Passing of an Era in Young People?

[asphaltgambler]

Is anyone here mentoring someone in the car hobby? P-car or other?

Just curious as it seems to me that young people, teenager's specifically are just not wanting to learn about cars, the hobby or even performance related wheeled stuff anymore.

Been through a handful of young people at my church and it seems fruitless. I don't really have any end expectations other than are they willing to learn and work? ....................apparently not.

We have a medium sized 275+ congregation with a very active youth program. Put the word out again..................crickets.

OK - says I - does anyone want to make some extra cash helping me with yard work and other things house and possibly auto related?.......................................... ....crickets.

Recently I went just short of advertising in the local online paper for any to all the above. I've asked around. I'm easy going / fairly generous in giving back to others and a good amount of patience.

For now - I've put that on hold as the fall / winter season is about here and I don't have the time or projects where I need inexperienced / no experience help.

What say y'all?

[Tervuren]

Modern cars are reliable enough you don't need to know how to do the kind of things you're offering.
People can still be into cars without knowing how to rebuild a carb.

My 2009 Jaguar, just fluids/filters/tires/batteries.
It is ten years old.

It isn't like my 944's where there is always something in need here or there, sometime more than one something at a time.
You'll find a lot of the car enthusiast in a younger generation are into far more reliable cars.
To them working on a car is putting spacers on the wheels, changing out the springs to lower it, etc.
This is because the car they like doesn't "need work", so it is about cosmetics.

[look 171]

Ask em' if anyone can help youth set up a web site or anything computer related. I bet you have them lined up at your door step. Car, house, yard work requires actual work instead of pushing buttons and looking at a screen.

[look 171]

Unit they worked a little save a little money and buy that first fixer upper, then that when they know they need to learn how to do stuff around the house to save a few bucks. Now, not a care in the world. I don't know about some of the folks that grew up in the farms, they still have to fix things or they just pay to have it done?

[jcommin]

I was at a cars and coffee in a suburb just north of Chicago in June. I met up with a couple of friends. I took my 944, my friends had a new Alfa and an all electric Hyundai. I was so happy not to see tri-five Chevys or a 69 Camaro. I did see a 70 Camaro. The mix was primarily Asian and German. Body kits, lots of chrome turbos, lowered cars, tints - it was actually refreshing. A lot of money in some of these rides. There were a few Corvettes, mostly late model stuff.

I think the car culture is there - it is changing.

[yellowperil]

I doubt if Greta Thunberg is pining for a Porsche or Alfa or Aston Martin. Her "How dare you" is getting a bit of attention. Good on her.

Controversial for sure.

[fastfredracing]

I still get the occasional young guy walk in and beg for a job,

[crustychief]

My sons were mentored from a very early age to work on their own stuff. I have a cousin who is interested so I try to give him as much advice and hands on as I can.

[wdfifteen]

I have no problem finding high school age kids to do yard work for $10 an hour. Very few of them have any interest in cars.

[reachme]

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” -Socrates

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

Modern cars are reliable enough you don't need to know how to do the kind of things you're offering.
People can still be into cars without knowing how to rebuild a carb.

Or knowing how to change a flat.
Or checking battery under load or parasitic drain from a component.
Or tracking down a fuse blowing.
Or adjusting a bent window bracket.
Or fixing a ding with PDR.
Or any other worn out component.
Or anything else related to normal wear and tear for a simple powered metal box on wheels.

Knowledge comes with experience.
Experience costs a whole lot of money when someone else fixes it...
That basic necessity takes away from other budgets. (and ability. feeling of self-worth. self-confidence. etc.etc.)

Even simple things are now more complex for the older generation growing up with them..

The youth of today not only need to know the past but also be able to prepare for the future.
Or they will simply be replaced.

[Tervuren]

I believe it has more to do with the personal circumstances of the original poster than that there are less young people into cars.

[john70t]

Can you please explain further?

Is the asphaltgambler dude too wild?...or right-wing?....which puts the younger crowd off?
I honestly don't know.

With a former 'ASE-certified Master Mechanic' title, I've got a few years of mechanical experience behind the belt (or at least enthusiasm for the trade).
I've offered multiple times to teach my nephews how to work on a few things.
A gift horse from a faker-quasi-pro. (just imho)

They did not seem too interested or were always busy....meh whatever...

As a young man I would have jumped at any chance to learn the insider tricks of a trade.
"Stay frosty"
"Stay hungry"
(But back then I was cleaning carpets, working in a warehouse, paper route, mowing lawns, collecting cans at halftime games, or for lunch money, and running entire studentville McDs grill by myself before 16.)

[stealthn]

You are bang on, both my sons aren’t really into, or for that matter interested in driving. Both my wife and I are stumped, we couldn’t wait to drive when young.

I taught them the basics about maintenance but that’s as much as they want to learn.

I see it in a lot of kids in the neighbourhood, interest is just not there

[javadog]

Both of my boys were surrounded by exotic cars and bikes from birth; one likes cars, the other likes bikes. Not many of their friends do, although a few might.

There’s no question that their generation has comparatively little interest in cars and bikes than mine did. It’s not even close.

[javadog]

Kids today would rather play a video game with a helicopter in it than crawl all over an actual helicopter.

When I was a kid, nobody went home or went inside their house until it was dark. Nowadays, I almost never see any kids outside.

Things are different, for sure.

[dewolf]

My youngest is a car nut. Both old and new. Loves the real early Mercs and Ferrari's etc. Even knows who Auto Union is! We are both about to do the mechatronics unit is his fiances Golf. He'll wrench while I supervise.

[Tervuren]

Many of y'all's perception eis coloured bai yer perzerpzion of youzes own youth as an enthusahmiast about ottimoebills.

Becauzes youzes wersah intah tha ottimoebills tha utter youths dat younzes wanted to be around werz also into ottimoebills.

Youzes perseptions iz biazed to zee ownly the youths youzes hongs outz wiff from a mootual interisk in ottimoebills.

[john70t]

Are kids too comfortable to be risk-adverse at all?
Too afraid?

Danger is the natural state of reality:
Get hit by a bus crossing the street while texting your feelings about some media personality.
Consume poison pills for self-created bad thoughts until the heart or liver fails at age 16.
Build a backyard rocket and fly it into space in a blaze of burning glory.

Same difference. (well no, not actually the same thing)
Same result.

[drcoastline]

They are out there. Just not into the cars we are into for the most part. They like the late 80's, 90's, early 2000's rice burners. No carbs, points, distributors. They like FI and computers. But that is OK. It's the same just different. Probably not unlike the guys with the T-buckets, and various rods vs. the guys coming home from WWII and Korea with European cars like MGTD's, Jag 120, 140, 160's. This guy is all in for dropping a C230 Kompressor drive train and engine in my 71 280's.