History Just an observation

I drove past a high school student parking lot the other day and it seemed like most of the cars were fairly new. Heck, some were cars I don't think I could afford today. I didn't expect to see a parking lot filled with primer painted 55 chevs or Ford Falcon's, but I guess back in my high school days money was much more scarce for all of us. I remember a buddy of mine was able to buy a new Camaro in his senior year, and that was rare! This was back in 1972.

 

There were maybe 4 or 5 kids in my high school whose daddy bought them a new car. I knew of only one who bought himself a new car and was working after school to pay for it. Could have been more, I don't know. Most of the cars were about 10 years old in the parking lot, some as old as the early 1930s, but they were hot rods. Yeah, the times... they are a changin'.

 

I had a classmate in senior year that bought a new, loaded 1967 Camaro convertible. SS, RS 350/4 speed, red with a white interior and top. Gene was a Southern transplant and was working second shift in a factory to pay for it.
At the local high school it is common to see newer, or even new Mustangs, BMW’s, Lexus, or whatever and the lot is loaded. “Thanks daddy” is a given, that is if some of them even say thank you. It’s a different time.

 

I know what you're thinking, but in my case, I look and I think they are new cars, but in reality most of them are 10-15 years old, they just SEEM new to me.

 

Our high school parking lot had some amazing cars back in1966, One of my classmates dad bought him a 1966 Shelby GT 35 automatic since he lost his arm to cancer, I remember a 64 Corvette, a 1932 Chevy coupe driven by a girl, a lot of Falcons and Novas, Corvairs a plethora of 40's & 50's Chevys, buicks, dodges and off course a lot of '55 Chevys.

I had a 63 1/2 Falcon Sprint. HRP

 

Hello,
These days, high school kids and their parents want a vehicle that is reliable, will get them to school safely and also will take them to an after school job. They don't want to spend time working on a hot rod or cruiser that will hold up the daily transportation duties. Plus, most of the cars will be under the family plan for insurance, so they have to qualify.

SUV, station wagons, compact cars, trucks, that are part of the whole family, will be the ones we all see in a high school parking lot. (as soon as an equal amount of cars happens in a family: 4 cars, for 4 people, then the family insurance becomes individual for the teens. Then, expect to pay a lot more.) Until that happens, more family style cars will be filling those lots.

Go around to the back of the high school to the Automotives parking lot or space. There will be some modified sedans or wagons. But, not as many as a long time ago. No one wants a long time build going on for months...they need daily transportation.

That was one thing anyone with a new or old hot rod had back in the time that most everyone had 55-58 Chevy sedans. Even then, there was little time to lay up a car for extreme modifications, like customs. So, the majority were mild customs and second cars if possible were the modified, hot rods.

Jnaki
Our niece's son is a senior and his car is a hand me down, off topic, 4 door sedan. Does he care? No, as it gets him to school, job and messing around with his friends. It starts up instantly and moves him to his destination. Next year, he is off to college and won't need a car, so it gets handed down to his sisters for the same reason...starts, gets them to school and after school jobs. Three cars, for five people qualifies for the family insurance plan.

Their priorities are not those that have hot rods or custom cars. Besides, the custom cars, these days, are the lowered off topic small bee buzzers. So, the modifications continue, but in a different era and situations.

 

Eggzakly

 

People now just have less of a problem signing up for a lifetime of "easy payments".

 

I'm middle class and so is the HS my kids went to. While a lot of the local HS kids are driving 10-15 year old hand me down cars (mostly foreign econo boxes) there's a huge wave of new cars in the lot. The latest trend here is for parents to buy their Junior or Senior a new car to "get them through College and a head start on life". It's an early graduation present. Maintain good grades in HS and you keep driving. Finish College and the title gets signed over. These vehicles are typically driven only by the student (never by the Parents) as it's "their car".
What's in it for the Parent? The thought process is that for the $300-$400 mo. payment, the Parent has peace of mind that the student/car will not suffer an out of town breakdown while the child is out of town/out of State at College or while commuting to/from home on school breaks.

Terrific mileage and reliability and comfort as well as 100,000 mile warranty with 24/7 roadside assistance (lockouts, etc.) and free dealer planned maintenance schedule for first 24 months are additional assurance. It's one thing the Parent doesn't have to worry about.

We have to remember, that for the most part we're talking about a generation of kids and Parents (!) that know practically zero about cars. Most can't jump start a car or change out a flat tire. For this, the cell phone is their toolbox. They've never busted a knuckle or had grease under their fingernails!

I'll also mention that their are many kids that graduate from HS and have never got their drivers license. I recall me and my friends all being at the DMV on our 16th birthday to take the test!!!

