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I'm assuming those who claim that everyone should know everything there is to know about engines are also equally adept around a sewing machine. And not only are capable of basic repairs (hems and buttons) but more complicated knowlege such as fitting and tailoring. And they regularly perform those tasks themselves. Either that or they're simply lazy.
Not quite the same... one requires a license and insurance and the other doesn't.
Operating a vehicle is a huge responsibility and owning one an even greater responsibility.
Vehicles are number two in terms of expense only behind homes for most Americans.
My family has made a good living selling cars going back to the 1920's and been in the same location since the 1940's.. we love selling cars.
That said... I think buying or providing a car is a huge deal and it should be treated a lot differently than a new computer or smartphone under the Christmas Tree.
and yes... I do have my own sewing machine... a hand me down and I have made some of my clothes which gave me an appreciation for those that do...
Kind of like knowing how to maintain your own car is just part of the bigger picture.
Knowledge is power...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 02-01-2014 at 11:02 AM..
funny thing is my father and grandfather NEVER worked on cars or had any tools...... what are teaching your kids?
You are twisting yourself up in knots trying to prove a point that is not provable. As you couldn't generalize about previous generations all maintaining their own vehicles, so you can't generalize about kids today either.
It's occuring to me that several of you must just know lazier families than the rest of us.
Every kid I know, can (and has) change a tire. Knows to change the oil (even if they pay to have it done - partly because disposing of motor oil can be an issue, and frankly by the time you buy it all, contain the used oil and take it somewhere appropriate for disposal, it's not much cheaper and definitely more time consuming to do it yourself), rotate tires etc. Most have had jobs and pay for their own gas at the very least. I know several kids who do serious work on their cars. What do they have in common? Fathers who grew up working on cars and have the tools and know-how themselves. A good number of them are engineers or mechanics (the fathers) and have a car hobby which they share with their sons. You can't blame the kids for choosing fathers who don't have that skill or hobby. It doesn't make them lazy. As long as the car owner ensures the appropriate maintenance gets done what does it matter who does it? Knowing how to pull an engine is cool but doesn't make you a better or less lazy person. Kind of like buying your clothing or going to a restaurant for a nice meal doesn't make you lazier than a person who tailors their own clothing or is a gourmet chef. We all have different interests.
If your car is stuck and needed towing or pulled out of a ditch, 7 guys trying to get it started wouldn't have helped. Knowing 1 guy with a tow hitch and equipment is what helped. If several tow truck businesses wouldn't help, maybe it's not just kids who are lazy - or perhaps your area is prosperous enough that numerous business can turn down business.
Any car owner should know the basics. And anyone should know to keep their car stocked with certain things in the event of a weather emergency. That hold true for adults as well as kids.
My kids either use their own trucks or borrow mine and my tow chains to help get people, often their friends out of ditches. Moms can show kids how to change a tire, oil, transmission fluid, a U joint. It doesn't require a dad always.
My daughter has shown her boyfriends how to replace a fuse and where the fuse box is -- including the relay switches under the hood.
You are twisting yourself up in knots trying to prove a point that is not provable. As you couldn't generalize about previous generations all maintaining their own vehicles, so you can't generalize about kids today either.
I did not say they did not know how to work on cars...
Of course I am generalizing... and have pointed out several times my experiences growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area are just that... my experiences.
I have also mentioned my family started in the car business back in the 1920's and has been at the same location since the 1940's...
There is nothing to prove... just sharing my opinion as is the title of this thread.
It's important to keep in mind City-Data members come from every country in the world and I will be the first to admit my the limitations of my experiences outside the region where I live and work.
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 02-01-2014 at 11:17 AM..
We bought two kids used cars, but they had to get jobs to pay for insurance, and all their other car expenses. There was no point in buying new cars as they were planning to go to schools that didn't allow cars until their junior year.
Third child inherited one of the beaters when brother went to college. Fourth child got my used car when I bought new. Third child got his fathers used car when he bought new.
It's occuring to me that several of you must just know lazier families than the rest of us.
Every kid I know, can (and has) change a tire. Knows to change the oil (even if they pay to have it done - partly because disposing of motor oil can be an issue, and frankly by the time you buy it all, contain the used oil and take it somewhere appropriate for disposal, it's not much cheaper and definitely more time consuming to do it yourself), rotate tires etc. Most have had jobs and pay for their own gas at the very least. I know several kids who do serious work on their cars. What do they have in common? Fathers who grew up working on cars and have the tools and know-how themselves. A good number of them are engineers or mechanics (the fathers) and have a car hobby which they share with their sons. You can't blame the kids for choosing fathers who don't have that skill or hobby. It doesn't make them lazy. As long as the car owner ensures the appropriate maintenance gets done what does it matter who does it? Knowing how to pull an engine is cool but doesn't make you a better or less lazy person. Kind of like buying your clothing or going to a restaurant for a nice meal doesn't make you lazier than a person who tailors their own clothing or is a gourmet chef. We all have different interests.
