Fun Cars Aren't Dead. But They Might Be Soon

Everybody should own at least one "fun" car in their lifetime, whether that's a Miata, Z, Terminator, Z06, or any of innumerable other performance vehicles out there. Let's legislate that.

You know, when I started reading this I immediately thought "Oh yes, here we go again, no more fun cars because of gas and legislation, and we've been told this every few years since the 70s. But then he made a point to address that thought, and brought up a rather new point: video games. Now I'm certainly not going to go off on video games. They are fun. However, it does worry me that each new generation is sucked further into this virtual digital world and farther out of the real world. I'm a bit of a dinosaur in that regard. All my friends use facebook to "superpoke" each other, become pirates, zombies, and whatever else there is, "buy" people (what does that mean?) join "mobs"...the list goes on. I use facebook to find contact information for old high school friends or leave a current friend a message reminding her to bring Settlers of Catan with her when she comes over to watch 24. But I digress. Anyway, yes, I think a love for fun in the real world is certainly dying away. There are some glimmers of hope. I just got back from a drive on San Gabriel Canyon Road (which connects to the great Glendora Mountain Road) that I took a drive on for no other reason other than I wanted to go out for a fun drive. While on that road, I got stuck behind a white Saturn loaded up with a bunch of gang-banger wannabe teens. They'd drive swiftly on the straights, but brake and go around the turns at about 20 mph (I can easily take them at 45-50). It was annoying, but by God they were out there enjoying a drive. They were out there just for the sake of driving. Then again, I go to work, and all my coworkers have bought either the cheapest car they can find (because its just a car, why does it matter right?) or the biggest family hauler so they can fit their one child and their ton and a half of junk. Will fun cars die? Hopefully history will repeat itself and the answer will be no - they'll come back better than ever. But sometimes I worry...

Fun cars will never die because there will always be fun people and car makers build whatever they can sell.

Most people who say things are not the same as before are just old people who really mean things are not the same as they remember.

No matter how cars change new generations will find new ways to have fun.

People have to realize that having a "fun" car doesnt mean it has to be overly powerful or a gas guzzler. There are plenty of fun cars out there that get good fuel economy. However most of these fun cars may not appeal to the muscle car group who prefer large V8's.

With so many new offerings debuting recently (Mustang, Camaro, Genesis, 370Z) Im not sure how this subject even came to exist. There will always be something affordable and fun to drive available by somebody.

The fact that the "Fast and the Furious" movies (a new one is appearing soon) are so popular with the kids pretty much says the Mechanic is way wrong.

" I got stuck behind a white Saturn loaded up with a bunch of gang-banger wannabe teens. They'd drive swiftly on the straights, but brake and go around the turns at about 20 mph (I can easily take them at 45-50). It was annoying, but by God they were out there enjoying a drive. "

They go up there to smoke blunts man!

LOL @ Greenpony. Legislate fun instead of stupidity. I like that!

Wasn't there another related Mechanic op-ed on Gearheads? What makes a true gearhead or something like that.

The sad thing is so few are interested or have experience with auto mechanics. You can see it in the metal working and woodworking industries. They are dying off. No one is interested in actually making anything. It's very sad.

Most people, even the ones that "love" cars, see them as mysterious appliances. Disposable appliances.

Wrenching is just a way of life for many with the bug, including me. There is a HUGE difference between webwheelers and ones that have experience. It's just sad that webwheelers just don't realize it or care enough to do anything about it.

I object to the constant pitting of liberals and car lovers against each other.

I am a liberal who loves cars. Fast cars, sports cars, race cars, powerful cars, loud cars. Love 'em.

I found this by accident, after I read about Obama's latest bail out plan on the National Public Radio website. I then began a Google search of the newly named CEO of GM Fritz Henderson, in part to procrastinate certain assignments that I should be focusing my attention on, and in part to try and discover if this Henderson guy is a part of some oliogarical conspiracy to gain control of all major facets of American business. No, I didn't learn about this paranoid can of worms at my liberal university, in fact there I studied English and Natural Resources. I learned about New World Order conspiracies through the internet via Facebook and YouTube. Ahhh...these is some interesting times....

Given this strange trail of internet information and procrastination, I felt it only proper to share with you my utter enthrallment with sweet cars. Old cars, fast cars, cars with style and attitude, cars that nearly require you to done a leather jacket and greased back hair before fireing up the ignition. New cars with superchargers. Crazy lakester cars that self- taught engineers lay awake at night planning and calculating how they're going to increase the MPH to break a record this year at Bonneville. An '86 Jeep CJ-7 Sport Laerado edition with a 258 straight six that one day me and my boyfriend will get running like new again.

Now, granted, I just barely know what a supercharger does, and I don't really know what a 258 straight six is, but I'm curious. I'm an environmentalist liberal, and oh ya, a girl, but I still really appreciate a fine, fast machine.

Grew up playing video games AND working on cars. I discovered that I could play madden but never be good at football. Alternately, I found at age 10 (yes 10) I could easily drive a car and that was a skill I could develop. The video games continued but the driving of cars took on something more... they just feel right.

Yes, today I still drive a compromise car (a 335i 6 speed manual sedan) but I have only two goals in the next 10 years:

1. Get a bigger house
2. Get a Cayman or 911

I need 1 to get 2. The wife supports it. She loves Porsches (her dad always had one) but she also knows we need a 3-4 car garage and a decent neighborhood for our son. So the 335i is the compromise for now and eventually the Cayman/911 will follow. Then a Miata. :) Maybe one day some crazed V8 powered car...

I used to be in the Car camp. I've had a lot of muscle cars and more than my share of sports cars and have driven them like they were meant to be driven. I'm not into the green movement at all. Sure save the planet but you won't do it one plastic bag at a time. But even with all that I'm considering a Prius. Today there are too many cops looking to procure revenue for the State. They are everywhere and virtually no where in my area can you spool up a car and give it an Italian tune-up. Plus gas is going up and while buying cars like the Prius won't allow you to technically save all that much as if you bought a cheaper car with good economy at least you aren't spending a whole lot and when you start paying $4 per gas in another year driving a Fast and fun car at the speed limit or 5mpg over will feel about the same as a car with real HP at the same speed. 75mph is pretty much the same in any car on long boring highway runs. So might as well save gas doing it.
I will miss the fast cars, but if I want to speed it will have to be in Video games. Back roads here are fun but will net you hefty fines for going over the limit. So might as well save gas, boring but true...

