Why Is Car Culture Dying?

[@ThatDudeinBlue]

It's so funny we were thinking the same thing for a video this week. To be clear we did not mention this to each other at all lol. Great video!

[@BladedAngel]

Convergent thinking at it's finest! I had this video lined up a couple weeks ago, but I couldn't type quite well cuz my shoulder was still recovering Then I saw your tweet about this topic, I was like, "Well I already got this far into editing"

[@acenewholland564]

Good to see respect to Watch other, no one talking about copy, just convergent thinking

[@WaySydeBeats]

@@ThatDudeinBlue 2 great minds think alike

[@π.14]

car prices are so terrible nowadays

[@Coronet_shop]

Saaaaadly

[@ThinkingCrimson]

Thanks clout chasers.

[@100xasd]

I'm still into cars but I also agree with Jeremy Clarkson when he told his reasons for not continuing with reviewing cars this year. I don't like where the future is headed. New cars are being kept expensive and you still don't own them because they are software platforms. It just sounds so depressive and controlling to even think about it, not at all what got me into this hobby in the first place. I wish there is still a place in the future where car enthusiasts can enjoy their cars for a reasonable price.

[@escape2nirvana]

@@100xasdI agree with the new cars, especially when you see the overpricing dealerships do. But we also have to keep ourselves in check on the used market. I see a lot of people over price their shit over and over again and we need to as a community stop that

[@mrsoisauce9017]

All prices are so terrible nowadays

[@CCFMcccx]

Personaly i see this as a opportunity for the car community to make a comeback

[@BladedAngel]

Maybe. Go back to our roots. Keep weeding out the bad actors. Regardless, I'm excited to see if Hydrogen engines can keep Piston Engines alive.

[@moisesezequielgutierrez]

Losing mainstream support means going bacc to the glory days.

[@carfriendsimulator9981]

CCF reference in username??

[@UnfollowYourDreams]

There is no such thing as car "culture". You guys are just fanboys of (dangerous and toxic) products marketed to you by some faceless global enterprise. But a car doesn't make you cool the same way smoking cigaretts doesnt make you cool. It just costs insane ammounts of money, you smell bad and die decades earlier.

[@WaySydeBeats]

It's not really an opportunity, this is a lesson and discussion about it but that doesn't mean it's a full opportunity. In order for it to make a full comeback. It's gotta go back to the roots as bladed stated. Back then it was no takeovers, no pavement queens no personal trash talkers and no tampers, it was respectful people with cars they put their hard work in. The new generation now is completely clueless about cars. they wouldn't even know what a 4BL carb is. Minds aren't open enough at all... till we weed out the bullshit then it's gonna get worse

[@MahadWaal]

It's the fact that ALL car prices went up. A 2006 honda civic was

[@chm1ata]

I was lucky when buying my winter car, A Suzuki Swift sport for around 1k dollars. And that is with the high prices in Denmark. But its a bit of a clunker, but it will hopefully make it through the winter

[@Thinginator]

It's because more and more people are realizing that older cars are more reliable than new ones, and can outlast them indefinitely as long as you take good care of them and don't abuse them, which ends up being cheaper long-term than continually buying new cars and dealing with their problems. There are old cars with over a million miles on them, just with regular maintenance... Why wouldn't they be going up in value when new cars are having catastrophic failures at 60k? This might be a hot take, but I'm kinda glad cheap beater cars aren't really a thing anymore, because it means people are seeing cars as something worth taking care of so they last. They're not cheap appliances to be thrown away, they are investments in your own freedom of movement, and are worth taking care of. Better to keep fixing a $6k car than keep abusing $3k cars and junking them when the wheels fall off... Cars are not worth abusing.

[@osmacar5331]

Not in america.

[@roji556]

A lot of it is inflation too

[@andrewolson5471]

I wouldn't be surprised if the 1960s was another peak in the popularity of cars. I'd have to do some research on it, but trends always come back around in cycles.

[@BladedAngel]

OH YEAH FOR SURE. good point. Cause the 80s with the awful Oil Crisis and Strict EPA Regulations tanked Car Enthusiasm for a decade or so, but then 90s FUCKING SOARED back into the zeitgeist (Look at all the 90s Legends, All of JDM, Ferrari F40, Corvette C5 and the fugging LS BABY, E36 BMW) so yeah 60'-70's were peak, but rolled into a valley in the 80's. So I guess 2020 is our 2nd valley, not first!

[@CCFMcccx]

​@@BladedAngel I pray your right

[@rafaellastracom6411]

Exactly. Car culture is not dying it just needs a transformation to then be reborn.

[@toshitanaka1550]

Its always stupid government regulations. They are the reason many of the gas powered vehicles are dying. There are companies like Toyota that still refuse to give it up. They are coming out with revival sports cars and a flagship super car for Lexus. Mazda is following suit. If the EPA can shut their bull crap remarks on so called saving the planet then they need to learn on how to make reliable cars that don’t freaking brake and will cost an arm and a leg. Customers also need to stop adding so much tech that will bump up prices and make the car lose its value.

[@fishyinnadurag610]

​@rafaellastracom6411 if something needs to be reborn doesn't that mean it died lol

[@dacookiemnstr]

holy shit bladed you have s tier timing

[@WoolfJ35]

I saw you stop for that emergency vehicle, bravo sir. Also car, and "nerd" culture i.e gaming, anime, manga, comics, trading cards etc. all are getting ruined because they became mainstream. Which sucks because I'm not a gate keeper by any means and actually wanted that stuff to be more accessible, but unfortunately clout culture happened

[@gnusmashd5027]

I gave up on the car community and got into motorcycles. Best decision ever, I’ve met more people and discovered so many new places just riding around town.

[@BladedAngel]

"Every Car guy is a bike guy, they just don't know it yet"

[@leeroykelly781]

@@BladedAngel cant wait for spring so I can ride again.

