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Consumerist culture, post ww2 affluence, disposable income, etc.
I was hoping someone would bring this up. This is what I was thinking but I was too skeptical about it. I think that post WWII has really made America more of a consumerist society after the middle class boomed. People started living more lavishly and eventually living beyond their means to the point where most families nowadays fail to save up enough money to even cover a few month's worth of their own bills!
I don't like new cars at all. Though there are some that are really nice. I prefer a car that only includes "needs",
not "wants". These "needs" include things that you need to keep the car running. The "wants" are heated seats and steering assist. The problem with all these features is that they're (for the most part) very expensive to fix. I like basic cars that are easy to take care of. I enjoyed it when it was actually fun to fix your car. For most people now it's difficult to fix a car because you need expensive diagnosis equipment and a labtop.
As for your post. I think consumerism has taught us that we must have the newest and coolest thing on the market. We're taught in school to be consumers. Really really smart marketing is also what drives us to getting a new car. I worked in the marketing field for awhile and it's really not too hard to persuade people into buying things. The thing with advertising today is that companies take humans most social urges such as sexuality and status and link it to the product.
This video is a perfect example of what I just talked about. It's trying to show that women love Aston Martins and that if you buy this car then women will come after you.
Yes, I think consumerism and advertisement play a big role in car buying. I've always been a car girl myself so as soon as the new Mazda Miata came out, I was so captivated by how so many car reviewers were talking about how much of a great driver's car it is. I gave in and test drove one. It was probably the nicest thing I've ever driven- really nimble, perfect 6-speed manual, etc.
But I eventually talked myself out of it lol. With my current car value, I could've had a brand new one for about $10,000, but what's the point?
And as a side note, that ad is interesting because if I saw a guy in an Aston, I'd probably run and never look back.. lol Not every woman would jump into bed with that, but I get the jist of the ad.
I make enough money on my own to be able to afford rent in a nice studio apartment in the outskirts of Queens, pay for my car insurance and gas, save up $1,000 a month, AND pay for applications to grad school all while buying myself a nice $300 designer leather handbag every month or so. I don't feel like a man with gobs of money would give me much benefit other than paying for my grad school tuition if I get in, but I doubt anyone would do that lol
A single man with an over the top expensive car is just out there to sleep with women, but that's besides the point!
hmm I'm French and I have lived in the USA and I wouldn't say Americans have newer cars than French people. maybe a little bit I don't know but I'm sure the average car age is very similar.
Something I've noticed however is that American cars tend to be quieter than European cars, probably because American cars are not manual ... don't know, I feel that cars are more of a nuisance in Paris than NYC
Paris
New York
or maybe it's me
Europeans mostly drive diesels and they're much louder than gasoline powered cars that most people drive in the USA.
With people driving less such as Millennials, less disposable income, wanting to live closer to urban city cores, you will see people driving less in the future. People are walking more and keeping their vehicles for a longer period of time. My car is a 2010 with 45k miles, but I plan to keep it for another 5-7 years.
Newer cars are usually improvements over older cars, better mileage, more electronics like GPS and Bluetooth, or even more comfort features or simply better design. I can't tell you how many times I've had to go to the store to find an adapter because the car I drove still had a cassette player and a cigarette lighter. Even though it's always more expensive, sometimes it's just more convenient to use a newer car.
I was hoping someone would bring this up. This is what I was thinking but I was too skeptical about it. I think that post WWII has really made America more of a consumerist society after the middle class boomed. People started living more lavishly and eventually living beyond their means to the point where most families nowadays fail to save up enough money to even cover a few month's worth of their own bills!
So is that what you really wanted to discuss?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ihatepeoplesomuch
Yes, I think consumerism and advertisement play a big role in car buying. I've always been a car girl myself so as soon as the new Mazda Miata came out, I was so captivated by how so many car reviewers were talking about how much of a great driver's car it is. I gave in and test drove one. It was probably the nicest thing I've ever driven- really nimble, perfect 6-speed manual, etc.
But I eventually talked myself out of it lol. With my current car value, I could've had a brand new one for about $10,000, but what's the point?
And as a side note, that ad is interesting because if I saw a guy in an Aston, I'd probably run and never look back.. lol Not every woman would jump into bed with that, but I get the jist of the ad.
I make enough money on my own to be able to afford rent in a nice studio apartment in the outskirts of Queens, pay for my car insurance and gas, save up $1,000 a month, AND pay for applications to grad school all while buying myself a nice $300 designer leather handbag every month or so. I don't feel like a man with gobs of money would give me much benefit other than paying for my grad school tuition if I get in, but I doubt anyone would do that lol
A single man with an over the top expensive car is just out there to sleep with women, but that's besides the point!
Do they not advertise cars in Europe? I haven't spent that much time there, can't remember. Another issue is that Euorpe isn't nearly as snowy, at least not in the more populous areas, so the body of the car doesn't get wrecked by salt, etc.
Do they not advertise cars in Europe? I haven't spent that much time there, can't remember. Another issue is that Euorpe isn't nearly as snowy, at least not in the more populous areas, so the body of the car doesn't get wrecked by salt, etc.
I remember seeing car advertisements. I thought they didn't use salt much in Colorado, or were just referring to the US in general?
I'm not saying that.. I'm just making comparisons between two countries. For example, France vs. the USA. Why do a majority of French people keep their older cars while a majority of American cars I see are less than 5 years old?
Except they don't
Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person
Meanwhile the average age of cars on the road in the US is 11.4 years.
The premise of the thread of wrong. I've talked to people from Europe who've commented on that there's more old cars here, and there's more of a market from them here, too. Average age of cars on the road in western Europe is about 8:
hmm I'm French and I have lived in the USA and I wouldn't say Americans have newer cars than French people. maybe a little bit I don't know but I'm sure the average car age is very similar.
Something I've noticed however is that American cars tend to be quieter than European cars, probably because American cars are not manual ... don't know, I feel that cars are more of a nuisance in Paris than NYC
I'd guess NYC is easier to drive in with more wide streets, but the traffic often doesn't move well at all. Your Paris video was rush hour traffic, the New York City one wasn't. Hard to make a city to city comparison, but car ownership levels in both cities are somewhat similar.
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