My friend's 18 year old son in a discussion recently told me that it is because of guys like us (petrol head with love for big V8s) that the planet is going where it going (to its doom apparently).
We have to realize that the mindset has changed totally for the future car buyer and the young generation.
i have seen a lot of the kids don't use paper to dry their hands in the loo instead use the blower to save paper.
So i guess selling these V8s to the kids is like selling an audio cassette to an ipod user.
Evening during these new underground racers i have heard that the V8s are not popular. instead they prefer small engines with big turbos. guess the time really is up for the muscle car. the fun car has changed now.

i think that yes video games like forza ruin the youth... but then again i play with them... and me i cant wait to get my permit in a month and hopefully get a gen 3 camaro and tear up them tires with that sweat sounding v8 in the z28, but most kids on there just care about going fast, or a cool paint job..but i also see them trying to tune their favorite car, to turn those corners...
but other wise they would be playin halo or Call of duty... so i say car games like forza and grand turismo, arent keeping youth from real cars, but they actuallly are keeping it interesting, So Mechanic...blame games like halo, call of duty, and etc... for getting kids to become war heros or other things like dragons

HEY guys the v8 era is over. The era of turbo four cylinder cars has come. Japan will triumph over America(not literally). No offense but Americans just can't make quality cars that appeal to the younger generation. The Camaro is the only tempting one out of the three, but its still a car that runs up the price tag(well according to me b/c im a teen)and it also is a pain in the wallet with the mpg. THEREFORE Honda rules period. haha in my opinion at least.

how old is this old fart writing this story?

"They go up there to smoke blunts man!"

You'd think so, but I followed them up the road, and was behind them when they turned around. I turned around shortly after and followed them back (sadly). As far as I can tell it was just a drive for the sake of a drive. It gave me hope. Let me keep my hope.

"how old is this old fart writing this story?"

He said he had a 4 year old son - so I'd guess 35-45, why is that important? He is totally wrong.

Cars being produced today are A LOT more fun than at any time in history. For one, they are much safer, and there is nothing more fun that staying alive and not dying.

Second, they are more reliable, and, after not dying, the next least fun thing is have your car brake down when you are riding with friends or a data, for example.

Third, PERFORMANCE. Cars accelerate, corner, brake, faster and with better driving dynamics than ever before - by a long shot.

Fourth - venues. There are track days, racing schools, drifting schools, etc everywhere. You can drive anything from a go-cart, to a stock car, to your own car on a track.

Fifth - variety. In the so called "good old days" there were basically the Detroit 3 and niche cars. And the Detroit 3 pretty much emulated each other. IF one launched a pony car the other followed. If one launched a minivan or SUV the others followed. Not anymore. No company has more than an 18% market share. There are lots of Japanese, European and American name plates ducking it out. Each represents unique experiences.

Pretty much the only things that are less fun are the cost of insurance and the constant harassment of any driver that wants to really drive their cars.

So, ignore the old guard. They think that flying in a smoke infested airliner at ridiculously high fares regulated by the US govmt was the "golden age of aviation". They believe that driving a skinny-tired car, with loose steering and an oil-leaking V8 with a 3 or 4 speed transmission was fun.

If that was fun, driving a fat-tired, 6-8 speed car, with tight driving dynamics, high-carbon steal structure, 400Watts or Dolby 7.1 sound system playing digital music, has to be a lot more fun.

I'll take the present over any year in the past as far as car fun goes.

I think the passion will still be there. It might dwindle to smaller groups, like fans of jazz or classical music. But I think it will stick around.

Think of it this way. With all the media out there pushing for the world to "go green", things haven't really changed. I still see 10 more SUV's on the road then I do for every prius.

And eventually those kids playing gran turismo grow up and get licenses, and they want the real experience of driving those cars.

What will probably happen is alternative powered cars will replace gasoline cars eventually. They may come with their own set of fun factors, or they may never arise, and these cars will mimic the gasoline cars of the old. Electric cars will synthesize the sounds of motors etc.

Will it ever be the same? No, but then what is? Things change; good and bad side effects always follow. I'm sure theres a lot of car fanatics that miss the hey day of the 60s, but I bet most of them would love for those cars to have the modern technology, like nav, ipod connectivity, heated seats, bluetooth etc.

Things come and go, but the fun just transfers on. Hell, one of the cars you have pictured here is a mustang, named after a fast breed of horse. One day, people will be flying space craft named Fords. hah

I could understand this article's point if it were written a few years ago. Call me pessimistic, but isn't it more likely that these cars will go away because they are manufactured by dying companies, and not because kids don't like fun cars?

I agree withbenboy73. It's not the fact that the current day "gas sippers" are not any fun, or the video games prevent youth from driving or likiing cars, but the fact that the car community has changed. Yes, I would like to own all three pony cars from the Big 3, but, how do you expect a 16 y/o kid to pay for a 35k car? Then the gas, insurance, etc.? I know when I was a teen, I had to pay for it all myself. And I had a riot in my car. What was it you might ask? A '78 Buick Century Wagon! haha Me and my friends had a riot in that old beast. But things were less expensive then it is now. Hell, I own a jeep Patriot with the 4 banger, and I love driving it. It is fun. And I can fill the tank for 20 bucks and go a quite a few miles on it.

Thing is this: kids love cars, but would rather buy a used Civic, and build it then to buy a gas guzzler. I looked at a new Challenger SRT, and just about died to see about a 4k gas guzzler tax added in. Hell, I can buy a 5k civic, put 10k into it, and blow the doors off of that spanking new Challenger! So its not a matter of kids not loving cars, but its the type of cars they like. And the imports just do it better right now.