Their is also a recent trend where HS kids don't work-at all!!! The Parents support this by stating their grades and sports are more important. At all costs they won't work fast food. It's akin to cleaning septic tanks as far as they're concerned. My Daughter worked at Jack N the Box as a Sophmore. When she first started, I asked her if the other kids that worked there went to her HS or other surrounding schools, figuring she'd speak of making some new friends. She stated HS kids as a rule don't work fast food and that she was the only kid working there. All of the other EE's including the managers were middle aged Women in their 30's to 50's-mostly Hispanic, speaking Spanish.

When I was in HS in the mid 70's, I drove a 55 Chevy that I bought when I was 15 with money I saved up for several years from bicycling a paper route 365 and mowing laws and pulling weeds on weekends. If the car broke broke, I figured out how to fix it and paid for the parts as my Parents didn't have $$$ and my Dad knew zero about cars. I'd walk, bum a ride or skateboard to school and work until it was road worthy again. Gas was mine to pay and my Parents split the monthly insurance as long as my grades were good. From 15 on in HS, I worked full time, 6:00 PM-2:30 AM in a restaurant kitchen to keep my car on the road/fix it up and for date $$$.
My Dad grew up poor and put himself through a private, Catholic, all boys HS by working full time graveyard in a stamping plant in Detroit so I never got any sympathy from him if I harped about being tired.
Different world for sure.

 

In 97 bought my "youngster" a 66 Mustang. (Bought each kid their first car!...with PLENTY of strings attached) Just HAD to have a classic so...."we" could restore it. He was working and DID buy the restoration parts, gas and insurance for it. After about 3 years he wanted something that would crank easy and had AC. In 97 there weren't many old cars in the school lot. Mostly old Toyotas and such. His buds thought he was cool but the chicks just wanted AC and something modern.
He learned a lot about cars with that old 66. Good investment.
6sally6
I ended up with the Mustang!...(long story)

 

From what I have seen kids, for the most part are not interested in anything that takes a long time to do, building cars is one of those things, like video games they want instant gratification.

I just drove past my old high school less than a hour ago and all I saw was Toyotas, and assortment of later model cars. HRP

 

I graduated HS in 2006, middle class suburban town, and for the most part my cars in high school, along with a lot of other kids, were either hand me down cars from parents, older siblings who were at college, or whatever $2-$3k POS that could run from the local used car places, so it was a lot of 10-15yr old, early to mid 90s rusted sedans that always seemed to be overheating, (or atleast the string of cars I had then did). Maybe for every new'ish under-5yr old car or truck, there were atleast 25 '95 bonnevilles, grand ams, Chrysler new Yorkers, chevy luminas, etc., and maybe 2 or 3 2nd and 3rg gen Camaros/ firebirds. i think i remember 1 or 2 actually high end cars, but one of them was an escalade that looked like it had been in an accident and her dad bought it for the daughter to gain some brownie points in a divorce so that didn't count.

 

I was the oddball in high school (graduated in 2010) When I was there, if a classmate actually had a desire to even get their license, which i would say over half of my graduating class didn't even have a drivers license. The lot was full of hand me down eco boxes or a new cheap car like a VW or Kia. There was a guy with a rusted out 72 Chevy C20, a guy with a 5.0 fox mustang and a dude with a used Mercedes Benz. I started with a 99 Silverado that was handed down to me from my grandparents for many summers working on a land development project they did. I ended up trading it straight across for a 97 Camaro Z28. I was one of the few "hot rodders" in my class and the only one into anything 50's and older. My buddies if they were into "vintage" cars were into late 60's muscle cars.

 

I graduated in '89. Back then muscle cars were king. The student lot was filled with chevelles, camaro's, mustangs, gto's, & a few mopars. One kid had nicest '69 GTX in the city. But, he paid a hefty price to get it, as it was the civil suit settlement after his dad was murdered. he got a pile of money ,but, I'm sure a small consolation

 

Yup, things have changed a lot since our HS days. Mommies and Daddies are buying their kids brand new cars to go to HS. Just keepin up the with the Jone's!

 

Our lot is empty, School doesn't start till Friday.

 

I don't know how parents can afford a house, 2 new cars, another new car for their kid, the kid's sports/activities, their own sports/activities, occasional meals out, vacations, etc. Must be way too many people making way too much money. It sure isn't me!

 

Here in Durango, there are a lot of Jeeps, pickups and SUV’s that appear to have been mildly modified in the HS parking lot. Too, there are plenty of imports.