[@BladedAngel]

​​@@leeroykelly781Its 40 degrees out here and I just recovered from shoulder surgery 2 months ago....and I'm already riding again!!! I love bikes, always

[@thezuck1596]

@@BladedAngelI found that out when I rode my friends bike, then I bought a gold wing. It still needs work, but I’m exited to ride in the spring

[@BladedAngel]

@@thezuck1596 GOLD WANG GANG GANG I always wanted a Wing, I still really love the Valkyrie. If the Indian Challenger didn't exist, I would've bought the Goldwing already, but I'm a sucker for Vtwin noise!

[@michaelhazelwood5108]

I'm just glad my attainable dream car is an Accord V6 Coupe, and I was able to buy it recently. I won't be in the car market until I want a porsche, and I'm very thankful.

[@eggfool1428]

No way, me too! Either that or a 2015 brz or something

[@π.14]

congratulations bro thats awesome.

[@espakuz2450]

@@eggfool1428get a BRZ its a true sports car

[@HYFRLamar]

me too, brother! about to get one in the coming weeks!! 6-6!

[@illiapie2480]

which generation accord are you looking at?

[@HEAVY_IS_THE_METAL]

The MASSIVE punishment in prices has completely shifted me OUT of car collecting, building,&racing.

[@thebloodymummer5502]

I cant see the car community dying as cars are basically a part of everyday life. The big issue atm in my opinion is The price of cars and the new cars being released. Every new car is a boring souless SUV, and when a fun car actually gets released its £50k-£80k.

[@OriginalBongoliath]

"Every new car is a boring souless SUV" Or a crappy EV waiting for it to spontaneously catch on fire.

[@abdullahakhtar9824]

@@OriginalBongoliathor both

[@Castorxd635]

The car community feels like it is dying because there aren't MORE people becoming enthusiasts, but it's not regular people who are at fault. As time goes on, things that involves cars are becoming harsher in terms of laws such as emission laws, the nonsensical markups that dealership are pulling out of their a$sɛs, the choices of most non-enthusiasts in terms of vehicles, which results in more SUVs and light trucks that aren't being used for what they are and also because "iD rAtH3r hAvƐ tHe 0tHeR gUy dIɛ iNsTe4d 0f Me" is considered a safety measure for some reason. I just believe the car enthusiast community is just going back to be a very niche hobby.

[@My_Old_YT_Account]

There's still the Mazda 3 with some soul

[@niveketihw1897]

We bought two new cars last year, a Camaro and a Subaru BRZ (both manual). A couple of my wife's friends as well as my sister bagged on us for not buying EVs when we had the perfect opportunity. They can't understand why we would commit to combustion for another 5 or 6 years... I think this kind of sentiment will intensify over the next 5 to 10 years.

[@AndreasGlad-rq7vx]

EVs will be dead within 5 years. Drill Baby Drill.

[@iiiii5256]

they don't make fun ev sports cars for enthusiasts yet, but they'll come.

[@pilotguy7224]

In my area at least, they lowered every speed limit to 30kph. Parts are expensive, cops target meets, nowhere good to drive, tracks closing etc.

[@BladedAngel]

Yeah the tracks closing combined with meets shutting down has definitely axed the IRL scene...😢

[@Michael-pi8ps]

@@BladedAngelwhat tracks are closing? I’ve been to many tracks on the East coast and other than some crappy low turnout locations none of the major race tracks have gone anywhere

[@Tornado2409]

Kilometres??? That's slow as hell!

[@Sira_Kackavalj]

Lets be honest. Prices are never coming down. Why should they lower them when people are willing to pay more

[@BladedAngel]

They'll run out suckers eventually, have you seen our birth rates? This year finally saw a month after month drop. If dealers don't adjust, they'll be left holding onto outdated inventory

[@originalmetalman9430]

@@BladedAngel birth rates ?

[@TwoDollarGararge]

@@BladedAngel there is alot of time before they start to lose never count out human greed.

[@Sira_Kackavalj]

@@BladedAngel Its gonna take a while for that to kick in. Plenty of idiots who need their yearly new iphone or gpu or car

[@OriginalBongoliath]

@@BladedAngel Birth rates being propped by unlimited, 3rd world immigration.

[@speedster8138]

It honestly makes me happy. I noticed that lately car content dropped off in popularity. Thank God, I was so sick of the trendy car people who were ruining their cars to gain attention or just trashing them.. Basically people who see cars as toys for their own sake and not as emotionally engaging machines with living souls inside of them. I hate seeing so many BMWs here in Europe being trashed by young adults... Rust buckets with welded diffs, no maintenance and the driver is brain rotted tik tok guy with a vape. When I was in early class high school, they were ruining E36s, when I got to buying my own car the E46 were at peak popularity - year before college (to save some money) and now I'm at 2nd year and E90s are becoming the shitboxes. Maybe I'll get an ER34 and build it before I die, at least I hope so.

[@Tornado2409]

I see old Beamers being turned into drift missiles and just think about my dad never being able to afford one ever again. Drifting is overrated and it destroys cars.

[@NotTheRealRustyShackleford]

You sound like you should be a Collector Car Feed enjoyer...

[@yowhatsup9909]

I mean you live only once, and having a beater car is fun.

[@dsr6003]

I hate how young I am while being into cars, Because all cars are now getting worst each gen they make. And yeah we hope cars will grow better when its not a trend but what makes you sure that cars themselves will still be good? To be honest the best era for cars is late 80's until mid 10's I wish I was born at that time and could enjoy all these masterpieces🥲

[@Abracadabra-sy8rk]

Same bro

[@Stealth_Gamer92]

Why not just buy a old car then? I found and bought a 93 Thunderbird and a 97 Town Car for $3900(+$1200 for shipping since it was in a different state and I couldn't go get it myself) and $2000 respectively just a couple months ago, so they are around.

