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I completely agree. Still, we gotta keep those stinkin' socialist ideas from taking root here...Some folks might learn to like them.
When I was in college, we did a research project for Central Soya at their chicken processing plant in Athens, Ga. Overall, I probably spent 250 or more hours inside the plant over a 4-week period.
I've also been through several other manufacturing plant tours, including automotive plants.
From what I saw, comparing all the plants I've been inside, if anyone was entitled to $60-80K for working on an assembly line, it was the folks at the chicken processing plant. Talk about a mind-numbing, repetitive task job!
It was so awful that the plant always scheduled 125% of the daily work force, because it was frequent to have a 25-30% absentee rate on any given day.
It seems in every instance of economic upheaval certain aspects of our financial system go through some sort of permanent change.
Think about pre and post Great Depression, as an example.
My main complaint about the auto industry debacle has never been the bankruptcy, or even how it was handled. No, my biggest gripe is that it happened at all. The financial impacts of the long-term obligations of the Big-3 were being discussed and debated back in the 1970's when I was in college, but the can just kept being kicked down the road, with all involved hoping they would be long-gone from the scene before the car industry literally drove off the financial cliff.
There was never a question of "if"... Only "when".
Comparison:
The Big Test: 2013/2014 Full-Size Sedans
Chevrolet Impala LTZ vs. Chrysler 300S vs. Ford Taurus SEL vs. Kia Cadenza vs. Toyota Avalon Ltd
I believe there was a comment in the article how Kia did this size car better than sister Hyundai. But of course, I read the article for free in a minute or less.
The last time we visited this space, we pitted the Toyota Avalon (the very same one we have here, in fact) against the new Hyundai Azera and the aging Nissan Maxima. The result of that comparison was a photo finish between the Hyundai and the Toyota, with the Avalon winning by just a grille.
Unfortunately, the Cadenza is so new to market that it has yet to be crash-tested by either the IIHS or NHTSA. The similar Hyundai Azera was tested by the IIHS and named a Top Safety Pick, though it has yet to be tested by the NHTSA.
In our last full-size test, the Avalon outsipped the Hyundai Azera and Nissan Maxima by nearly 3 mpg.
Then we talked about how Kia had managed to build a car utilizing roughly the same engine and platform as its upscale brother, Hyundai, and somehow managed to do a better job. While the Kia wasn't the best in every category, it was strong in those that make the most difference: ride comfort, interior space, and fuel economy. It has a features list that could rival an $80K BMW's and value that places it above its full-size brethren. For those reasons, the Kia Cadenza is our full-size champ.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2024 Ram 1500 Longhorn, 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2019 Ford Mustang GT Premium, 2016 Kia Optima SX, 2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6
GM had 17.5% of the new-vehicle market in May, Ford had 17%, Autodata reports.
Relevant, because we're the only ones buying them. :shades:
The second reason for the shift, according to the study, is the continuing decline in the number of younger licensed drivers. In 1983, 91.8 percent of people aged 20 to 24 had a license, but by 2011 that figure had dropped to 79.7 percent.
This is so far removed from my own experiences from 50 years ago that I feel like I have come to live on an alien planet, far removed from Planet Earth. I started driving when I was about 10, and I couldn’t wait to turn 14, take driver’s ed, and get a license. It was one of the biggest things in my life. I cannot for the life of me understand why young people today are not licensed to drive.
But my brother-in-law (~57) hasn't driven since getting his license and he manages just fine.
I dunno; we just got back from a 3,000 mile road trip but gas just popped to $4.19 here, campsites are pushing $30 just for a tent and it's harder to find "real" food joints on the road now - everything is franchised factory food. Too bad that flying somewhere is even more painful than driving these days.
No wonder more people are just hanging out and surfing the net.
If you live and work in a large city with good public transit, and you shop in a 3 block radius and you have Zip Car and Enterprise and a bicycle, and friends with a driver's license, why would you, as a young person just starting out, endure the burden of a car, a garage, high insurance, $300 speeding tickets, $165 parking ticket, etc--all of which would consume most of your disposable income? Aside from the rare car trip, why would you even need a driver's license except for ID?
I'm 58 and I can only remember 1 grown-up I knew as a kid that didn't drive...my uncle, but his wife drove him everywhere he needed to go.
I don't think its a coincidence that the urban areas that invests significantly in mass transit systems are also usually oriented towards (or at a minimum, appeal to) the younger generations. I think of places like Portland and Seattle being such places, since my younger daughter just finished up doing her clinicals in both of those cities, and she used the city buses for most of her transportation needs, even though she still had her car there.
I think about an article I read recently that said the AVERAGE student college loan was in excess of $25K, and it makes me wonder how many in the younger generation can even afford a new car, assuming they wanted one at all.
Seems that many young adults are more than happy to let someone else do the driving these days...
My non-driving brother-in-law is in Seattle btw.
HA! How about us OLD adults? What with more speed traps than Starbucks now in California, $2200 clutch jobs, $4.30 gas, and the new California "Driver's Licenses for the Incompetent" Program (a person CAN'T be that bad a driver without being trained to be that awful), I sometimes think about throwing in the towel and just getting myself a 50 year old clunker truck that would wheeze along the backroads...and yet afford me the protection of 2 tons of thick steel (you want to rear end a 400 lbs utility bumper in your Nissan Leaf? Be my guest).
