21st Jan 2013, 11:42

Sadly you're right, and people's preferences have changed. I've never seen people's preferences change so much to a point where it drove an entire market segment almost extinct though. The Feds played a bit of a role in helping too I guess, so that makes sense.

The other problem is that a lot of younger people know next to nothing about cars, and see them merely as appliances for transportation, nothing more. People today just want something to get them around that doesn't demand anything or cause trouble for them and their wallets. They don't care about styling or luxury, they only view cars as simple transportation, and don't know anything about them.

Back then, people used to actually know a lot about their cars and care for them themselves mostly. A car was almost an extension of one's family, not a mere appliance. Of course, the better off Americans bought new cars every 2-3 years to keep up with their neighbors, but they still cared about the cars. You don't see that enough anymore.

While I'll bet everybody on this thread cares much about their cars and knows a good number of facts about their vehicles, we're a slowly dwindling minority, being replaced by younger people who only care about buying the most efficient car possible. It's a sad state of affairs, and it's only going to keep getting worse. My advice, buy a classic while you still can and keep it forever. Don't treat it as a appliance, treat it as a sort of extension of your family.