I think when The Mechanic is talking about liberals, he's not talking about Democrats with a slight lean to the left, but the nature nazi set willing to sacrifice anyone or anything to save a wetland, aka swamp. This set of ultra-left is hell bent on taking every internal combustion engine off the road and replacing it with an electric car, or some other alternative fuel vehicle that won't be technologically practical for another 10-20 years. Ultra-liberals like demonizing diesels, and instead preach the wonders of electric cars that are less efficient but don't give off any type of emission.
Come visit Marin County CA for all your ultra-left needs.

fg2rac3r

"THEREFORE Honda rules period."

Really?
Aside from the soon to be dead S2000 and the Canadian built Civic Si, what does Honda make that "rules"? Honda used to rule, back when they made the CRX, Civic Si HB, NSX, and Integra Type R. Only one of those cars had RWD, while the others employed the "big-wheel" method of propulsion. If Honda was going to "rule", they would stop churning out FF appliances and make a proper FR sedan or coupe.
But they won't. The Japanese car makers(namely Honda and Toyota) don't make cars for fun. They make cars that make money. Hybrids and SUVs.

I don't know. My 18 year old son who is a senior in high school still believes that cars are at least important "for appearance sake". He likes cars. Alot. Oddly, one of his favorites, though, is the new Toyota Venza. Go figure.

I have noticed fewer kids tinkering around with stuff compared to the eighties through the late nineties. I blame it on the cars. Kids don't usually have alot of dough (save for those blessed ones who's parents buy them whatever lil' Johnny wants!). Two crazes that I remember were the compact trucks of the late eighties and early nineties and the sport compacts from the mid nineties to the turn of the century.

I had a 1998 Civic EX coupe. Kids loved those! It was easy to see why. You could afford to bolt on some stuff to make it cool. To make it your own. Most importantly ou could work on it yourself! The next gen Civic changed all of that as did alot of the other cars that were coming out at the time.

Cars have become too hard to work on and too expensive. Then you add last summer's $4 a gallon gas and it's no wonder kids just stay at home!

I think what comes around goes around, though. Cars will always be cool and there will always be cool cars. We just need a few more that kids can appreciate and get excited about themselves.

Jesus. Here we go again. Just because "nu-muscle" isn't taking off like middle-aged men hoped it would the world is at an end.

Many of today's V6 bread & butter sedans will run circles around the muscle cars you remember. I'm serious. A stock GTO from back in the day did what? 0-60 in 6.5-7.0 seconds? The new Maxima does that in 5.9. Fact of the matter is people are having their cake and eating it to. Do most people need a 427 horse Camaro that'll do the deed in 4.7 seconds? No. Most 4-cyl cars out there have ZERO problems keeping up with traffic.

The fun cars are still here, and will always be. Just different.

Instead of the Mustang, its the WRX. Instead of the Camaro, its the Infiniti G/Nissan Z. Instead of the Challenger, its the EVO.

It's called change. Deal with it.

exactly what johnnyr3 said ^^^^ !!!

"The fun cars are still here, and will always be. Just different.

Instead of the Mustang, its the WRX. Instead of the Camaro, its the Infiniti G/Nissan Z. Instead of the Challenger, its the EVO.

It's called change. Deal with it."

It seems that GM and Ford are going back to retro because its the only place without competition. Back in the days of the original Camaro and Challenger there was no serious import competition to kick their @sses. So they try to sell replicas of the originals because their modern cars are overwhelmed by the Germans and Asians...

Ghettofied 4 door sedans, are not the answer to fun specially from niche automakers who will probably have to close up shop because of unsustainable sales.. Unfortunately many kids have been raised in Accord and Camry's and have no idea that driving can actually be fun. If someone helps them out by breaking them out of the box and having them test out different cars, then it does help. I've been able to show some that driving can be engaging.

Out of the 3 vehicles shown, the Mustang is the only one that will continue as for GM/Chrysler have stated it's their last run because of pending legislation. And then we'll have vehicles such as the 370Z which reminds me of the late 80s when they overpriced the Supra/Z/RX7, and killed them.

Fun and cool are usually intergrated so "cool" styling is necessary. When have we ever said "oh look at that cool 4door sedan with that huge wing spoiler and garbage can sized fart sounding exhaust?" Or even a Prius with a "Sports" package would be laughable.

And really, the way some people drive nowadays, it's best to not put them on anything fun or powerful...

The liberals might hate fun cars because of their misplaced obsession with "green" vehicles.

But the conservatives have just as much fun with the bashing of the domestic automakers. They might not specifically hate the Camaro or the Challenger, but they sure hate GM and Chrysler.

So spread your derision around.

Thank you for your article on saving the great American youth. Its funny to read on how one day there might be a 16 yr old getting his license and wishing on a Prius or Accord. Well one thing I can tell you is that my friends and I are trying to represent the real American car loving culture. I am a 21 yr old male from Bayside, New York and if you do research yes I’ve pinned the ¼ mile on the infamous Francis Lewis Blvd. I own a 2008 Jeep SRT8 and my friends all the same age own cars like the 97’ Cobra, BMW 550i, BMW 545i, 07’ Subaru STi, 05’ Scion tC (turbo), 66’ Pontiac GTO, 05’ GTO, 08 Chevy Tahoe (yes big V8), BMW M6 and etc. We’re men who since young loved cars and everything about them. There are still some of us out there but we’re getting older and like you stated in a part of the article one day we’re going to die and then what? I just read some of the comments right before posting mine i understand where ur all coming from but remember this isnt only about the american cars this is about cars PERIOD. This country can turn into Japan with the 300hp limit or maybe one day only hybrids. who knows? import or not we have to think and say f**k you smack the man and hit 60 in 4.5 secs in my SRT8 or in my 07' camry V6 (highly worked on 0-60 5.3secs ) see had to throw it out there didnt want you guys thinking i was only a V8 guy..haha

Fun cars will never die like some wrote above. Who would have thought a few years back that GM could procuce a SIDI 3.6 V6 that naturally aspirated yields more than 300 hps and potentially 29 mpg that moves a 4,000 pound car? Moreover, "fun" cars do not necessarily translate into low MPG high hps. There are light weight compact cars out there that are extremely fun like the Mazda3 (I own a 2007 MazdaSpeed3 that I love), MX-5, Civic SI, GTI, Cobalt SS, etc. It does not have to be a muscle car to be fun. I also believe in the power of human invention. There will always be muscle cars off and on and I will not be surprised if in less than a decade there is a high displacement V8s that yield more than 40 mpg. It's not only about engine technology but transmission techonogy, ignition technologies, aerodynamics, etc. Has anybody thought about harnessing wind power for cars? I wonder how much energy a car an generate by the 70mph winds that it generates for itself. The US will not move to energy independence by making only boring cars. Fun cars will simply be more efficient. Also, as long as there are highways, back roads, etc., there is nothing that materilizes American freedom more than driving. In short, fun cars are not exclusive to muscle cars. Fun is in the looks, the interior, the handling - the spirit of the car.

