Sorry, did not understand the ref. to my signature. I do appreciate the wry British humour having spint 2-3 weeks in "Beautiful Crowley-by-the-Sea" (I know, not really) and terrorizing the locals driving on the wrong side of the road while doing so. Did my best to sample as many local pubs and Fish and chip shops as possible while there also. Met quite a few of the locals and hoisted a few with them(1989).
We just do not always understand each other's references, but should be willing to try. Thx for giving me an update..

 

No apologies necessary--just having some fun. But, even if you were making a generalization, you probably wouldn't be wrong.

 

My 22 year old son has a mild interest in cars. Just last weekend he gave two of his friends jump starts and that made me feel good because I'm always trying to teach him about cars and how they work. I help him maintain his 1992 Plymouth Colt Vista. Yeah, one exists. It's a good car for him to learn on. But that generation sure isn't like us. Sometimes when I'm explaining something to him I sense that his eyes are rolling back in his head. And he is the most interested of his generation. The rest really don't want to know. When I was young, most kids wanted a Camaro or Mustang, or a Corvette if you were fortunate. Your car defined you. It was an extension of your personality. I had a 1974 Camaro with a 350 engine a a 4 speed manual transmission. Fun car. Now, these kids can't drive a stick shift, don't care to learn, and think that a Prius is perfectly adequate for a Saturday night date. I don't get it.

 

For today's kids a car is simply a means to an end. Of course in our days a car was a means to and "End" also. Does that translate to British humour, Graham?

 

Yeah, it's a little sad. But I also kind of get it. Owning a car just isn't as necessary in the same way it was before. A lot of young people just flat out don't need them. In fact, I really don't need my car, and the cost of insurance, storage, parking, gas, etc. could all easily be avoided--I am reminded of this often. Cost of living index has outpaced wage growth in entry level jobs. The joy of wrenching is now clouded by lots of tech and the like, and new cars are really reliable and have nice amenities standard. Getting a cool (maybe older) car is a hard sell to a young person with a modest wage. I do pretty well, do a fair amount of work on the car myself, and even then I think I'd be really struggling if not for having lived with my parents for a while post-grad. My cost of owning the car last year was something like 25-35% of my year's earnings (inflated by tensioner/guide replacement and new wheels), and will probably be similar this year (valve job, new tires, possible new brake rotors and pads). I'm hoping it will be good to go on my version of the Great American Road Trip in the summer of 2020 (around 10,000 miles).

That said, there are obviously less costly examples of cool cars (American Muscle, Japanese, etc.).

Exposition of climate change has also changed attitudes towards vehicles (I myself struggle to balance the tension between my love of V8s and gas engines and the profound impact modern motoring has on our environment). Cars don't carry the same social capital that they used to, and it's been diminished by some really unsavory parts of car culture (offensive exhausts, street racing/drifting, the general trope of the guy in a big truck/loud car compensating for something down below). I think people my age still think some cars are cool, but not enough to invest time and energy (and money!) into them.

As for manuals: believe me, there is interest. But gone are the days of being able to get a manual rental car for a day or two and learn. Agencies in america don't carry manuals anymore. Your best shot these days is to buy a beater manual car for like $500 or to know someone who owns a manual and isn't afraid to teach you on it. This dilemma is precisely why my dad wasn't able to teach me to drive stick when I started driving. It's a legitimate point of shame for both of us.

 

I taught my daughter to drive in a 5-speed Fiat 131. Her first car was a 124 spider, also a 5-speed. I taught my son to drive in a Series IIA 88" Land Rover, 4-speed, synchro on 3 & 4 only. Grandson's first car is a Toyota Tacoma, 5-speed, stick. That said, while I was for many long years a stick only guy, my current four vehicles are all slushies. Auto boxes are so good now that sticks make little sense except just for fun.

Granville

 

way to go !!!! Both my daughters learned to drive on my '66 Shelby GT350. Manual brakes and manual steering, 4 speed. They survived the trauma of having to learn a new skill set, including hand / eye / foot coordination.

these days they are all grown up and married. Their only contact with classic cars, is to send me a photo of one they see on the road.

I tried.

Z.

 

Z, I might have had a little more influence. My son has a Land Rover Discovery II and my daughter drives a Jaguar XJ8 Vanden Plas.

Granville

 

I learned manual on my first cars, I had two at once that were bought to fix up before I had my license, a 1997 Dodge Neon and a 1973 Triumph GT6 MK3. The Neon was as base as it gets, where the Triumph actually had options it didn't, like rear defrost and a factory radio. The Triumph was a bear to drive, a 4sp non-OD transmission, manual steering, manual brakes, a manual choke and being a 30yo car. The Neon had a nice feeling linkage clutch (not hydraulic like the GT6) and a longer throw but very smooth shift linkage. I really liked the transmission in that car; more than probably 90% of manual transmissions I've driven.

I'm 31 and when I was a teenager in the early 2000s, It was uncommon for being into cars and motorcycles, let alone being a woman into cars and motorcycles who did EVERY kind of car work. Kids wanted A car, but didn't care what it was as long as it was reliable and they didn't have to pay to get it worked on (they didn't work on stuff). I don't even spend that much money on cars compared to other people my income level, but it astounds me that people will shell out $30-80k on a new car when they don't like cars and don't even particularly care for what they bought.

 

It does travel perfectly to South Florida... maybe not over to the west coast, though. As I have always said, Graham, I really appreciate your sense of humor!!!

 

My Golden Retriever fits perfectly back there. He usually lies down, and occasionally sits up to have a look around, usually when we are stopped
at a red light. When the top is down and he does this, it generally causes some surprised looks from the inhabitants of the vehicles around us!

 

unfortunately - even he has a hard time fitting in the back unless the top is down

 

Now that is the ultimate alarm system mod right there.

 

Our English Cocker Spaniel can fit back there, but not our Irish Wolfhound....

 

But of course, this is an English car, not and "Irish "Car!!!!

 

That would depend on how much the 3rd person wants to come along.
My granddaughter at age 13 simply took one look and refused.
A friend, a 40sh lady who is about 5'9" said yes, and was quite comfortable in my back seat.
The trick is to: 1 bring the front passenger seat all the way forward. 2 allow the back seat passenger to enter. 3 move the front seat back enough to allow the front seat occupant to get in. 4 adjust the front seat to the comfort of both passengers. The ride was about 20 miles, both of my passengers were quite happy with the arrangement.

 

The 40ish 5'9" lady likely had more interest to ride than 13 yr. old grand daughter. I remember cramming 2-3 young ladies happily into my TR-2 for a burger when I was in high school with no trouble. Now days, my wife complains when I suggest we take my F-Type rather than her Cadillac SUV to dinner. Kind of the reverse(?).
Of course past memories do tend to blur a bit with age also........

 

Sam, you mentioned this is English car, not an Irish car, but "Irish" setters sure do love Jags!

She owns the rear seat for us :-)

John

 

I once crammed four people into my beloved 1974 Datsun 260Z for a short trip to a Gordon Lightfoot concert (just two seats and a hatch) way back in 1976 when I was 23 years old. Keep in mind that youth, flexibility, and good backs/knees make all the difference in the world for something like that....