[@TwoDollarGararge]

Yeah prices are up if you want a 90s JDM car sorry they cost as much as a house down payment don't hype them up for 20 years then, same thing applies to the the new cars but 98% of enthusiast don't buy new cars anyway. You can get a good starter enthusiast car on marketplace for $3,500 - $9,000 but it won't be a new car, JDM Hype Mobile or New off the top of my head 986 Porsche Boxster, Porsche 944, G35, 08 - 15 Civic SI, SN95 and S197 Mustang GT, and E46 and E9X BMW's. Yeah with these they won't have 40,000 miles and you will need to do some mechanical maintenance or a major design flaw you may have to take care of or was already done being 20 years old. These cars may not be the brand or the era of the fancy HP number you want but chasing HP brand and clout is a waste get into watches and if $9,000 is to much for you get into bikes.

[@dsr6003]

@@Stealth_Gamer92 yeah, theres such cars but its almost 30 years old! Which means unless the first owner toke really good care of it, you will have to keep repairing the car with a 30 years parts, so do you know how expensive and rare to find these parts? And lets not forget the constant care you should put on the car. As much fun as doing such effort for such an amazing car, its not worth saving up all the necessaries to maintainance for it. Its cheaper to buy a mid-late 10's car since you can be more confident in driving and maintaining

[@Stealth_Gamer92]

@@dsr6003 Not gonna speak for every model, but the two I bought are easy to buy parts for since one is a Panther Platform and the other uses parts used in Mustangs, Crown Vics etc. I do agree if you are against working on it yourself the costs will add up, but they are still very easy to fix at home with a $80 tool set from Amazon and a quick YT or Google search. Just do some research beforehand so you know about parts availability, again if you aren't averse to maintaining it yourself.

[@TempestFuji]

holy shit Bladed uploaded a video I see this as a massive win

[@SpiderSniper]

I've always been into cars since I was a kid, but it's only recently that I've really dove deep into the car scene. And you've been one of the youtubers I've been watching the most and you've honestly helped me learn quite a bit. So while the modern car community has sucked sometimes, thank you for being a positive influence and guide in the community!

[@LiamCarroll-q8p]

Dealer markup is crazy. I was browsing some used car dealers a couple weeks ago and they were selling a 2023 Ford raptor for $140,000. For those wondering, that was around a %175 markup.

[@BladedAngel]

L dealers I hope those cars rot for another year. 2024 is going to end and they're still holding onto 2023s? Back when I bought my new 17 Vette in 2019, that dealer couldn't wait to give me deal after deal. They were sick of looking at it!! I miss the consumer era of cars...now it's dealer bias

[@Gilaric]

Why would you want a truck?

[@LiamCarroll-q8p]

@Gilaric i wasn't looking for anything, just browsing. I was highlighting the markup

[@flyingproofficial]

140K??!?!

[@Castorxd635]

Common dealership L I hope their greed comes back to bite it in the a$s and that they have that Raptor until the next generation starts being released or longer 🤣

[@smallbutdeadly931]

Honestly the biggest issue I see is that the golden era of sports cars has pretty much long passed, and now most of the cheap new cars from that era have become expensive today. Today, most "cheap" new sports cars are still quite expensive in comparison. If we keep going at this rate, even the used market will dry up with cool cars you can get for cheap, and the options will become slim.

[@sanderhackerhd8369]

Here in Europe, you can still buy a tuner for a laughable price (I mean, you can buy an old sporty coupe for like 2k dollars), it's more an american problem

[@ghoulbuster1]

Options are already slim, even the bottom of the barrel cars are over 1k

[@angeloamaral9141]

He’s finally back!

[@BladedAngel]

I came back last week. Dawg you missed one helluva video before this one.😂

[@angeloamaral9141]

@ I’ll check it out after this video! I’m starting to get into car culture here in Brazil, but it’s expensive as hell

[@mattcaporuscio6956]

Ok I’m 28 and I’ve literally been apart of car culture my entire life and this is what I know. Car culture isn’t dead but it’s constantly changing just like life. I will say it’s absolutely more expensive than ever and it’s harder for younger people to get involved. I think now younger kids want to be more internet influencer's then enjoy the hobby. I think a lot of people look at certain cars (exotic cars) higher because it’s a status symbol instead of making what they have special so I would say lack of creativity is a big thing today. I think the biggest thing for people that are 16-35 in the car culture need to do is just enjoying the hobby and being respectful. I say respectful in the sense of no takeovers, you can still criticize other people’s cars.

[@100xasd]

I'm still into cars but I also agree with Jeremy Clarkson when he told his reasons for not continuing with reviewing cars this year. I don't like where the future is headed. New cars are being kept expensive and you still don't own them because they are software platforms. It just sounds so depressive and controlling to even think about it, not at all what got me into this hobby in the first place. I wish there is still a place in the future where car enthusiasts can enjoy their cars for a reasonable price.

[@iiiii5256]

there'll still be old cars and the occasional new car that hits the spot.

[@zephyr_855]

Another reason as to why we are being more and more hated by non-car people now is also because of ecology and safety, and I can't blame them, most cars still use oil which, as we know kills our planet badly. And as for safety, it's both because of the takeover thing but even more because of what car manufacturers do right now, big SUVs and trucks only to transport a single person usually and that is cause great injuries (still less than pop-up headlights though, LOL). So yeah, I can't blame if non-car guys see us as polluting selfish people, though most of us don't do any of this stuff above, their points are valid

[@CarWavExe]

all the chill spots in houston getting ruined rn the mayor posted recently they had to shut down a road cause what started as a chill spot for photos and cops would ignore racing in that area for a bit. now its trashed from one night of takeover

[@m4rvinmartian]

Shhh, don't "notice" things like. It's bad for your freedom.

[@malcolmconwright9370]

In Canada it's even worse prices. Something like a new f150 will regularly go over $100k

[@BladedAngel]

Yikes

[@great-one0389]

Is it in 100k USD or cad?

