My son is just two years older than you John, his interest from the age of three or four was the video arcades that we past in the malls, first he was content to ride the horses and cars outside. Then he progressed to playing with the games inside that at first appeared to react when he moved the joy sticks and *****, it took just a few tries at those machines before he realized that a quarter was required; these quarters did not last too long with a kid that did not reach the console height, he was cheered on at times by the teens inside.

Progressing from a VIC-20, Commodore 64. 386, 486 and so on his interest in games and then computers grew by leaps and bounds. By 9 or 10 he was the go to guy for his schools computer problems and I felt sorry for his buddies attempts to beat him at the new console games, like Play Station etc. He absorbed this new stuff like I had absorbed engine oil from my bikes and cars.

To him a car is just a means of getting from A to B, if the subway is faster he'll leave the car at home. At Woodward the other year he told me that many of his generation will not bother with old cars, he would not mind one but ...............

He has just purchased his second new VW, this one is a manual Jetta, he prefers it to the other car which had an auto, he misses the diesel engine though.

As you said a different generation ..........

 

Kinda reminds me of that commercial a few years back where a guy buys a fancy new crossover of some kind, his 7-8 year kid gets in and he's telling the kid about all the neat features. All the kid has to say is "Does it have a DVD ? "

At least the OP should be happy that "it's got a radio"

 

In an age where everything is disposable, changing cell phones and PC and game box every 12 months just to keep with with the latest and most up to date gadgets, is there any reason why these kids today should be excited about owning great cars like ours? I see more than ever, young people buying these new low costs Hyundai and Mazda that ALL look alike? When I was a kid I used to buy car magazines and dream of owning a hot rod or a Corvette or a fastback, something different, something cool and a blast to drive. Where has the passion gone...SAD

 

Well put, everyone. I, like many of us am getting along in years and the observation of the "new generation", with it's preoccupation with this technical society, is taking away the joy and excitement of the hands on theory...like the personal satisfaction of "messing" with a car from driving it to working on it...not that's it's just a way to get from point A to point B...agreed; it is very sad..However, if one never is exposed to this simple idea of the A/B concept...one never misses it or even knows that it exists...SAD...Carl

 

I think it's hilarious. Love it.

 

I'd bet that mommy and daddy are paying for this car. He has no pride or respect for it. Why would he??? It's probably how Justin Beiber describes his many supercars.

 

You guys are exactly correct, as part of this "generation" you speak of, I can confirm that most people don't know the first thing about their car. I ask some classmates and friends what kind of car they drive and on multiple occasions they struggle to remember the model name. They know the color, the number of seats and that's usually about it. Why would they need to know any more, if it takes them where they want and all their insurance and bills are paid by parents?

 

We can't expect everyone who drives to have the same interest in cars that we do. To each his own. However, we live in an automotive society, so we should expect people to have a modicum of automotive knowledge. What gets me are the guys who buy an expensive ride just for status. It's amazing how many douchebags drive BMWs, Benzes, an even Porsches. To them, their car is nothing more than a mobile Armani Suite or Rolex watch. My son (30) is a computer whiz who doesn't give a damn about his car (a banged up Nissan Sentra). When he needs help, he brings his car to me, but I tell him not to expect me to fix it if he doesn't take care of it. At least I've got him checking oil and tire pressure, albeit with reminders from me. He looks at me like I'm nuts when I suggest that he wash it occasionally. However, it's good to have him around when my computer gets strange. We've got a symbiotic relationship. Could be worse.

 

He needs an SRT-6 to put his foot into .........that will wake him up ! Looks like he's falling a sleep .

 

I believe another reason for the lack of connection is todays cars are very reliable and require minimal care or maintenance. This is a blessing of sorts because of the price but it eliminates the one on one connection with your vehicle. When I was young, many a weekend and some weekdays required oil changes, tune ups, and lots of repairs. As sad as it sounds that provided pride and communication about mechanics and upgrades and customization.

 

AMEN ! Well said !