They are all cool cars, but no way the Charger is till being made in three years. The styling doesn't appeal to the masses and it loses out on the track to the other two. Chrysler is on the ropes as it is, keeping the Viper and another fringe car is big gamble. Consider the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Nissan 370Z the new muscle cars along with the Mustang and Camaro.

Studies show that The Mechanic has no actual reliable sources of information whenever he writes an article such as this one. There is absolutely nothing out there to suggest that just because younger people are now more digitized and spend more time on the computer and playing video games, that they have lost a passion for cars. In fact, games such as Forza 2 and Gran Turismo do the exact opposite of what The Mechanic suggests they do - they expose performance cars to kids at a younger age and peak their interest in it. I've never heard of a Pagoni Zonda until I first saw it in Gran Turismo 3.

If there's anything out there that will kill the passion for the car, it's old people. Studies show that older people drive slower than younger people, get into less accidents, and even pay less insurance! Old people buy high performance cars like the Corvette and stow it away into their garages and only take it out for a drive on Sundays. And since older people are less digitized than younger people, they're less likely to know about high performance cars that are out there, such as the Ariel Atom or the Gumpert Apollo.

There is one thing The Mechanic is correct about, however - his father did used to beat him with old rolled up car magazines. That, and the passion for the car is here to stay.

I had an argument yesterday about the environmental footprint of a Prius. My opponent had deluded her view of the Prius as this great device that could do no wrong. I then proceeded with a fire and brimstone explanation of how the Prius is actually worse for the environment than most cars on the road (batteries, components, et al). I then explained to her that it isn't so much what you drive as how you drive it.

I like to think I did my part.

I will say I think kids are losing interest in cars because the visceral component of driving is gone. Everything is electronically controlled and the driver is disconnected. I own the vehicles I do because they are the best compromise of man/machine and age. I refuse to buy a "sports car" which requires an EE degree to work on.

"I think when The Mechanic is talking about liberals, he's not talking about Democrats with a slight lean to the left, but the nature nazi set willing to sacrifice anyone or anything to save a wetland, aka swamp."

I think I'll talk about conservatives like they're all Nazis from now on. Naturally I'm not actually talking about about anyone specific... I'm sure they'll realize that.

Estreka, I'm not sure I can agree with you that cars feel more disconnected these days. Vague steering and soft suspensions seemed to be the norm for a lot of brands going back a few decades. There's never been a big market for feelsome cars.

"I refuse to buy a "sports car" which requires an EE degree to work on"
The era of opening the hood and making your car faster with a wrench is over. Technology is so advanced and the engine components so specialized that people don't have the necessary equipment to mod their cars in their backyard anymore. You need a dealership to support you or a company with full time employees to design a component that you might add (in the best case scenario) on your own in the car. In some years the cars will be sold without access to the engine bay (like Audi A1 back in 1998 in Europe).

LOOK i am 16 ...ill tell you first hand what is going on ...kids are still obsssed about cars like crazy obsssed .......if u ask every kid they wil they say love the camaro, mustang, challenger...or i think bmws are sweet ....THEY STILL EVEN LOVE SUVS! ......but when it comes to real life they cant afford those cars and their parents wont buy them those cars ........they want them to drive small tin cans that are "safe" reliable, and fuel efficient and cheap......do any of the domestics offer a car any where close to a corolla or civic no seriously if it came between a cobalt and civic..even me being a die hard detroit fan i would have to pick the civic cause it is a beter car.........if detroit made a econo car with pony car attributes they would be the king of all of autokingdom ! ...imagine a civc sized camaro .....with a supercharged 4 cl and great handling and safe and reliable and fuel efficient ....that would be the savior of gm....think cobalt ss but more stylish and better interior exterior

Well, I can say one thing for sure: Obama, all of his administration, and Congress would love nothing more than for the U.S. auto industry to produce transportation appliances that are environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and completely boring. A world full of Toyota Prius-like cars is the perfect world in the eyes of our current government.

Sad, indeed.

fun cars are around but they're getting more and more expensive. they say that the Z is an affordable car. since when is a starting price of just under 30k affordable? my first car was a hand me down and my first bought one, at 18, was a $10k eclipse GS. bought a new V6 altima afterwards (which was a fun family car. handled great, reliable, and fast) and then recently traded in for an M45. worlds better. smooth and comfortable when i want it to be but can also tear up the twisties and go very fast. will a sport coupe be better? of course but i go on at least two road trips a year and need the space.

price, safety regulations, and technology is killing of the raw fun car. there's plenty of fun cars out not but how many have a 250hp+ engine, weigh under 3k lbs, and cost less than 20k? i'm all for fun and sporty cars, the 370Z is the next on my list to sit next to the M45, but there are more pressing things than cars. I'd rather have a fun and compromised car along with a nice house than a so-so house and dedicated sports car. fun cars are evolving and they'll always be here but they won't be how they used to be. people still give me crap for getting a V6 or V8 because it burns through so much gas and i should get a civic but once they rode in the Altima or M45, they quickly shut up, drove the car to the limits, and came back with a cheek to cheek grin.

turboed engines are more fuel efficient and powerful and i want one but they will never be able to get that pure raw feel of a naturally aspirated engine.

give me a 370Z for $24k that has no airbags, no traction and stability control, manual tranny, no steering wheel controls, just something really basic and i would be in heaven.

if you want real fun, get a motorcycle. sure, they're dangerous but it's not like muscle cars of old weren't either. get full gear, be alert, and no car will be able to compare to a bike.

