# Cars are a luxury item (and you might be in a bubble) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041 "2026-09-13T17:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/201 "2026-09-22T17:01:21Z")
What about hot rods, classic cars, tuning, etc.? Those are things kids actually for fun if they can afford such hobbies, not because they have no choice. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/202 "2026-09-22T17:59:11Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > > [@bump](#): > > > > Anybody sane, not impoverished, and who isn’t ideologically motivated, who lives/works where parking is available is almost always going to choose to drive themselves. > > This is uniquely American (and a few other car-centric places). Even for America, it’s a fairly exaggerated statement. Polls indicate that [over half of Americans (including 49% of rural Americans) prefer governments to focus on public transit options instead of road expansion to reduce traffic congestion](https://abcnews.com/blogs/politics/2014/10/more-prefer-public-transit-to-road-building/). American support for better public transit, though certainly not universal, has been majority-strong and consistent [over many years.](https://media.amtrak.com/2020/09/americans-continue-to-strongly-support-more-rail-and-public-transit/) (If we’re talking about _“what the voters want”_…) In short, while most Americans do love situations where they can drive anywhere they want when they want to, many of them also hate situations where they have no choice but to drive even when they **don’t** want to. And the stranglehold that the automotive economy has on most municipal design, transportation planning, etc., makes it hard for the US to shake that loose. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/203 "2026-09-22T18:11:29Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > What about hot rods, classic cars, tuning, etc.? Those are things kids actually for fun if they can afford such hobbies, not because they have no choice. Do young adults still do any of those things? I suspect the kids who used to do that are now doing something computer-game adjacent. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/204 "2026-09-22T18:19:33Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Do young adults still do any of those things? AIUI, some do, particularly in the “tuner” camp. But I’m not sure how much of the tuning scene is “kids” (i.e., teenagers), compared to the teens who had “hot rods” a generation or two ago. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/205 "2026-09-22T18:46:46Z")
Honestly, i thought the modern tuning scene was dominated by old men these days. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/206 "2026-09-22T18:50:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > . I wonder if that’s partly because they were straightjacketed into cars as children. I don’t remember feeling that way in a booster seat as a child. I liked being high enough to see out the window. To this day I love car rides. My husband calls me a golden retriever. Today’s child restraint laws are even more restrictive. My kid’s going to be in a booster seat probably until he’s about 8 years old. He’s a tall kid for his age so maybe a little sooner. It tops out at age 8 or 4"9". Still, he seems pretty okay with sitting in a booster seat. For my part, though, I’m tired of wrestling with the seat belt. He insists on sitting in the middle and I’m short with short arms and it’s logistically a PITA. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/207 "2026-09-22T21:39:20Z")
Can someone explain the “use case” of electric bikes to me? That is, what niche is in-between a bicycle and a motorcycle? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/208 "2026-09-22T21:53:37Z")
You want to, let us say, commute to work several miles away, on a light two-wheeled vehicle (an e-bike is still several times lighter than a café racer), but do not want to have to shower and change clothes after arriving at the office. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/209 "2026-09-22T23:14:22Z")
Yep. I have one. 25mph, ~40 miles range, and zero effort. Nil cost of operation, no insurance. No noise. Cheap to buy. And no parking challenges. Great for zipping around the dense area I live in. Sucks in the rain though. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/210 "2026-09-22T23:33:23Z")
My neighbor just got a DUI and temporarily lost his license. He bought one from Amazon for about $150 to do shopping and make meetings. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/211 "2026-09-22T23:34:40Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Do young adults still do any of those things? In my area - Central Cali - it’s mostly old guys who do that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/212 "2026-09-22T23:52:11Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > My neighbor just got a DUI and temporarily lost his license. He bought one from Amazon for about $150 to do shopping and make meetings. I thought you meant be bought a _license_ from Amazon until I clicked up to see what you were replying too! 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/213 "2026-09-22T23:56:18Z")