If your car is stuck and needed towing or pulled out of a ditch, 7 guys trying to get it started wouldn't have helped. Knowing 1 guy with a tow hitch and equipment is what helped. If several tow truck businesses wouldn't help, maybe it's not just kids who are lazy - or perhaps your area is prosperous enough that numerous business can turn down business.
Any car owner should know the basics. And anyone should know to keep their car stocked with certain things in the event of a weather emergency. That hold true for adults as well as kids.
Absolutely MM. My kids know how to do quite a bit of car mechanics, because my husband's first job was working in an auto parts store, and he has always enjoyed doing the repairs he felt equipped to do. We still pay for roadside assistance though, and when car issues crop up while the boys are at school, he directs them to the nearest dealership.
Many adults know little about necessary maintenance and repairs on a much larger investment, a home.
That doesn't stop us from buying them though. We either learn how to do basic plumbing, painting, etc, or we pay somebody else to do it. To each his own.
As far as working on your own cars ala 1920 through, oh, 1990ish. I cry when I open the hood on anything past about the later date, even the '91 Lumina makes me tear up. And now, just when I was starting to figure stuff out, I popped the hood on my just bought 2014 F150. My question is: where are the spark plugs and wires?
Same place they always were. You just need to rip off all the plastic junk and get to the core of the mechanicals...which isn't all that much different. Cars still need their engine oil changed, coolant, spark plugs, differential fluid, etc etc. The new systems look intimidating, but it's mostly the same fundamentals.
Now, maybe it's because I'm an engineer, but new cars these days are easier to maintain in my experience. I still do my own work and maintainence today on new cars I buy. I did my own oil changes on my 2012 Mercedes. Was no different from doing it on a 60s mustang (other than the oil filter being on top). The new computer systems make vehicle diagnostics pretty simple....at least in my experience. Fluid changes, and other routine maintainence are not that much different than 40 years ago. There's just a few extra steps to move some of the wiring or plastics out of the way these days.
Anyway, that's a little off-topic here. I realize not everyone can perform an oil change, or change a tire. That's not what this thread it about. I don't expect every teenager to become a mechanic on the side. My doctor doesnt even know how to pop the hood on his Mercedes, doesn't mean he isn't a great Dr.
I guess I just disagree with the premise of providing older children with everything in life, rather than trying to inspire them to achieve it on their own. Now, everyone is different, so its hard to compare situations. I can only relate my experience, but personally for me, it impressed some motivation on me. It was a sort of transition from having everything handed to me from parents, to all the sudden being presented with a sort of "if you want it...go get it, because nobody is going to hand it to you" type of station.
I mentioned my coworker's 20-something year old children. They have been coddled. Was in a meeting one day with him when the phone rang. His 24 year old son got a flat on his car. He lives about 125 miles away, and he called his dad because he didn't know what to do. His dad then called a tow truck, to take the car to a shop nearby and then he called the shop to arrange the repair of the tire. I wish i could say that was the only incident, but it wasnt. His son just never had to deal with aversion because dad was always there to do it for him. His daughter was no different and both continued to call when faces with problems with the expectation that dad would make it right. Sadly, this coworker passed away suddenly, and both kids were very unprepared for life on their own. I guess this story sticks in my mind because I come across quite a few kids, whose parents pretty much provide them with everything well into adulthood. I wonder how prepared for life they will be when they haven't had to struggle with things like a broken down car, or paying some of their finances or managing time between college courses and a part time job, or just any of the other hard life situations that life sometimes throws at you.
So no, I will not buy my son a car. No, it's not some form of cruel punishment as obviously I want to help him. And it's not lack of $$ as I'm financially secure. It's just that I'd rather see him realize that if he wants great things in life, nobody is going to hand them to him on a platter...he's gonna have to go out and get them.
Last edited by BostonMike7; 02-01-2014 at 12:19 PM..
Not quite the same... one requires a license and insurance and the other doesn't.
Operating a vehicle is a huge responsibility and owning one an even greater responsibility.
Vehicles are number two in terms of expense only behind homes for most Americans.
My family has made a good living selling cars going back to the 1920's and been in the same location since the 1940's.. we love selling cars.
That said... I think buying or providing a car is a huge deal and it should be treated a lot differently than a new computer or smartphone under the Christmas Tree.
and yes... I do have my own sewing machine... a hand me down and I have made some of my clothes which gave me an appreciation for those that do...
Kind of like knowing how to maintain your own car is just part of the bigger picture.
Knowledge is power...
I think they are very similar in this context. You are lamenting "kids today" who are too lazy, spoiled, entitled to have the knowledge, patience and budget concerns to perform their own labor. Why would that only count for cars? I suspect because it reflects your personal knowledge and capabilities. My family comes from farmers. No doubt my grandparents would be stumped as to why I'd buy a tomato or beans from a grocery store when in their experience thrifty people would have a garden. Of course they lived in part of the country that had excellent soil. I don't.
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