I agree with the poster above

I have a bike, they're faster than all your cages =D

riding a bike is a feeling like no other

and yes i do want a car to mod, but they're so damn expensive nowadays,

the days of fabricating stuff to boost your car's power at home are over, you have to buy all your stuff from an aftermarket vendor

at least on my bike i can just yank out the carbs and put some flatslides in and make that badboy go up 15% in power, everybody should just get bikes they're so much easier to tune and way faster out of the box, 0-60 in under 5 seconds? nawwww

0-60 in 2.5 easy and they're WAY cheaper except harley davidson's build quality sucks now (need to get the classic 70's harleys)

By the way I'm 19 if that really matters

I seriously think we should all write into Insideline and tell them how stupid the Mechanic really is.

His views aren't even bigoted or biased, they're just plain stupid. He makes generalizations about liberals not liking cars? Where do you even get this data, anecdotal evidence where you met one liberal who doesn't like cars?

Seriously, the past couple articles weren't even in support of America about cars etc, they're just him spewing out what he has on his mind without editing or thinking first.

From now on he shouldn't be called the Mechanic, he should be called "diarrhea mouth" since all he does it spew out ish all day like an @$$hole. Nonstop just spewing ish out

I dub the Mechanic as Diarrhea Mouth, from now on he will be called as such.

Nothing wrong with editorials, though I'd prefer if editorialists didn't hide behind pen names.

The love of sports and sporty cars and, in particular, the visceral response has to controlling and enjoying the power and abilities of such machines is hard wired into human beings.

Now, the way I see it is that, the first question really is can society make the pleasures of such machines too costly for the average person to access and enjoy them. I think we are well down this road with government mandated insurance, combined with exorbitant rates for even good drivers with certain vehicles.

The second question seems to be can an industry financially tied to platform sharing across the board produce vehicles that are truly pleasurable driving machines. Even the smallest lightest vehicles built off a shared platform tend to be heavy and not very sporty. We see behemoths like the Challenger and pudgy compacts like the C30 being sold as sporty cars and the experience behind the wheel isn't actually very sporty.

In conclusion, the process that The Mechanic has outlined is well on its way to being realized, witness the demise of standard transmissions in so-called sports sedans, and it will continue not because the love of things cars can potentially be is diminished but because the true freedom, or that illusion in their mind, that a car used to offer young people doesn't really exist for them any more for myriad reasons. Being passionate about cars and driving really is starting to seem an anachronism.

I'm definitely buying a hot hatch, probably a GTI when I get out of college. Practicality doesn't have to be boring...

I'm 21 years old so I still consider myself part of the younger generation and for me and all of my friends cars are more than just transportation. It's sad to think that alot kids are dreaming of Priuses and Insights. Yes, these cars do have a place on the road but they, like most cars today, relate more to toasters and coffee makers (appliances) than forms of expression and personality like a Corvette or Mustang. I'm not saying American cars aren't like that either. Look at the Impala or Malibu... nothing like they were in the 60's and 70's. I would hate to think of a world without cars built for more than just A-B transport. It will be a cold day in hell before a Yaris tugs at my heart strings.
I own a 2007 Cobalt LS right now because a compact car is all I could afford at the time... although I do tend to drive it like it's something more potent! Once I pay this off, I'm getting a Camaro. V6, V8, LS, RS, SS... it all depends on gas prices and what I can afford but my next car will be a "fun car" as others have called it.

Just for the record, GM makes a pretty damn good little hot compact, the Cobalt SS. Think I'm full of shit? Check out Car and Driver's 2008 lightning lap comparison.

The Cobalt turned in a fast lap than the 08 Evo MR, Golf R32, Honda S2000, Mazdaspeed 4 AND the 135i IL loves so much.

So don't feed me the crap that hot compact lovers can't find anything in the GM stable to upgrade.

Make that Mazdaspeed 3

Ok here is the difference, car companies need to stop and think about this.
In your day, IE 1965 - 1980, the average price of a muscle car or even a 240z was what 2000-6000 brand new? 1000-4000 used? I know that you have to account for inflation and all that but it was still enormously cheaper in those days to own a cool youthful car. Not to mention you could good paying jobs without a college degree, much less a high school one sometimes.
These days almost all kids go to high school where most just have a job for extra spending money, and secondly a lot of kids these days go on to schools after they graduate high school (which means they won't be paying for no 24,000 dollar muscle car). So there alone a lot of people in the 18-24 year old niche are left out. So what are you left with? The lucky college grads who get a great job right out of school and have a dream of owning a cool car. The others? Middle aged crisis types, people with a passion for cars, and people that have disposable income. Now a lot of these people probably have a family, and are already paying for a sedan or SUV. It would be hard to convince the wife that you want to go get your 38000+ Camaro SS when johny and suzie need to go to college.
In the end tally your left with high school grads, most of which won't make enough money to ever own one of these cars, college grads who have college pay off for them right away and aren't tied down with a wife yet, and upper class people whose kids have most likely left home.
The fact is times have changed. Get over it. Believe me I am not liberal.. but honestly maybe it is for the better. If the car companies want to sell these cars they have to return to much more than classic looks, the price range and society is different then when those looks were king.

"Just for the record, GM makes a pretty damn good little hot compact, the Cobalt SS. Think I'm full of shit? Check out Car and Driver's 2008 lightning lap comparison.

The Cobalt turned in a fast lap than the 08 Evo MR, Golf R32, Honda S2000, Mazdaspeed 4 AND the 135i IL loves so much.

So don't feed me the crap that hot compact lovers can't find anything in the GM stable to upgrade."

That was on the nurburgring and everybody starts and stops at different points. It's a well known fact that comparing times using the nurburgring is not an accurate way of testing car's lap times.

I'm 17 and I will keep the passion alive!

Morning soup, you're right when comparing manufacturers claims, but C&D did the testing themselves and the same time. The lap times are directly comparable.

I am working on getting my 1988 BMW 325i (E30) ready for the track. My son is 8 and loves to help me work on it. I like to think that I am doing my part in a small way.