[@malcolmconwright9370]

@@great-one0389 CAD. So like $70k USD

[@SaturnsRing98]

​​​@@great-one0389Yes. On top of the currency conversion, we also have higher taxes on practically everything including and especially with cars, which really makes prices unbearable. Using the new Nissan Z Sport as an example, the US price is about $42k wheras the Canadian one is almost $10k more. It truly sucks. And the trucks are even worsely priced as mentioned! It makes me wonder how the roads up here are filled with boring greyscale trucks & SUVs.

[@great-one0389]

@@malcolmconwright9370 is that the starting prices?

[@shred1894]

A combination of factors. Idolization of specific cars, newer cars being more expensive, newer cars being harder to work on, and regulations making it harder to modify cars. There are a lot of cool cars that people don't even think about that would be really cool to modify but nobody does it because lack of aftermarket. Have you ever heard of someone building a Nissan Juke?

[@Tornado2409]

I've seen a Nissan Juke on air before I think.

[@ninjmaster5609]

The prices, the law and the complicated car designs are in my opinion mayor points why it is now harder to be a a car guy. Earlier you could buy a old car and fit a new exhaust system or doing what you wanted and if it is broken you could fix it yourself but nowadays you need special tools and software to do something which is enough of a burden for many people

[@Mazhura_13B]

I'm predicting that since people wont buy these cars anymore at horrendous prices, the sellers are gonna freak out and lower prices again. But as always, we'll have to wait and see

[@Qunia]

The prices are the only reason why I refuse to get a drivers license. like am not spending 15K+ on a half-beat up 944. These used to be 5K-ish.

[@elimiller9167]

Another factor is insurance prices skyrocketing for young people. I'm 22, got a v6 Mustang at 19 and I have a perfect driving record but it still would cost me several hundred dollars extra a month to upgrade to a decade+ old GT.

[@AK.__]

Great video and exact analysis. I think, the first two points are the most contributing ones. Btw, it's not only about cars pricing, but servicing and upgrading - all became way more expensive. For decades I am "hobby tourist" for everything that I touch, I want look like the hobbyist without investing much of my own (not money wise). Nowadays I still care what I drive, but without "Hey all, look at me driving my car".

[@JAY_X1]

I dont think Car Culture will ever go away it's too iconic (and necessary to travel in the United States) to really burn out from existence. Its going through a huge shift for sure but there's alot more to car culture that holds it up as much as there is thats destroying it. Hopefully we cycle back to more affordable prices one day if by any miracle it ever happens.

[@fpsawesom123]

I'm gonna throw my hat into the ring here. I dipped out of the car scene for a few different reasons. The biggest one being the sheer amount of trash-talkers. Another is that the community just isn't as accepting as people make it out to be. I used to be eager to go to meets, but with each passing year, the people got ruder and more interested in the hot new thing. With how often I got told my car is bad, I just gave up. If the car community collapses, I won't shed a tear.

[@iiiii5256]

try classic cars, still a very respectful and pleasant community. also try attending higher end events, you get a more educated and respectable crowd and none of that night meet drama.

[@symply_Sym]

A fantastic insight. I also really appreciate you taking an understanding look at the anti-car sentiment. That can be really hard to do when faced with a group of people that actively hate a hobby you love. As you said, I think a lot of car hate comes less from actually hating cars themselves, but the circumstances surrounding them. That includes them being barely affordable, yet required in everyday life, making them a financial burden forced upon people who are already financially a lot worse off than generations before them. Infrastructure in the US being so car focused that it tends to be hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. The lack of common alternative energy sources that are both environmentally and financially sustainable (electric cars are coming in more, but they tend to be so expensive. And mining lithium for the batteries brings a whole different pile of issues, so they aren't at a point where they offer a solution for this issue yet, I think). If the circumstances around cars will be improved, then I think car culture is more likely to find renewed popularity. On a different but similar point, I recently talked to a bunch of motorcycle salesmen and they spoke of a similar decline in interest with younger generations. I think a part of that is financial, but also a cultural thing, at least here in Germany. Motorcycles used to be a convenient, cheaper way (compared to cars) to get from point A to B. Today that role is taken more by public transportation and motorcycles seem to become more of a niche hobby rather than an actually practical vehicle, and an expensive and considerably more risky one nontheless. If you'd like then I'd love to hear a more US-american perspective on this topic from you, I think it's quite interesting!

[@fullyuki]

I understand and agree with majority of the points the anti-car crowd makes, my issue with them is that a lot of them are so extremely over the top and they express their opinions in such an asshole way that I lowkey don't want to agree or associate with them. Motorcycles having a declined interest can also be attributed to the infrastructure and how it forces aggressive and reckless people on the road which makes it even more hostile for motorcyclists because they have way less protection on a motorcycle compared to a vehicle in case of a collision. Just look at Bladed being heavily injured in an accident. It really sucks.

[@ghoulbuster1]

I never understood the appeal of public transport, only old grandmas use it where I live because anyone that isn't old gets a car or a motorcycle.

[@symply_Sym]

@@fullyuki That's totally understandable. I've been spooked away from conversations with people who I generally agreed with, but who were so aggressive about it that it was too draining talking to them. Cars can be an emotional and impactful topic, so I don't blame people for being intense about it lol. But it can make discussions difficult, especially on the internet where everything seems more extreme. Oh yeah, aggressive and simply bad drivers are a huge risk factor for bikers. That's the main reason people tell me for not riding (anymore) and why my family doesn't want me to ride. I do wonder if that is something that has gotten actually worse though, or if that always has been pretty bad. I read somewhere that younger generations are comparatively more risk-averse (probably a part of being less financially secure), which would also impact interest in a risky hobby. But I don't have statistics at hand so take that with a grain of salt.

