Non Car People - who raises there people?

Yesterday afternoon we had a new fridge for the garage delivered.  The delivery guy was in his twenties, he walked right past my sons VIP LS400, the F500, the Datsun and didn't even bat an eyelash at all the memorabilia tacked to the walls.  I'm sure he didn't even see the motorcycles.

We were probably his last delivery of the day so I get the guy was probably dog tired but clearly he simply wasn't a car guy.

A guy in his twenties not into cars; how does this happen? Who raises these people???................I don't comprehend this at all and I'm truly concerned about society.

I don't know man, but in my line of work I actively fish out my customers that are into cars. The saddest part is 9/10 times I know more about their car than they do. "Hey nice 966"

customer "huh?"

me "that's the style of 911."

customer "oh yeah it's a great car"

me "hey, wanna come to our local autocross this Saturday?"

customer "leave me alone"

I don't intend to raise my son to be a car person.  

My son raised his Dad as a car person, then grew up and left the house. 

Nothing new, one of two sons assumes cars are just another appliance he must endure. Would rather take mass transit or walk. The other drives an 18 Miata MX5 Club as a daily. He has previously leased a WRX, FRS, A4 and Mazda 3, all manual transmissions. However, he does not own tools.

I worked with 2 guys that are mechanics/automotive technician instructors. Automobiles were just a source of income. No interest in motor sports, automobiles, hobby, performance etc. 

They're still out there. 

A bunch of them go up to Mt. Lemmon here in SoAZ, lots of young guys at auto-x the last couple years. 

My boy has gotten a lot of his buddies in to cars. 

But, I think there are fewer just because of the proliferation of other types of entertainment.  

outasite said:

 Would rather take mass transit or walk.

As a millennial myself, I think this might be part of it.

Obviously, I can't speak for my whole generation, but the connotation of the automobile has become a little different for a lot of us (myself included) versus a generation or two ago. Without getting too into the weeds with it, it's not uncommon for the car to be viewed as part of the problem and not the solution when it comes to the current state of transportation and infrastructure in this country. A lot us youngins look to alternative means of mass transportation that doesn't require the potential financial burden of a new car (the price of a bus pass might be easier to swallow). As well, a lot of us are at least somewhat aware of the impact all those cars have on the environment.

That doesn't mean that we all don't care about cars—as I like to think I'm a car person—we just might look at them a little differently than some previous generations.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Heretic!!!

It's not new.  Enthusiasts have been in the minority since day 1.  The majority of the population has always looked as cars as a mode of transportation only.

In reply to NOHOME :

"You shall be assimilated" replied the Borgward.

Car person by choice here and let me say it takes interest, motivation and work to even get into cars now days.

I wasn't really into cars much but some guys in high school shop class were and I was at the point of looking for my first car. This got me looking at least towards more "fun" cars but not a lot of useful information. Mom and dad had no care. Dad had an '85 olds 442 but it hadn't moved on its own in 10+ years. Everyone sure had an opinion to voice about what cars I wanted to look at and I finally found the loop hole of Mom's "No Turbo" or "High power" decree in a 82 Cutlass with a big block...Because Dad would be on my side. At this point it was really the forums that sparked my interest in modifications and the "build" or "making it my own" is really what set the hook for life. I asked around to anyone and everyone I could find that might be good to learn from and it was always "too busy", "not interested" or "just pay me to work on it for you". I wanted to learn and so one day Dad comes home to me with the top end tore off my engine...He was pissed, I knew he would be...that's why I took it apart while he was gone. Hanes manual got me through a cam/valve job/intake/carb and changing the rod bearings. And I've been self taught on just about everything since. I'll seek out and read as much as I can before getting started and find help if its available but at some point it just has to be figured out.

Long story short is that without Interest, Motivation, and Willingness to learn most people just never even consider being a car person. Largely because there isn't a car person around to encourage them or spark the interest. So take the 5min to engage a kid/teenager/adult that your car catches the eye of. It just may be whats needed to get them started. 

Another note...I have a few customers that only now getting around to having a car hobby now that they've retired. I work on their cars and provide guidance/suggestions based on what they want to have the car be to them. I encourage them to get online to check out parts and ideas that others have done and most of the time they come back excited and just itching to dive in and learn or do the next thing with the car. 

I don't think it's age related or even generational at all.  Our club events attract car folks of all ages, from 16 to almost 90.  The young generation of car folks is alive and well.

Some people are car folks; most people aren't.

DW enjoys driving and wants a good looking, comfortable car that handles decently and has enough power to be entertaining, but she's not caught up with car lust.

I'm 1 for 2 on raising car kids.