Wow, I guess he goes by "The Mechanic" because Rush Limbaugh was already taken. The majority of people buying the 4-cylinder Honda Accords are conservatives that have given up thinking for themselves and wollow in groupthink. Maybe the extreme far left is composed of tree-huggers that can get by without cars, just like the extreme far right is composed religious extremists that think Jesus wouldn't want us to drive cars or use birth control. Luckily, the middle 80+ percent are people who live life under the "you do what you want, and I'll do what I want" belief system.

This is totally wrong. I'm a young person and I have to say there are still plenty of people who are into cars. The whole green movement isn't really as big a deal to the younger generation as people might think(really most kids don't care/ don't know anything about what they believe). I'll give you three reasons why enthusiasts seem to be dying out.

1.Since the dawn of the model t, there have been people who treated a car like a commuter appliance. Enthusiasts haven't never been the majority since cars became mass produced and handed out to people.

2. Possibly the biggest reason is insurance.I'm almost 20 and I looked at insurance quotes on cars like a 3rd gen camaro(cheap, fun, and rwd what's not to love), gto, 4th gen, corvettes, 350z,300zx, mustangs and etc.I got quotes over $2,000 for 6 months. College students/young people can make payments on used performance cars (hell I only have a part time job and I could afford monthly payments on a used car) but the insurance kills any chance of buying a used car with some balls. Paying for an economy car is enough of a pain in the ass.

3.Cars are more reliable so people shy away from doing any work on their own. In days past people were digging under their hoods to try to fix something, rebuild a carburetor, replace a spark plug, change one of the frequently popping tires, and etc. People stopped doing that because they no longer have to as often and so they can't pass off any mechanical knowledge to their kids. People who don't have the luxury of being born into a family that works on cars wont learn how to do it. The only option for them is to learn from a friend or take costly classes.

"I think I'll talk about conservatives like they're all Nazis from now on. Naturally I'm not actually talking about about anyone specific... I'm sure they'll realize that." - carlisimo

Carl, well at least the Nazi conservatives aren't trying to legislate all the fun out of being an American.

All the more for us car lovers. If they don't know what they're missing, then too bad for them. All the more for us.

I am currently 17 and was accepted to UC Berkeley and UCLA as a mechanical engineering major. I've been a straight-A student throughout high school and decided to major in mechanical engineering so I could work with cars. Along the way, though, there's been nothing but resistance. My parents keep hoping I'll change my major to computer science or something because, "cars are a dying product." I had to persuade my mother over several months to let me change the oil in my '99 accord. It took a year to convince my parents to let me change the worn brake shoes. They were always afraid that I would break something and the car would be out of service and they'd have to take it to a mechanic. The closest track around here is about four hours from where I live, and it costs over 1,000. For now, I'm stuck with an auto-transmission car running about 90 hp that's 10 years old. My parents don't even want me to trade it for an old Miata for a couple thousand and I don't have the funds to. There aren't many car enthusiasts around my school either, so there's not really any opportunity to try someone else's car either. It's not that I'm not interested in cars, it's just that there's really no way to learn.

BeefSupreme, maybe not when it comes to cars, but in other aspects of life they certainly are. From the library to the bedroom.

cwmoo, you'll find people with your interests in college, but don't trade in for a Miata just yet. College involves a lot of moving from place to place, and a lot of giving rides to big groups of friends (and getting banged up by parallel parkers). A sedan's good, but you'll wish you had a wagon. I sure did. Then after college I noticed I wasn't using my rear seats or trunk at all, and bought a Miata.

cwmoo740,

I'm attending UC Berkeley right now, there's tons of motorcycles out here since the parking is free and parking cars are a PITA. Definitely get a bike and hit up the Berkeley Hills, you won't regret it =D. Keeping a car here is a huge hassle especially nice ones if you park on the street or in garages, all the cars get dinged by hit and runs so keeping that 90hp in Berkeley might be a good idea.

Hey mechanic, it's not that us young people are not enthusiast, we just cannot afford to have these cars. My dad used to talk about all the cool cars he used to own when he was young, and how fast he drove. TImes have change. Laws are strict now and police are always watching. Also, young people just do not have the funds to pay the insurance or the payments. And not to mention the cops making our lives impossible if we even drove over ten mile over the limit. Let's not forget that gas has gotten really expensive. It is not our fault that our society is different than what you knew when you were young. Hey, i wouldn't mind driving a cool car if I didn't have to blow all my money on rent and student loans. And I cannot stress the cops again, they are out trying to generate as much revenue as they can, so it's just a hassle to be young and drive a fast car.. It's a recipe for disaster that most young people do not want to deal with.

I'm a liberal. I'm also a realist, and a car fan. I cant do my own repairs due to a disability. I can't contort myself and get into the tiny spaces needed to fix stuff.

I really don't care about 0-60 times as long as they aren't too slow. I prefer a car that handles well, is communicative and enjoyable to drive.

Gimme a BMW 120d and I'd be pleased as punch. RWD, handles well, 0-60 times in the high 7s and a combined driving mpg in the low 40s to boot. Gimme a 120d 5 door hatchback and I'm in hog heaven.

im 19 years old... ive been born and raised in the country... ive grown up around lifted trucks and muscle cars... i would take a V8 small block or big block, it makes no difference to me. In my mind theres no replacement for displacement and an old style pushrod motor. Ive played the video games and i love playing them, however, when i get behind the wheel of my 85 chevy K20, that experience beats any virtual reality. Ive drivin everything from lifted trucks of all years, to friends rice burners, to muscles cars of their glory days in the late 60s and early 70s. Where im from kids are like me... people may think that the day of the car is over... but for us.. the day of american muscle and V8 power is just beginning.. and we plan on keeping it alive and passing it on to our kids... liberals may not like it but i dont care... i dont complain about what they drive so theyve got nothing to say bout what i drive. and thats that.
- "gimme a big block and a 4bbl and ill be as happy as a fat kid in a candy shop"

Original post seems pretty much on point to me.

Which politicians exactly repealed the 55 mph national speed limit?

