small inheritance from our grandmother.  It was a little Datsun 1200 that could maybe do 90mph downhill, but the gas mileage was terrific which came in handy when 1973 oil embargo hit.