[@My_Old_YT_Account]

​@@ghoulbuster1where I live it's crackheads, guys who lost their license for drinking and driving for the 5th time that year and foreign "students"

[@iiiii5256]

exactly, it's more around infrastructure and the lack of transportation options than the hate of cars itself. even on r/fuckcars you still see enthusiast posts and appreciation for individual cars.

[@flyingproofficial]

Looks like when I start driving, I have go drive a third hand grocery getter for life if I want to drive at this car prices

[@SKFingas]

Just wanted to point out that modern cars are becoming more and more bland and similar to each other. As a video I watched about why this guy who isn't buying a new car again, said that old cars had "soul" to them whereas newer cars don't and I think I resonate with that. Still, great to see you back after beating cancer, love the content and keep up the good work!

[@carfriendsimulator9981]

hey man, i'm netgear from a channel called collector car feed. great video, and i agree with your viewpoint 100%. the clout chasers were never "real", and in the end the hobby will go back to the true weirdos: the people who just like cars.

[@MyNameIsNidos]

No way it actually is Netgear, you got shutout in the latest The Price is Wrong ;) You're my favorite CCF character 🙏

[@carfriendsimulator9981]

@MyNameIsNidos it was rigged 😡

[@finc1945]

If you want to like cars without the hate of most ordinary people, becoming a classic car enthusiast is the one way (and no, 90s civics ans supras are not being counted as classic, they're more modern classics). Driving a slow old 50s machine with no major mods attracts different attention than a modded ricer mobile. Not to dis the ricers and fast people either though. It's just that that era is full of clout cars and wannabe car people splashing cash. Ive seen it with my own eyes. A local where I work (at a petrol station) drives his nissan cedric saloon or his jaguar xj mk II onto our forecourt and both get more attention than a Ferrari that stopped at the station. Also love the video btw

[@valutaatoaofunknownelement197]

Then you should go around the end of August sometime where I live in the Pacific Northwest. We have an annual cruise-in show filled with mostly classic cars. Which I'm pretty sure is subconsciously making me like muscle and muscle-like wagons despite being in my early 20s.

[@iiiii5256]

that's what i suggest to enthusiasts burnt out by the culture of modern car meets, go to the classic car scene, i own one and it's totally a different vibe. no competition just cooperation.

[@Render1ng1898]

I wish I was able to drive back in 2015-2019 because the idea of buying a Crown Victoria for $500 or a Mercedes 300d for less than $5000 must must have been so nice.

[@Edioti]

With these prices, it's going to take ages to buy a car I want that I would have thought to be more "affordable"... It's really annoying

[@Country1234-p5o]

Car prices are awful, i need a "reliable" vehicle and the best i cant find anything close to being reasonably priced.

[@TheMaghorn]

I was in an accident last month and looking through car prices brought me to tears. Couldn't find anything for less than $12,000, even if the car was beat to hell and old enough to get harassed by Army recruiters.

[@GoyslopGladiator]

Thank god either way, I’m so tired of cars being priced like they have been.

[@tempeztad]

Car culture is dying cause people are dumb enough to overpay, ruining a whole market in the process. Additionally, the car community has became so toxic that instead of looking at real world numbers in performance and having a huge diversity, they rather follow a broken trend of "The friend of my friend said" or influencers who will only bait them for views. Back in the 70s,80s and 90s people would by cars based on what THEY LIKED and what they saw on magazines such as Super street or Import tuner. The US car community actually ruined the market for the rest of the world with the JDM import crap, messing up the Skyline market in Australia, New Zealand and Japan promoting parts hording, price inflation and even scams with rust bucket cars being pull out of auction houses reselled at higher rates.

[@theadude213]

I kind of like this topic because, while the car culture, or trend I guess, is on its way out, those who still love cars as enthusiasts will always be here. Regardless of what level of an enthusiast you are, you will still have a place in the car culture. Plus, like many have already said, we can do without the clout chasers and posers and all those wannabes. While I’m not really into modding cars (wanted to do it back then but never had anyone around to show me), I still like seeing some of the stuff that people do to their rides. I think this community will be around for quite a while. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on the horizon. Great work on the video. Keep it up. :)

[@justinreed4218]

I can say that I'm fortunate I got the enthusiasm/love for cars back in the 2000's and hasn't left since. With little kid me knowing the names of exotic cars and their stats, and playing games such as NFS HP 2 (the game that started my love of cars, especially exotics/supercars), Juiced, Gran Turismo 2 - 4 (stock cars & tuning, modify them along with improving my driving skills) and more. To now doing kart racing, slowly doing local autocross and attending as many car events as I can. I want to stay and keep the years of being a car enthusiast growing until I can't anymore.

[@rani5752]

I love your true care and enthusiasm about cars

[@sanderhackerhd8369]

Car culture has been ruined since like 2009, and the ridiculous COVID 19 inflation was the final nail in the coffin! After 2009, the builds got more boring, stance became a thing, car mags became 3 times shorter, and then dissapeared completely! After that, everyone just started doing that for clout and almost all cars looked identical - same shitty RB kits, same TE37 rims, same camber, same boring colors - nothing like it was at it's peak in the 2000s!

[@Stormchaserbrody]

Every time I pick-up a hobby it died after a month…. I have storm chasing and weather as a hobby and for about 6 days a year after a hurricane people will suddenly turn into some weather nerd and act like they know more than meteorologists, and then they drop it. It gets boring, but I have weather as a hobby all year, and car culture is definitely involved with storm chasing

[@valutaatoaofunknownelement197]

I might be on the opposite end, where whenever I get remotely interested in a certain hobby, it's at or post-peak boom. There are a few exceptions though, like PvZ.