Ha ha, I’m sure you could do that too. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/214 "2026-09-23T01:00:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How often do you need the “all purpose car” to do something the puttputt cannot do? I know people who own pickup trucks or large SUVs for those twice annual trips to move the boat to the lake or to take it out of the lake. I drive a Toyota RAV4 and I hardly ever need all the cargo space it provides me. There are a few occasions where I make use of all the space, but in my day-to-day life, it’s not very often at all. When I replace it, which won’t be until its on its last legs, my wife and I are probably going to get into a fight over the car I would prefer to be driving instead of a light SUV or van. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/215 "2026-09-23T01:03:54Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > What about hot rods, classic cars, tuning, etc.? Those are things kids actually for fun if they can afford such hobbies, not because they have no choice. In the plastic modeling world, it’s typically only people with a lot of grey in their hair that are into hot rods and classic cars. The young kids -you know, people under 30- are into Gundam (giant piloted robots). There are certainly people who are still interested in cars of course, but it’s not quite the same as it was when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/216 "2026-09-23T01:07:03Z")
I drive a Honda Fit and rarely use all of its cargo capacity. Mostly I put a few grocery bags in the back. Occasionally I take a couple of suitcases. But I want a higher seating position next time so I may replace it with a RAV4. And even then I will probably be carrying no more. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/217 "2026-09-23T13:37:47Z")
My wife really likes the higher seating position, so we got a Mazda CX-5 and demoted the Hyundai Sonata to second car (which means driven mostly by me). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/218 "2026-09-23T14:50:16Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > There are certainly people who are still interested in cars of course, but it’s not quite the same as it was when I was a kid. Around here (SoFL) at least, I see a decent number of customized hopped-up cars driven by men between 16 and 30. The peak age seems to be about 22. They seem to be a mix of white, black and Latin folks in about their proportion to our local highly diverse population. Usually the 5-10 yo car is lowered, fenders flared, wide low profile tires, fart can exhaust, and probably a “tuner” chip for power boost and lots of afterfiring on trailing throttle. Some of them have lots of decals suggesting more thorough engine mods. Some are the small BMWs M2 or M3; lots more are Subarus, Hondas, or Toyotas. A completely different thing is the jacked up pickups or Jeep Wranglers w similar speed / power mods, underside decorative lighting & fancy painted exposed chassis parts, fancy wheels and tires, whether offroad style or street style. The trucks seem to range from maybe 10yo to brand new while the drivers range ~25-40yo. These folks are about 95% white. So it seems fiddling with your ride remains a popular activity that appeals to a broad spectrum of younger men. Very occasionally I see one driven by a woman with decals clearly saying it’s her car, not her husband’s / BF’s car. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/219 "2026-09-24T00:27:58Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Even in 1982 and 1983 when I lived there, Hiroshima, Kure, and my little town of Yakiyama were fine. Never needed our car, wife used for some teaching jobs but could have gone without. Bus, bike, train, ferry, hydrofoil were daily options. For smaller cities, a lot really depends of how much free time a person has. The town we live in has a few buses, and people who aren’t busy can afford to spend the time it takes to use public transporation. Buses only come once an hour. There are only a few trains in the morning to go to the next town or the local city. My daughter was using the bus to go to her part time job but they eliminated the local bus stop. She would have had to walk much further to get to the next stop. She gets off work at 9, but the buses don’t run that late. We are a typical family with two teenagers and two working parents. I just don’t have the 45 minutes it would take to walk to the station, take the train and then walk to school but I can drive there in 10 minutes. That wasn’t an issue in Tokyo and Yokohama when I lived there because the trains, subways and buses were much more frequent. When we lived in Taiwan, I went up to Taipei every Saturday, and the mass transit worked wonderfully. Also, they had a bike share system which worked really well. The place I needed to go to wasn’t that far away, but it took two transfers on the subway, so three individual rides, taking about 20 to 30 minutes plus walking. The bike share was great. It was only 10 minutes and there was a drop-off spot closer to where I needed to go. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041/220 "2026-11-07T23:49:49Z")
and kIMSTU didn’t even include the cost of insurance [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-are-a-luxury-item-and-you-might-be-in-a-bubble/1033041.md?page=10)