The Kids Are All…Boring?
When I was younger, I never thought I’d ever say “I don’t understand young people these days”. But sure enough, the other day I said the exact phrase when a friend’s daughter was explaining why X-Factor (American Idol) is the greatest show on TV. Maybe I won’t understand music matters (I think Golden Earring and Mike and the Mechanics is trendy) but at least I’ll know what young people find fashionable in the car world. Erm…not quite…
USA Today reports that Auto Pacific has conducted a survey to find out what car brands Generation Y likes. Generation Y is defined as those born around 1983. So, I bet you’re expecting a brand like Subaru to be number one, right? Nope. They came tenth. So if Subaru is number 10, what car brand do youngish people like the most?
Toyota. That’s right. Young people look for reliability and vanilla designs in the cars they buy. But I bet you think that was a fluke? Well, guess who came in at number 2? Honda. I give up trying to understand the youth of today. Honorable mentions were given Hyundai and Kia who jumped to places 6 and 8, respectively. They helped knock brands like Mazda and Jeep out of the top ten. Two brands you would have expected to be high on this list. “The fact that Generation Y has a bigger footprint in brands like Hyundai and Kia than in past years means these brands are definitely doing something right to gain Gen Y’s attention,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. The top ten of Gen Y brands go like this:
1. Toyota.
2. Honda.
3. Ford.
4. Chevrolet.
5. Nissan.
6. Hyundai.
7. Volkswagen.
8. Kia.
9. Dodge.
10. Subaru.
Did you notice something? Where is Scion, Toyota’s supposed “Youth” brand, on that list…?
More by Cammy Corrigan
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Here's something for people to chew on. I've had kind of a mixed-bag with my automotive history and have never had a car that I truly disliked. Some I liked more than others, but they were all decent, and I had admittedly low expectations. The vehicles that I have owned up until now are as follows: 1993 Aerostar Eddie Bauer Edition (got rid of it because gas was $2.50 and I was lucky to get 10 mpg), 1993 Escort LXi (transmission had a minor leak lost first and reverse), 1991 Buick LeSabre Limited with the much loved 3800V6 series I (kept this for a while and got rid of it after I got my first Accord), 1995 Accord EX (long story about that one), 2003 Accord LX coupe (bored) and I currently drive a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix base with 3800V6 but it has the options I like - power everything and a sunroof. As you can see none of my cars were exciting per-se, but they did what I needed them to do and I never spent more that $750 on a car until I bought my 1995 Accord the loan for which was gotten as a graduation present because I was the only one to complete high school. Notice I said loan. I've not had anybody give me a car or pay any of the bills for any of my cars. This coupled with the fact that I don't make a lot of money (who does anymore?) may be coloring what I think of as a great car. Hondas are high on my list, but I'm open to others now considering I now drive a Pontiac (which is really fun for what it is).
I was born in 1985. My first thought is the realization I'm a gen Y kid and being lumped in with all the kids who have thumbs of iron from playing xbox. *Shudder* My second thought is how the heck did dodge get above subaru? I don't personally want a toyota. I want my fiance to have a honda so I don't have to work on it. I do however understand the desire. Head on over to craigslist and see what you can find for a couple of hundred dollars. Say, 1000. Anything interesting or fun has a blown transmission or engine. Anything running is a ford taurus. It isn't easy to get passionate or excited about either option. This said, kids who are fortunate enough to get a decent car bought by there parents usually are getting a toyota because the parents want them to have something safe and reliable. For those that do get a cool car, eventually they will have to repair it. Parts aren't cheap. A bottom end junky battery is 75 dollars. Increasingly cars are requiring spark plugs that cost 10 dollars a plug. And these costs are endless. A phone or Xbox however, for these kids is a one time cost. Mom and dad provide the internet and/or the phone service. So an Iphone4 once purchased is done! No thirty dollar oil changes. No hundred dollar tune up. When you consider the realistic options most young so called Y gen kids face, it is little wonder they prefer the electronic medium over an automotive one.