[@rizinglight8954]

not sure if anyone else noticed the little end bit but it made me smile, welcome back Bladed

[@Tdawg79776]

I just got a 2008 mustang gt a couple weeks ago and the guy sold it for 8k. It was modified for a drag strip so i got a really good deal. I think nowadays its more about knowing where to look for affordable cars 🙏

[@pegcity4eva]

Agreed. Deals are still out there just need to know where to look and what to look for

[@fullyuki]

I have considered quit being a car enthusiast often for the past year due to how insane the car prices have become but in the end I decided not to because cars makes up a huge part of who I am as a person and giving that up just doesn't feel right. But the car market these days is so disheartening, also social media has given the car culture a bad name with garbage trends like takeovers and people trying to use cars as a way to garner clout than actually liking cars. I die a little inside whenever I see social media posts where a NA Miata is being treated like it's an infant.

[@robinilsa2057]

The fact that these cars that were worth less than now a being wasted instead of being used for a purpose, for the rest of their lives, there is tons of abandoned cars that are rotting away by mother nature and the environment, buying a car in this year is pretty expensive because of the people buying it and not using it properly to keep it for years to come, I remember the car community not being the best with buying cars, cars come and go but so does anything, I feel those people who doesn’t want to purchase a car in modern times because it is so expensive that they can’t even buy these cars in 2024, mark my word, 2025 is going to get worse…

[@Mman07311]

I'm 23 with no driver's license. I've wanted one but never really had the chance to practice and it sucks because things are so expensive now

[@adamwiggins8290]

This is so spot-on. I got a 5 year old Mustang GT with less than 70K miles pre-pandemic for around $18k. Now, that's a $25k+ car.

[@jamcan1978]

I'm sad to see what is going on with the car community because i have yet to fully enter in my opinion and its crazy to hear how some cars costed a gaming console amount of money but I hope I can make it into it some day because there is nothing out there like cars

[@SimplyCrashed]

Recently got into cars due to working on some of my grandpa's classics, happy to be apart of the community, been watching more car videos, playing more car games, and working on my own projects! Very informative and good video!

[@garurudoo4217]

As a Brazilian car girl, having to pay 70k+ for a simple modern daily driver when your salary is less than R$1500 is one of the worst feelings in the whole world (without counting the yearly taxes)

[@ShingoKirishima1997]

I think this probably contributed to my burnout of cars. A lot of the factors listed in this video. The only thing I'm not burnt out on is playing racing games and going to track events. Haven't been to the track in a bit because I've been saving money to be more financially stable before I go back. And a bunch of my track friends miss me at the events, even when I tell them why I haven't been back

[@Corvolet5]

3:03 Yeahhh, so far I agreed with your takes, but come on: r/fvckcars? That's probably one of the worst Reddit communities to take an opinion from. Dare I say, one of the most closed out politically fueled bubbles that narrates sheer hatred of car culture itself and basically want bicycle lanes planted all over the surface. And don't even get me started on how much they hate pickup trucks. I get what you're trying to say with this, but it's definitely one of the communities that doesn't get the best spotlight for this topic.

[@Olabruh]

jason camissas video on the new 400z vs supra sums it up the best. we just don't have money for toys anymore.. cars get more expensive and jobs are paying less

[@denshidirect3182]

Time to trick clout chasers into believing NPC cars are cool and trendy so vehicles for actual car enthusiasts can become attainable again...

[@iiiii5256]

The peak of car culture was the 1960s and we have been in a valley ever since. almost everyone, even the non car guys worked on cars and had fleeting moment of enthusiasm. Cars were the zeitgeist back then, and we've never been back at the same level. 2000s was not the first peak but one of many smaller echo booms. And just like the 1970s, instability, reduced job and economic prospects, and rising costs of living are hampering car enthusiasm. Those who don't like cars, don't want to be forced to buy a car if that's the only way to get around. Cars are more seen as a financial burden than a quality of life boost, leading to the growing anti car sentiment. Car culture will always survive, we die hards just have to tighten our belts and stretch our budgets to hang on, and when the good times return, car culture will rebound as people remember the prosperity of decades past, cars would tap into the societal zeitgeist once more.

[@Tornado2409]

There is NO way a reintroduced V8, rear wheel drive Chevy Impala would even shift an inch off the dealership lot in this day and age.

[@BasedKEK]

Let him cook. Dame, I love to see my Fav. Car Culture whatever KZbinr back in action.

[@Demonslayer1_398]

I've learnd alot from you bladed your my internet car teacher I love your vids keep it up I know it's gona take a little bit to make vids but il wait

[@izack0128]

Car culture getting unpopular is actually a great tbh, no more bad actors gonna see ahh GTR R34 is cool and ruin their prices.

[@arandoonline5102]

Tinfoil hat time! I think Top Gear(Trio Era)/The Grand Tour have a connection to why Car culture as a whole is dying. During the Early seasons of Top Gear they could barely fill the Dunsfold Hanger where they filmed the episodes. The Studio was mainly filled with Car Heads back in the day. It wasn't Until the Explosion of Top Gear did they fill the Studio with people. With Top Gear Exploding I feel like Car Culture came along with it. Top Gear, especially towards younger car enthusiasts, are the first taste of Cars and Car Culture. It showed the new shiniy thing yes, but also got excited about even the smallest little thing cars Heck even the hosts were geniune car enthusiast who enjoyed every car they reviewed or driven And thanks to Parasocial relationships people also got exited about cars and the trio. But after Clarkson got fired and May and Hammond moved with Jeremy to Amazon it started falling from there Don't get me wrong The Grand Tour was a great show, but like what you said with Media it shifted away from cars being the main subject, to just being a supporting role Same thing with The Grand Tour. The Grand Tour became a broad apealing shows filled with actions and explotions It got new audience but failed to retain the core audience of Top Gear/The Grand tour After the hype of those explotions died down they switched to doing specials only Even with the specials you can clearly tell The Trio and the Audience aswell were getting Tired of it Now that the Trio has bid farewell I feel like Car Culture came along with it. There's no more three friends geeking about cars.