Now which ones are pushing to bring it back? Are pushing the revenue cameras going up everywhere? Bans on cars that aren't sardine cans via CAFE? Mileage taxes? Ad nauseum.

first let say that i am an extremely liberal person. with that said, i have a great passion for cars. not just as mechanical marvels, but as an art form in many ways (the way it looks, the way it feels to drive, the way it sounds...) now i'm not saying i'm the rule here, in fact, i'm fairly sure i'm the exception, and i agree that a vast majority of people are falling away from an appreciation of cars for any other reason than how efficiently and comfortably they can get you from your condo to your cubicle. the problem is, culture evolves. just as the horse lovin' folk were probably sad to see the decline of real horsepower and were left to appreciate their love as a niche sport, hobby, or passtime, and yet still we see people riding horses along park trails, and beaches and we watch horse races, and think, "wow, what a fancy sport" or "what beautiful animals" or "what folksy people" or "horseback riding looks like so much fun." and hey, just like cars, you can go buy a thoroughbred thats fast as hell for around 100K, or you can buy a beater that gets you around for under 10, but back in the day, if i needed a ride to work, i wasn't calling the guy with the real mustang, i was calling the guy with the Ford Mustang. i guess what i'm trying to say is, the passion for cars may fall off for the masses who never really had a passion for them in the first place (but rather a passion for whatever was trendy, popular, or simply readily available at the time) but for those of us who truly love cars, there will be a place for us for a long time to come. and just like the horse folk, that place will ultimately reflect what it is that we loved about cars in the first place (lord knows keeping my ass cheeks toasty and plush in the comfort of a 12 speaker bose audio system is not why i love cars , thats why i love my living room). so as telegraph folk gave way to phone people, and vinyl to cassettes, to cds, to mp3s, and steam ships to planes, and horses to cars, perhaps its time for us car lovers to realize that our passion is no longer the industry standard, but rather, a wonderful alternative for people who still care about the quality of a visceral experience (telegraph people not included in that statement). stop caring so much about what the rest of the world wants to do with their lives, and live yours the way you want to.

ps-liberals and conservatives alike need to stop blaming the other side for everything that they don't like in the world. maybe if you tried to solve the problems instead of just trying to find someone to place blame upon, your life wouldn't be so miserable.

*sigh* -- Stephen Colbert does the ironic-fake-conservative-blowhard thing a lot better than The Mechanic.

The outlook can't be that bleak. There was a "Prius GT" built some time ago and there is that Suzuki powered Smart.

Seriously mechanic, I'm a liberal just like alot of people that have commented on this story already, I'm 18, and I love my 99 Mustang v6. Its a cool car, it gets good gas mileage, and its sweet to drive. You need to seriously get your perspective on the world in order, because I think your totally wrong on the prospect that teens don't like cars anymore. One of my friends that is my age has a Mitsubishi 3000gt, and then one of my other friends at school owns a 95 red BMW 318i convertable. That is evidence right there that kids today still like cars and can be green as well.

I completely agree with bmwboy on this. I am 18 and I drive a 2007 Mazda3S with a manual transmission. It's a really sensible car also happens to be a blast to drive. I picked it over all of its competitors because it was MUCH more exciting. There are still lots of young people out there who love cars, and there are lots of great cars that don't sacrifice practicality or fuel economy for fun.

I somewhat agree with the mechanic. I am an absolute car fanatic. Among my friends , all in our mid twenties, we own 2006 z4m-coupe (mine), 300+hp audi tt, 95 nsx, 2005 s600, and the newly added 2006 530i. Whenever we get together a discussion on cars is bound to occur. We could talk about cars for hours. I am supprised however, that outside of these friends, most other guys my age are much less interested in cars. I kind of expect every other guy my age to be equally obsessed, but that is not the case.

In highschool it seemed everyone was into cars. Some of my friends who dumped thousands of dollars (our life savings at the time) modding their GTI's, Mustangs, and Integra's are no longer interested in cars. They are more concerned with buying their first homes, finishing university, etc. It seems like the older I get the fewer and fewer people their are who truly love cars. I think that is a normal part of life. More responsabilities = less time and money to indulge in things like cars. It has always, and will always be like this. The way cars are being vilified for all of the worlds problems Isnt helping. If all this anti-car green crap continues there will be less gear heads out there than there are now, but we will always be there. Fast, fun cars will never die completely, they just may be the less popular choice.

I am an 18 year old senior. I play football, wrestle and run track. I am basically a typical high school senior. I love everything about cars. Almost everyday I check Insideline and other websites to see what's new. I am currently driving a 94 ford ranger, not my first choice of a car, but my dad gave it to me since I couldnt afford a car. I recently bought a 96 Ford Contour V6 for $450 with a bad transmission that I hope to fix soon. However, I havent had the privilege to drive a car with more that 200 hp. Sometimes I dream of driving a Nissan Z, or a Mustang or anything remotely fast to todays standards. I want to someday own a fun and fast car. I don't know how high school was 10 or 15 years ago, but from what I see, I have to agree with The Mechanic. I rarely see kids anymore driving fast, fun cars. In my opinion, it has to do mostly with finances, but kids just arent into cars as much as I think they used to be in. I honestly dont know why, I dont think it's because of the media, all my friends ridicule algore, they dont even seem to care about global warming. Maybe its because the world is becoming less and less manly. And that applies to sports too. Thankfully for me, I get goosebumps when I hear the tune a big v8 or even some v6s. I guess I can still consider myself a guy. Haha

there's some inteligent talk from " The Mechanic ":
Youngsters just don't like to get dirty preparing their v8 to go fast...they prefere video-games(some of them are very realistic) that gives them an effect of driving that all fast cars in safe conditions, but priveately they want sth reliable , that wont bring problems ..
that is our virtual world..they escape to internet..in real life You have to buy engine , instal it ...etc..they are to lazy/want to fell comfortable..
that's what tells me my intuition ..