Not driving usually requires one to live in an urban core, and maybe have a job that is sympathetic. The rabid bike commuters I have seen tend to be smarmy tenured middle aged old hippie public sector surplus overhead manager types who have so little to do that they can include their commute and prep time into the space where people who actually work have to actually do work.
Mobile connectivity helps, too. No need to go see someone, just text/call/skype and have your groceries delivered.
In the Beginning, Benz created heaven and earth---you had a big wide world out there, with lots of empty roads but cars that could barely beat a fast horse, and with very edgy reliability.
Now, we have the reverse---immensely capable cars that can go 150 mph with the AC on, and very few places left to use them at that level.
No wonder the 50s and 60s cars have become nostalgic and valuable--that might have been the last time when "the freedom of the road" was a term with some actual meaning.
Used cars cost $250 bucks. Driving was WAYYYY cheaper than flying. Gas was cheap.
Ever see movies of New York or LA in the 50s. Ever notice that there were parking spaces everywhere? :P
Reminds me of this....
This radio station was named Kowalski, in honour of the last American hero to whom speed means freedom of the soul. The question is not when's he gonna stop, but who is gonna stop him.
I wonder if making licenses harder to obtain might actually improve the situation, make it something for people to work for? Of course, it wouldn't be "business friendly", so not going to happen.
Thinking back on my early years, regarding college and money...
I was able to work my way through college basically on my own, with a little help from my parents. I provided my transportation (Ford Currier PU, no A/C, in GA), but my folks paid the liability insurance for me, along with medical insurance. I paid all college related expenses (tuition, books, housing, food, etc.) myself, and was able to do so by working summers and part-time when school was in session. I took as heavy a course load as I could, so I could shave a couple of quarters off my tenure at school.
My living conditions weren't great, but they were far from intolerable. When I graduated and got my bachelor's degree in 75, my folks agreed to make car payments for me on a 1975 Pontiac Astre until I graduated from Graduate school, as the Currier was just about toast at that point. Fortunately, I had great luck with that car, and no unexpected expenses with it until I traded it. I finished grad school debt-free, with only that help from my folks. Seems like the car payments were in the range of $120/month...
I guess my point in that recollection is that I was able to do 95% of the funding by myself, with no loans, using the jobs of the day and go to the University of GA. Not an Ivy League school, but fairly reputable.
Having just had my youngest graduate with her doctorate, I know there simply is NO WAY she could have funded her college costs without some major loans or lots of assistance from my wife and myself. Just her undergraduate degree at the Univ. of SC, a state supported school that uses lottery funds to help undergraduates fund their education tuition would have been impossible for her to get the same way I did mine.
That's why I'm not surprised younger folks buy less new cars than baby boomers. By the time they reach the ability to afford one (salary-wise), they're already deep in hock for college loans.
I don't see how that trend can continue indefinitely. Something has to change...
I dunno...
Its eminently much more difficult to get a DL in Germany, but every time I'm there the traffic in the cities seems as crowded as what I see here.
The big difference I notice there is how much better drivers behave on the autobahn and limited access roads, where the left lane is used for passing...
Goto major cities in Italy and you stand a great chance of being run down by a large group of smoke-belching Vespas...
I practiced and took the driver's test in a Galaxy too. Here's what it looked like.
There are a few breaking points society is rushing towards, that's just one of them. It makes a car, especially a new car, just not ideal for many younger people. Going to be interesting in the future today, as modern 20-somethings probably aren't going to experience a 25 year stock and real estate expansion the boomers lucked into.
Germans I know will say their license test was the hardest exam of their life, and were proud to get it.
Didn't test in it though.
Ill give you that... Not much hands-on phone activities while driving in Germany, and a whole lot less DUI's.
Germans I know will say their license test was the hardest exam of their life, and were proud to get it.
I agree. Can't say about cars, but I know motorcycle licenses are "graduated" into multiple levels there, by HP and age. Lots of Germans I know got their vehicle license while serving in the military, letting the military cover the fees, which I understand can run well over $1000.
The 66 2 door HT was actually a huge seller - something like 200K units, IIRC. Back in the days before much competition, and when a big 2 door was fashionable.
I think a few US states have graduated motorcycle licenses. I'd rather see those for cars, especially based on size, weight, or height. But it would impact sales, so not going to happen. I think a license in Germany is a good 1500-2000, yeah. Funny thing too, some US states have reciprocity with Germany for licenses, but not all. Standards must be really low in some places.
All in all I'll take today's 3.7 vs. yesteryear's 7, even though the latter are more interesting. Nobody will reminisce about today's 3.7s decades from now.
But if you are in the right type of vehicle and in the right place, yeah, let 'er rip!
But if you are in the right type of vehicle and in the right place, yeah, let 'er rip!
Absolutely correct. Trucks are subject to all sorts of highway limitations, including lane assignment, speed, and even days of the week allowed on the road. IIRC, most trucks can't run on Sunday. Overall, trucks don't carry as large a load as trucks carry here, too.
Approx. 50% of the autobahn system currently has speed limits imposed today in Germany, and they do a very efficient job of enforcing those limits, via patrol force as well as camera enforcement.
Fintail is also correct in that the drivers on the autobahn certainly appear to be far more conscious of being on a high speed road system than drivers here. One doesn't find many left lane riders there, and they have a better safety record than here.