[@Tornado2409]

They say TV is dying out because of Social Media but it really hasn't yet.

[@alexfreeman7979]

That outro was very refreshing to hear. Glad you’re good.

[@samuelasiamah6525]

i love to go on instagram and watch people treat DREAM cars like hand outs. people literally pay to watch a girl to step on exotics.

[@blaazer9473]

I was lucky enough to get a 2010 crown vic for 1100$, but their prices are increasing fast!

[@DuckNate]

hell yeah new video to watch during work hours >:)

[@bluerazor7049]

Look at the dealers now, all of their lots are full of cars that NOBODY wants. Karma

[@Vibe_Master_007]

Yooo! ZZZ music at the end. Noice 👍 Anyways, glad you are back, Blade. Love from India.

[@Lonner_IsTaken]

As a Lion lover AKA guy unhealthy obsession with Peugeots even the older models, who loves exploring more cars in most countries such as BYD, Toyota, Tata, Lucid, Nissan, Lada, FSO, Fiat, ETC. I want to say this and this would be long but I'll try my best and include TLDR version in the end. Those people who caused a lot of reckless crimes such as loud burnouts, donuts, car wrecking into others, and car robbery (this is very common for Honda, Hyundai, and KIA thanks to the TikTok trend), reckless driving, clout chasing, and overly exaggerated competitive flexibility-taking racing games way too seriously and too literally on the road illegally-are NOT welcome in the car enthusiast group at all for damaging reputations. But this isn't just about those delinquents who record crashing cars for fame; there's more than that. I do have an electric bike for some reason, whether I use it to ride to school or during work hours. The group I have heard about for quite a while is r/fuckcars (one of the most obnoxious and comedic Reddit groups of the year). They're almost exactly like JSO (Just Stop Oil); however, they are 100% against cars (especially trucks). No offense, but their hatred of cars and trucks is just exaggerated and childish, obviously. Frankly, I really don't talk about politics, and I'm not a political guy, but I'll do my best, even if I'm wrong; the government and politics are pretty much in favor of climate goals. The EU serves as an example, and they're environmentally strict on the regulations. Hence the fact, they expect to tighten CO2 emissions by 0% by 2035. It's pretty much the most concerning thing that may happen to car culture if traditional gas cars, especially older ones, become outlawed. However, those are only debatably conspiracy theories, and that would unlikely happen in my personally opinion. Like I said, I'm not much of a political guy, particularly, though I tried my best. Feel free to correct me anytime. Car prices nowadays have become terrible, in my genuine opinion; nevertheless, there are many secondhand cars that have fair and good prices you can buy (as long as you don't go for those that scam you). They even have some old and used cars that they still sell, the ones you love for a nostalgic feeling! To conclude of all: I don't really think car culture is dying honestly, but my answer is the car prices are the problem. So no worries, we can still love cars as much as we want, be with your cars until it won't work no more, we can still be optimistic on cars. That is all I have to say! TL;DR shorten ver; Reckless behaviors like burnouts and car thefts, damage the car culture community. I use my electric bike for commuting. I believe groups like r/fuckcars are overly dramatic. Strict climate goals from governments could threaten traditional gas vehicles. Like I said; I'm not a political guy btw While car prices are high, there are still good secondhand options. I don’t think car culture is dying; rising prices are the main issue. No matter how old they are, Let’s keep enjoying our cars!

[@wessle3233]

before i realized i kinda liked cars i never even wanted to get anywhere close to the people that talked about cars cause they instantly made you feel like they were assholes :) this is how you're perceived fellas

[@Tornado2409]

Yeah, I'm scared of my own passion for the same reason.

[@EmilySpencer-zp9zi]

One big point I think you didn't cover was that almost any car make today makes hybrid and electric powertrains and it get's extremely hard to attract "hobby tourists" into the car culture when a tesla can outrun some million dollar cars and most ICE performance vehicles. Hopefully the world would not double down and ease the restrictions that may cause a new renaissance era for the cars again like the 90s peak after the 60s crash.

[@mrsoisauce9017]

If we’re talking about car prices, the Finns might have figured something out. They have these things among younger audiences called folk races, in which they buy a car and modify it for a set max price (usually under €1,000, I think; that number could be higher), and then they race them against each other. If we could bring that idea to the states, that could make being a car guy affordable again

[@ImGar]

Tbh, nowadays, even trying to get a attainable dream car feels like fighting the final boss with like lvl 1 gear

[@ColeRichard-l1z]

It’s really sad to see car prices go up so much just as I was about to be able to drive. I was going to get an older c5 corvette but they went up a ton.

[@atsantiii]

One thing I did experience was car meets becoming a smaller event to attend and if you are part of a crew you are most likely will hangout with the friends at gettys than attend car meets or your crew host meets as often. My crew used to host every Friday night but people use to come by the meet, stay in their car or with their small group of friends and never venture out to socialize with other people. It sucks cuz I think social media really mess up the car scene to a point where car meets feels like a open party you go and see if your gonna stay or dip after 30 mins

[@AliAli-gk7rf]

Car prices are going up and car brands aren’t here to please enthusiasts like before

[@turbro7185]

Been following car culture since 2016 up to now almost 9 years in have been obsessed with cars I watch a lot of content creators on KZbin and other platforms of social media I always wanted to have a modded out car like everyone else I still yet to experience what it’s like to own a car with coilovers on driving low and exhaust system to be loud unfortunately I could never afford to buy a sporty car I would only have enough money for 90s 2000s Honda/toyota beaters for daily driving even till this day I work at a dealership as a technician for 2 years all of my money went into investing in tools for my career I’ve been learning how to work on cars and next year I’m going to save up money for a project car and I’ll finally own a car lowered on coilovers with nice aftermarket wheels and a loud exhaust system and tune the ECU and from there I’ll go about modifying the engine and boosting it I’m so excited after almost 10 years I’m finally going to be able to own a sporty car like everyone else

[@TheBigDumbDog]

I came to answer the question. It's because even a Miata is 10k for a shitty one. End of story. Cars are for rich people now. We are stuck with used piles that are maintenance nightmares and rusted to hell. I've been an avid car enthusiast for my whole life, I'm 27 and I can't afford any half way decent sports car. We can't afford cars. And new cars are for the 1%. They are lazy boys on wheels that massage your balls and drive for you. I want an old car but those have all been scooped up and they are selling for more than new cars. Even the GR86, the supposed cheap sports car on the market costs 700 a month for payments or I have to save for 3 years and hope no emergencies happen to be able to afford it. By then gas cars will be like illegal or some shit. It's a 1% game now we've been priced out.