DD#1 autocrosses the '99 Meotter she bought herself (she's prgram chair).  She also dailies a Ford C-Max as a millennial doing her part to save the environment.  She loves it.  She did the research, she found this one, she negotiated the purchase price and loan, and she just paid the loan off early, all by herself.

DD#2 likes to drive but her focus is on road trips.  By her own words, she likes "big, lazy cars".  Her mechanical knowledge is nil.  I wouldn't call her a car person.

Neither of my kids have the slightest interest in public transport, but we all live in the burbs.

Ok, for me it was genetic. My mom said when I was a baby I had a collection of hot wheels that my grandmother would buy me and bring by every week. My grand father was an avid street racer in the 60's in SoCal. I never met my father until I was 18, but turns out, my old man and ALL of my uncles are into cars and trucks. Genetically, there was no escaping this, despite growing up in a house that was too poor to afford any cool car!

I tried with my 2 kids.  No interest although my 18 year old shows some.  

A lot of hobbies and sports that seem or were popular in the past have seen decreased numbers due to financial pressure or the sheer volume of other options. General aviation, bicycle racing, and running are just a few. I don't know if there are fewer car folks but I do know that it took me a while before I could responsibly have an extremely modest fun car. Even still, the hobby costs money, and that's without ever getting out for a track day. 

In reply to AaronT :

I was just going to point that out. In Japan many young people don't even own cars, just because it is so expensive to do so. If they do on a Car, then it is strictly for racing. They take the public transportation to and from work. And they keep the race car stored at the race track

Lots of kids are turned off because they have bought into a school of thought saying any fossil fuel use for individual consumption is bad. Fun is bad, on an individual level. Jmo.

My family didn't have any true car people in it growing up, despite having some cool cars in the driveways.

My son is of legal driving age and was very interested in getting his license, but then COVID hit, so he's willing to wait, especially since he's got nowhere to go. He's going to keep learning ABOUT cars and how they work and how they break as part of that process. Being able to do basic maintenance is part of being a licensed driver, in my opinion. One of his friends is car CRAZY, though. He showed me the Honda B16 valve cover he was decorating to hang on his wall over Zoom the other day. 

My daughter is more into cars than my son, but I expect she's going to be an Overlander/Off-Roader more than a track rat. She was helping me do oil changes as a toddler and LOVES driving off pavement. 

I'm the only car person in my entire family, as far as I can tell. My brother didn't really care much about them, other than "how loud can my stereo be?" I guess I'm saying it can go both ways. 

So when I posted this sillyness it was more to make fun of my being the 1% and thinking my universe is the norm......sort of a "all men are Socrates" line of thought.

For most people playing with cars means giving something else up. This was summed up by a fellow racers license plate frame "I drive a crappy car during the week so I can race a crappy car on the weekend"

You need to be a little bit mental to be a car person and you need to be completely mental to take up racing cars.

Brett_Murphy (Ex-Patrón) said:

My daughter is more into cars than my son, but I expect she's going to be an Overlander/Off-Roader more than a track rat. She was helping me do oil changes as a toddler and LOVES driving off pavement. 

I love driving off pavement as well..................unfortunately the Stewarts are less fond of this behavior.

Even car people are bent.

I've seen people walk through our shop when there's been a Duesenberg, Auburn boattail and L-29 Cord in the shop, along with a one-of-6 H.A. Moyer and a one-of-11 Diana Light 8 and what do they gravitate to?

"Oooohhh a MUSTANG!!!"

Right, ultra rare, never see another one in your lifetime and what do you get excited over?

The hairdresser car you see at every car show, every weekend.

Good grief.

Do you go out to a nice restaurant and order chicken fingers?

Now that I think about it, these people also explain why Olive Garden stays in business.

ShawnG said:

Even car people are bent.

I've seen people walk through our shop when there's been a Duesenberg, Auburn boattail and L-29 Cord in the shop, along with a one-of-6 H.A. Moyer and a one-of-11 Diana Light 8 and what do they gravitate to?

"Oooohhh a MUSTANG!!!"

Right, ultra rare, never see another one in your lifetime and what do you get excited over?

The hairdresser car you see at every car show, every weekend.

Good grief.

Do you go out to a nice restaurant and order chicken fingers?

Now that I think about it, these people also explain why Olive Garden stays in business.

They might not want to look ignorant about the rare stuff. Probably because they're worried they'll get told to use the search function.

Car culture can be toxic, and lots of times you're already expected to know (things) before you open your mouth or else you get ridiculed. 

I've been a car guy all my life and even my interest is waning. Maybe it's age , or maybe it's because I can cruise all the local car lots and see very little product that has an excitement level above that of my fridge. It'll be difficult to get my grandsons excited about some form of SUV/CUV