Apparently not only the self-absorbed generation but the stingiest?

[Shane for Wax]

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/the-cheapest-generation/309060/

In 2009, Ford brought its new supermini, the Fiesta, over from Europe in a brave attempt to attract the attention of young Americans. It passed out 100 of the cars to influential bloggers for a free six-month test-drive, with just one condition: document your experience online, whether you love the Fiesta or hate it.

Young bloggers loved the car. Young drivers? Not so much. After a brief burst of excitement, in which Ford sold more than 90,000 units over 18 months, Fiesta sales plummeted. As of April 2012, they were down 30 percent from 2011.

Don’t blame Ford. The company is trying to solve a puzzle that’s bewildering every automaker in America: How do you sell cars to Millennials (a k a Generation Y)? The fact is, today’s young people simply don’t drive like their predecessors did. In 2010, adults between the ages of 21 and 34 bought just 27 percent of all new vehicles sold in America, down from the peak of 38 percent in 1985. Miles driven are down, too. Even the proportion of teenagers with a license fell, by 28 percent, between 1998 and 2008.

As summed up by a commenter:
“You mean the generation that paid three times as much for college to enter a job market with triple the unemployment isn’t interested in purchasing the assets of the generation who just blew an enormous housing bubble and kept it from popping through quantitative easing and out-and-out federal support? Curious.”

[Cerim Treascair]

And this, boys and girls, is why I buy used.  *Pats The Tank affectionately*

[The Illusive Man]

And remember folks this generation is the worst just like the previous generation, the second previous generation, the third previous generation , ect.

“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.” – Socrates

Ageism is ageless, don’t let it be used as a distraction.

In a bid to reverse these trends, General Motors has enlisted the youth-brand consultants at MTV Scratch—a corporate cousin of the TV network responsible for Jersey Shore—to give its vehicles some 20-something edge.

But hey, keep blaming your customers I am sure that is a viable business strategy.

[Askold]

In a bid to reverse these trends, General Motors has enlisted the youth-brand consultants at MTV Scratch—a corporate cousin of the TV network responsible for Jersey Shore—to give its vehicles some 20-something edge.

But hey, keep blaming your customers I am sure that is a viable business strategy.

But if they are hiring a consultant and trying to change in order to fit their new customers, how does that imply that they are just blaming the customers? I mean they have noticed that the new generation has different tastes (for example, they love Jersey shore) and are trying to adapt to that. And that's just smart.

[kefkaownsall]

I think what makes this generation gap different is that the previous generation had it better then this current one

[The Illusive Man]

In a bid to reverse these trends, General Motors has enlisted the youth-brand consultants at MTV Scratch—a corporate cousin of the TV network responsible for Jersey Shore—to give its vehicles some 20-something edge.

But hey, keep blaming your customers I am sure that is a viable business strategy.

But if they are hiring a consultant and trying to change in order to fit their new customers, how does that imply that they are just blaming the customers? I mean they have noticed that the new generation has different tastes (for example, they love Jersey shore) and are trying to adapt to that. And that's just smart.

Because the following sentiments did not occur in vacuum:

Perhaps. But what if these assumptions are simply wrong? What if Millennials’ aversion to car-buying isn’t a temporary side effect of the recession, but part of a permanent generational shift in tastes and spending habits?

Subaru’s publicist Doug O’Reilly told us, “The Millennial wants to tell people not just ‘I’ve made it,’ but also ‘I’m a tech person.’ ” Smartphones compete against cars for young people’s big-ticket dollars, since the cost of a good phone and data plan can exceed $1,000 a year. But they also provide some of the same psychic benefits—opening new vistas and carrying us far from the physical space in which we reside. “You no longer need to feel connected to your friends with a car when you have this technology that’s so ubiquitous, it transcends time and space,” Connelly said.

Don’t pigeonhole tech as competition especially when it is so closely tied with the current generation as a cultural matter. That only creates the impression of a "us or them" scenario. Integrate and expand.

[mythbuster43]

Hey, I just turned 22, and I'm still on my learner's permit. Even if I did have my license, I couldn't afford a car. I'm still going through College on a budget where I can't even afford to live on my own. I've always been puzzled at how parents will just buy cars for their kids on their sixteenth birthdays.

[The Illusive Man]

Hey, I just turned 22, and I'm still on my learner's permit. Even if I did have my license, I couldn't afford a car. I'm still going through College on a budget where I can't even afford to live on my own. I've always been puzzled at how parents will just buy cars for their kids on their sixteenth birthdays.

The amount of wealth parents possess directly impacts the rate of advancement and achievement of societal norms for their children. More money to allocate, more contact to exploit and more access to resources. This assumes they are willing to allocate that wealth of course. Otherwise they are just digging themselves deeper in debt to do so.

The above is undertaken to fulfill old societal norms from the past. Things have changed, not superimposing expectations and outdated conditions is very difficult for many parents.

[PosthumanHeresy]

Hey, I just turned 22, and I'm still on my learner's permit. Even if I did have my license, I couldn't afford a car. I'm still going through College on a budget where I can't even afford to live on my own. I've always been puzzled at how parents will just buy cars for their kids on their sixteenth birthdays.

I'm 17 and have my licence, but mainly because my parents really wanted me to, because they want me to actually be able to go get stuff done without them (whether it be running an errand or going and buying my own damn Monster), and because they really need the extra help with money (thankfully have been told that I'll be getting a call late September to start seasonal work at a store after about a year of putting in applications everywhere I could think of).

[TheL]

And this, boys and girls, is why I buy used.  *Pats The Tank affectionately*

I could afford to buy new, so I went with a compact car that has a hatchback and awesome gas mileage.  I plan on running that fucker into the GROUND.

...And of course, the dealer is trying to get me to sell it back "due to high demand" so they can sell me another one.

[Old Viking]

Ummm, car companies ... those young people?  They don't have any money. 

[Cerim Treascair]

And this, boys and girls, is why I buy used.  *Pats The Tank affectionately*

I could afford to buy new, so I went with a compact car that has a hatchback and awesome gas mileage.  I plan on running that fucker into the GROUND.

...And of course, the dealer is trying to get me to sell it back "due to high demand" so they can sell me another one.

Honda, baby.  '87, west coast... she still needs maintenance now and again, but I love the old gal to pieces.  She's gotten me through a lot.

[gyeonghwa]

The fact is, today’s young people simply don’t drive like their predecessors did.

I don't see what the problem is here. If anything, It's probably a good thing that we reduce the amount of driving and cars on the road. I mean from a personal point, you can save a lot by car pooling. If you're using public transportation, it helps create some public sector jobs and reduce traffic. The only way I see this as a problem is if all the millenials were one of those "friends" who only every hit you up when they need a ride somewhere.

In 2010, adults between the ages of 21 and 34 bought just 27 percent of all new vehicles sold in America, down from the peak of 38 percent in 1985. Miles driven are down, too

[Flying Mint Bunny!]

I really don't understand how not having a car is stingy.

[gyeonghwa]

I was driving a 1990 Toyota for most of my college life because my folks are broke and couldn't afford a new one. Apparently growing up working class and not being able to afford a new Mustang every year makes you "stingy".