Read this (one of last post on this side): Youngsters voice:
By cwmoo740 on March 31, 2009 6:01 PM
I am currently 17 and was accepted to UC Berkeley and UCLA as a mechanical engineering major. I've been a straight-A student throughout high school and decided to major in mechanical engineering so I could work with cars. Along the way, though, there's been nothing but resistance.
And..
By jrg7 on March 31, 2009 11:15 PM
Hey mechanic, it's not that us young people are not enthusiast, we just cannot afford to have these cars. My dad used to talk about all the cool cars he used to own when he was young, and how fast he drove. TImes have change
and
By corbin_opilla on April 1, 2009 6:08 AM
im 19 years old... ive been born and raised in the country... ive grown up around lifted trucks and muscle cars...
and
„Sometimes I dream of driving a Nissan Z, or a Mustang or anything remotely fast to todays standards. I want to someday own a fun and fast car. I don't know how high school was 10 or 15 years ago, but from what I see, I have to agree with The Mechanic. I rarely see kids anymore driving fast, fun cars. In my opinion, it has to do mostly with finances, but kids just arent into cars as much as I think they used to be in. I honestly dont know why, I dont think it's because of the media, all my friends ridicule algore, they dont even seem to care about global warming. Maybe its because the world is becoming less and less manly. And that applies to sports too. Thankfully for me, I get goosebumps when I hear the tune a big v8 or even some v6s. I guess I can still consider myself a guy. Haha „

I've foud this interesting too, with some I agree with some not..

if we don't pick up a bullhorn of our own, more and more kids will choose the easy route.

You might think I'm crazy, but this seed of the devil has already been planted. Somewhere out there is a teenage boy dreaming of a new Prius. Somebody please grab him by the collar and take him for a ride in a cool car. Let him hear it. Show him how to heel-and-toe downshift. Teach the little weasel how to do a tire-shredding burnout. Do whatever it takes to shake him from his stupor. I'd do it myself, but I'm off to get a haircut and tomorrow I have to mail something.

Everybody should own at least one "fun" car in their lifetime

I got stuck behind a white Saturn loaded up with a bunch of gang-banger wannabe teens. They'd drive swiftly on the straights, but brake and go around the turns at about 20 mph (I can easily take them at 45-50). It was annoying, but by God they were out there enjoying a drive. They were out there just for the sake of driving. Then again, I go to work, and all my coworkers have bought either the cheapest car they can find (because its just a car, why does it matter right?) or the biggest family hauler so they can fit their one child and their ton and a half of junk. Will fun cars die? Hopefully history will repeat itself and the answer will be no - they'll come back better than ever. But sometimes I worry...

it changed in best years of last century Muscle cars were cool , now japanese buzzers sems to be cool for Yougnsters, but hopefully they'll change their mind after Fast and Furious 4 screening..

So i guess selling these V8s to the kids is like selling an audio cassette to an ipod user.

There is absolutely nothing out there to suggest that just because younger people are now more digitized and spend more time on the computer and playing video games, that they have lost a passion for cars. In fact, games such as Forza 2 and Gran Turismo do the exact opposite of what The Mechanic suggests they do - they expose performance cars to kids at a younger age and peak their interest in it. I've never heard of a Pagoni Zonda until I first saw it in Gran Turismo 3.

.imagine a civc sized camaro .....with a supercharged 4 cl and great handling and safe and reliable and fuel efficient ....that would be the savior of gm....think cobalt ss but more stylish and better interior exterior ..- Pontiac Solstice GXP?

I'm definitely buying a hot hatch, probably a GTI when I get out of college. Practicality doesn't have to be boring... practicality equals boring !

I am 18 and I love cars, I am obsessed. When I was looking to buy my first car I wanted a 67 mustang...but my mom didnt want me to get that so they paid for $5000 and helped me buy a 2005 V6 mustang. I dropped a bunch of money into that thing but in the end it didnt have the power I wanted so I sold it and bought the Edmunds project Mustang GT, a much faster and way more fun car to drive. The truth is I used to spend all my money on video games like Gran Turismo and Need for speed but once i got my mustang I put every penny I make into my car. Every paycheck I get almost all of it goes towards parts. I do think its pretty sad that I just dont see very many kids these day driving the real fun cars. I left school in my senior year this year and am finishing high school online, but I take my gf to school and whenever I go through the school parking lot im dissapointed because I dont see one car that I would like to drive. I think kids just are lazy and dont know how to grow up and get a job and work hard to make the kinda money to be able to afford the kinda cars that are fun. I left school early so I can work 8 to 5 then go home and do homework, so I have the money to get a nice car. Today kids would rather buy a boring honda and have time to hang out with their friends and play video games than work hard and own something that people all around town will recognize when they see it. I like having a special car that when people see it they know its me, some people I guess could care less about having a cool car. Its just a matter of who you are I guess.

It's pretty sad that computers and video games are the scapegoat for the problems in American society. Rather, Americans should stop blaming everyone and everything for why they can't raise their own children correctly. Isn't it obvious why America's youth are preferring computerized entertainment rather than real-life experiences? Hell for one thing, the video game won't yell at them for making a mistake. I enjoy how these video games provide more praise in under an hour than I'd ever hear from the parents in 2 weeks (i.e Dance Dance Revolution for example). American society must be really screwed up. I don't even see kids playing on the streets or sidewalk anymore. Real life must really suck. I'd hate to get a bashing for stating the obvious, but let's be honest with ourselves: HD is much better than real life. If I had the choice to play basketball at a park that's trashy and tagged up and sprawling with gangsters or play NBA 2k9 on my Playstation 3, I think I'd go with the obvious choice. Nowadays with cars being stolen and vandalized at an alarming rate, why the hell would anyone want to stand out? I don't even want to drive my Supra around the neighborhood anymore because I know the people who are likely to follow me home. It's just as The Mechanic has said about getting a Honda to conform with the crowd. Guilty am I for driving a black Honda Prelude with a red front bumper; however, so people assume it's nothing worth value in stealing it. I'm sure it would never strike the eyes of any youth as a cool car, at least, compared to the exotic supercar he or she had just purchased from Gran Turismo. It's no wonder they'd rather stay home... I know I would.

The best selling vehicles lately in the US are the ford F-150 crap truck, the chevy crap truck, the dodge crap truck, some SUV's and etc. . . Vehicles typically driven by ignorant conservatives. It doesn't matter how big of a v8 they have because they weigh a million tons and don't handle. Fun cars were killed of left and right in the 90's by brokeback neo conservative Reagan worshipers. Blaming it on the prius is just looking for a skapegoat which barely makes a dent in the market.