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Seems whenever you see a cool classic or even more recent European convertible such as a Porsche, Alfa, or Ferrari, it's usually some grey haired dude over 50 behind the wheel. Same for Corvettes and other American classics. Apparently younger people don't really care about them. Is this a generational thing?
yeah lots of younger guys driving mustang GT's, camaro SS, nissian 350Z. mazda RX8, a C5 corvette are common but they are semi affordable to guys in their mid-20's-early 30's
high end Ferrari's are kinda out of reach for most people anyway
Seems whenever you see a cool classic or even more recent European convertible such as a Porsche, Alfa, or Ferrari, it's usually some grey haired dude over 50 behind the wheel. Same for Corvettes and other American classics. Apparently younger people don't really care about them. Is this a generational thing?
Old guys drive the more expensive sports cars because they can afford them, and the young guys generally can't.
I think a lot of younger guys are geared towards the foreign (mostly Japanese) sports cars because they're cheaper and there's a HUGE mod market for them.
Could they get a high-end Camaro SS or Mustang GT 500 or the new Challenger? Maybe. But a lot of kids who have a passion for racing would rather work on their cars. It's also a budget factor. It's much cheaper to buy a used Japanese car and mod it these days. Back in the old days, when Mustangs were cheap, that was the rule, but even a low end Mustang now costs $25000, which is still a ton of money for young folks these days.
Of course, among the demographic of my age range (25-35), who are young and professional, we do buy the more "polished" brands of BMW, Audi, and the higher end Japanese cars, and a fair bit of American muscle cars. But a lot of that market is offset by the fact they start to have kids and stuff.
Old people (me included) tend to lean towards the cars of the past while the younger ones go for the Japanese stuff on the road. I still like to drive my 1966 car (paid for) at the same fwy speed as others and feel comfortable knowing that there is no payment due at the first of the month...maybe this should be under the FRUGAL thread.
We appreciate the older cars that may be considered CLASSICS in some eyes but in reality it's the convenience and low cost of any repairs that may arise. Nothing like simplicity in my book.
if you also include "muscle cars" like later model Camaros and Mustangs, i have been driving those since i got my license. and i had pined away for the early model classic versions all the while. bought my '67 Firebird in 1999 when i was 24.
As most have already said, basically the older guys (many Baby Boomers) want to relive their past and now have the means to purchase the sports cars and muscle cars that they couldn't when they were 16. My dad has a '58 Corvette that he bought at Barrett Jackson a couple years back, he always wanted one when he was younger but couldn't afford one so now that he has money, he paid in the 6 figures to relive his teen years.
I'm 29 and I have a C6 Corvette but I'm the exception, not the rule. I'd much rather have American muscle than a Japanese import any day of the week!
And Ferrari's are out of reach for most average Americans but the older generation tends to have the money to buy one if they so desire. I rarely see someone my age driving an exotic sports car, we just simply don't have the disposable income to do it!
I've been driving "sports cars" since I got a license. Started with MGA's, TR-3's, and a number of Jaguars. In college, I drove 356 Porsches, TR-4's, and even looked at buying (but didn't) a 911. By then, the MG TD-TF 1500's were already in the hands of collectors and bringing way more money than performance. First car after college was an early 3.8 XKE, which turned out to be a money pit and was traded for cash and a 1961 MGA Coupe (yea, also a money pit but a lot smaller pit than the Jag). After several TR-6's, I got cured of them and went on to AH's, which also turned into a less than happy affair with their limited ground clearance on our crappy roads.
Then I got into MB's and BMW's ... several 230/250 SL's, a 1600 BMW sedan, and then a 1972 2002. Went through a lot of 450SL's through the years until 1999, when we moved to our ranch and "nice cars" were not useable around here for most of the year ... so now drive pick-up trucks and practical utility cars such as our Subaru's. I still have a few MB's, BMW's, and a 1970's vintage AlfaRomeo Spider.
You could assert that I have a little gray hair now, and past 50 years old now in my Alfa. So what? I've been driving these and working on them for over 47 years. It's not like they're a new discovery for me ....
FWIW, I never had any interest in domestic muscle cars ... never owned one, didn't care for the way they drove or their road manners. It wasn't a big deal that I didn't have the HP, speed, or quickness in the cars I drove in comparison. I found most 'vettes to be very hard riding and uncomfortable, and thirsty to boot. If I really wanted to go fast, it was in an aircraft .... no speeding tickets there.
Last edited by sunsprit; 06-13-2010 at 12:44 PM..
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