 

I graduated in 1970. Most of the kids had older hand me downs. My 65 Fairlane was, I believe, one of the better cars owned by a student, or at least looked like it.That was after wrecking my 55 Chevy, and a short time driving my dad's "extra" 54 Ford wagon. One of my friends drove a 62 Galaxie, and another drove a stock, red Henry J with 10 spoke mags. Don't remember any other cars, except a new POS Maverick, and a 59 Plymouth wagon that 2 brothers drove. EDIT.... plus a couple of 65-66 Mustangs, and a buddy who drove a black 63 Falcon woodie wagon. Smoked a lot of pot in that car. The new Maverick was memorable for being a complete piece of shit from day 1. A couple of not so nice 55-56-57 Chevys, and another friend with a nice 64 Impala 2 door hardtop, a 4 speed car. Pretty nice car, I drove it a lot as a designated driver before there was such a term, only because I drove more carefully while blitzed drunk and stoned than my other friends. Remember the times.
2-3 years later, driving past the school, I was shocked to see Road Runners, Novas, Chevelles, a shitload of late model cool cars.
This year, the kid who drove the amazing looking 63 1/2 Ford Galaxie, black on black to school every day, and I mean every day, graduated. Rain or shine, no matter, that kid drove that Ford every day.
Always wanted to see him out and get the story on that car driving to school in 2019, but never saw it. Car was nice in a sea of jellybeans, Hondas, and mommy and daddy's SUVs.
That 63 1/2 was damn nice. Made me smile every day going to work. I looked for it, knew where he liked to park. Hpe he's taking care of it still.

 

Off topic, but this does tie into it being a different time. We had three grandsons stay with us last week. I took the one going into first grade for some tutoring for an issue he has with sounding out printed words, it will make it easier for him to progress in reading.
I’m sitting in the waiting room at the therapist’s and a dad walks in with his son who looked to be about 6-7 years old. Dad asks receptionist if his wife paid for bike riding lessons. WTF???
Mom and dad can’t be bothered to teach Sonny how to ride a bicycle?
I thought maybe it was for children with developmental disabilities, but no, on their website they offer this at both of their facilities for any and all that want it.
I bet dad has time for a round of golf and drinks with the boys, and his wife enjoys a few glasses of wine in the evening but there is no time for the kiddies. If there is any justice the kids will send a surrogate some day to visit the parents in the nursing home.

 

@Fordors: A CLASSIC!!!! My favorite 'rub', parents too busy for kids' needs.

Not a 'crying leftie', ("THE CHILDREN!") by any means....but we are the parents the kids need. (not for the $$$, but the parental responsibility)
I have 9, and my wife and I are grandparents of 22. See them enough, so that's 'enough'.

 

Its the same with Harleys. I went to a Harley rally this last weekend and didnt see anything over 5 years old.

 

Here in Ca. kids dont care about cars like we did .Many dont get a license until 18.If they do drive its the 4 year old BMW from home.Doesnt bode well for our hobby.Young guys who do be come mechanics work on late model cars at work,and have a non car hobby at home.

 

Bought my first car, a '31 Model A coupe with no front axle and it didn't run for 95 bucks. Got it running and driving and sold it for 300 bucks so I could buy a motorcycle. Turned 16 in 1967 on a Saturday. I was pissed that I had to wait until the following Monday to get my license. Got a part time job my junior year and bought a '65 Falcon 2dr. wagon which I had until I got drafted. Back then the worst thing anyone could say to you was that you were driving mommy's car. Things are different now, my son wanted a 4 door Mitsubishi Lancer for his first car. Only good thing is that he wanted a stick and that he still has it 10 years later.

 

I walked to school 10 miles each way in 4 feet of snow and it was uphill in both directions.

 

They probably can't but they can borrow beyond their means all day long. People have learned nothing from the last recession which was only ten short years ago. All you have to do is google what the average credit card debt is in any country excluding mortgages and car payments and it is staggering what you see. Let's face it there are a ton of people who are one missed pay cheque away from disaster.

 

1969 Portsmouth HS, NH, 1/3 hot rods, 1/3 muscle cars, 1/3 parent's second car. It was always a big deal with a kid with a home built hot rod beat out a kid with a muscle car. Our 1/3 hot rods consists of car that were at least 10 years old with maybe chrome wheels and headers to one guy running Jackson injection. The muscle car group had cars that were new or a few years old but with the same thing, custom wheels and headers. We had a great auto shop class.

 

I think this is all based on perspective. I graduated in 1998 and enlisted into the Marine Corps, without a license. Being that I didn't have a license meant I was resigned to ride with a friend in his 1980 Chrysler Omni hatchback. There were a few kids that had some muscle cars, and the majority of them did most of the work on them in school since we had a basic mechanics course, along with an auto body class.
Today's school lots aren't going to have cool "old" school cars. The simple fact is that you can buy a 2019 Honda for $19,000.00 with all the bells and whistles. Your going to pay almost half of that to get a nice classic with no major issues, tons of small issues, and zero reliability. Factor in the insurance costs for one of them little devils, and it can get expensive quickly. I have a 15 y/o son that considers himself a "car-guy/kid". I want to get him a classic that "we" can work on.

I wish I was around when I could get a "hand me down" 1st gen Camaro

R/S
Mike

 

Lucky!! At least you got to walk, I had to crawl.....backwards

 

Not just the kids now, but most people in this country just want transportation from point A to point B and they don't care about what it looks like and they don't take pride in owning it. They just want something to get them there and back with no maintenance. Its no longer about the journey, just the destination.