[@Tornado2409]

If I could I'd make a car brand devoted to building cheap, reliable sports cars. Alas, this is an impossible dream because of the economy. (And because I'm British 🤢)

[@D.S.M-n4y]

Good to see you back, you've been through a lot man and luck doesn't seem to be on your side always, but you're appreciated. Just know that! As I'm watching the video, I completely agree, I don't have my liscence yet, but when I do, I should be happy if I can get a beat up Civic or Miata as my first car. Despite the fact that the asking prices on them are insane compared to five (to ten years) earlier

[@anonymoususer9599]

Even Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas have appreciated to the point where no one wants to buy them.

[@Makonirix]

BRO WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, i haven't heard anything from you in 3 YEARS and next thing I know you've beaten cancer (that no one knew you had) and I'm in my early twenties now

[@drivingadventures]

As of 2023 the average price of a car in Canada is $67,817 according to Auto Trader. So even accounting for inflation, my house costs less than the average new car...that is fucked up.

[@iiiii5256]

A lot of it is driven by business owners using them for write offs, mostly full size pickups and suvs, skewing the numbers. Thr average family are still buying $30-40k cars.

[@lambo8961]

1:33 not to mention auto manufacturers getting greedy and slashing sedan production in favor of crossovers and trucks that seem to get bigger and bigger each passing year. im starting to think that in the 2010's, three automakers purposely made their sedans worse in order to move people to sedans. im not saying who those three are, but if you know then you know.

[@sirsavagethe21st56]

I stopped liking cars because i realized I'd probably never be able to afford one. I'm not from the USA even a 20 year old beater is mad expensive here that was even before covid after it got worst i have come to terms with it

[@BandaMapper]

Inflation switched me from a car guy to a bike guy

[@DanielChannel57]

There's also this growing movement to redesign cities and infrastructure in America to be less car-centric and more walkable and transit-oriented. That also has a role in car culture dying today.

[@AndreasGlad-rq7vx]

That "movement" only exists among citydwellers.

[@nicechad]

As a car enthusiasts I'm complete for this movement. Traffic in cities is ridiculous. And the negative externalities that come from car centric cities is mind blowing just watch a not just bikes video. With less people driving SUVs and trucks for no reason, enthusiasts in cities will have more fun and time to enjoy cars

[@DanielChannel57]

@@AndreasGlad-rq7vx And yet I and other folks I know are in support of it despite being country dwellers.

[@a.s.m._plays]

Glad to see you back, Bladed.

[@JoelGarcia-g6s]

Here in America there's new reports of motorcycle crashes that that can be fatal.

[@mr.noname2070]

Dude the prices rising on the coolesg and also the most random cars be so real. Like I always wanted a Wrx Sti and prices were fricken ridiculous! But I was finally able to get an ok deal, but I still ended up paying a good 5-10k over its actual worth… (no regrets btw most fun car ever! lol)

[@alondite215]

Because modern cars aren't as interesting. Modern designs are more homogenous, needlessly complex, many are poorly-built from low-quality materials, etc. Cars are dying for the same reason that mass-market products in every market are failing: Because companies prefer to make more money by spending less, by cutting corners whenever possible and releasing the cheapest, lowest-quality product they can get away with selling. And then the charge an arm and a leg for garbage.

[@falcongamer58]

12:57 bro forgot about Agenda 2030

[@AndreasGlad-rq7vx]

Agenda 2030 is off, agenda MAGA is on.

[@jeremyleblanc2923]

i bought a 92 ford ranger for $1000 but it has so many damn problems ive spent over 5k to keep it running! cars are expensive in general

[@diobrando6737]

I really want to learn how to drive a stick. It's been a dream of mine and bucket list entry before I turn 30 but sadly, gone are the days of being able to buy a used civic for dirt cheap. I was looking at used car sites and craigslist and I see civics listed for 4,999 and nothing below. ~5k without taxes and fees for a used beater car is absolutely crazy to me.

[@hihi8977]

Get a sn95 mustang they are pretty affordable and easy to drive, I got my 03 gt 5 speed for 1,300 bucks with 140k miles and it’s a really great car

[@D.S.M-n4y]

FACTS, in my country is exactly the same, and sellers list it as a "specialist car", "car for enthousiasts" meanwhile they didn't give a single fuck about the car in the longevity of having had it. Replace brakepads? Nahh. New Tires? Nahh (only when they catch a flat). New Ignition coils or anything so that your engine is or becomes a bit healthier again? Nahhh". People have ruined the car market so much (over here), that someone I know wanted to buy a car for 7k. SEVEN FREAKIN' THOUSAND EUROS. And when I tried to tell him it's too much, he started being stubborn and listed terrible reasons as to why it's a good deal. I will definitely not be able to buy something for the right price if this trend keeps on going. Keep up your head though, there will definitely still be some good sellers that won't screw you over and have maintained the car well!

[@threeam____]

I think cycling is boutta be on the come up. when you mentioned skateboarding I felt that ! it was the exact comparison I was thinking.

[@TheTechNopal]

Paid 5k for a 2004 wrx. Boy did i get lucky