Ah, Generation-Z. They’re younger, angsty and always willing to deep dive into things… Great! That is exactly what we need to keep car-culture alive for as long as possible.

Now we need to give credit where credit is due. Generations before Gen-Z and Millenials (XXXXX) deserve a lot of props too. The car scene was heavily propped up in the late 90’s / early 2000’s and cataupulted car-culture into the millenia. This aesthetic is ironically really popular with newer Gen-Z and Millenials.

I mean, just look at this. The vibe is simply immaculate:

Newer generations really are taking it to a whole other level. Older generations would have RUN from a used BMW for example because of parts limitations, lack of inexpensive modifications and limited technical knowledge.

Some of these complaints were absolutley true during the infancy of the internet and aftermarket industry. Keep in mind that a very large number of homes could not afford fast internet or computers in the early 2000s.

Now put yourself in the above timeline and try finding a few wiring schematics for a V12 BMW or Toyota 2JZ conversion…

These days? Well, we will use a real-life example of the generation differences:

A 21-year-old woman (we will call her Ana) confidently purchases a used 2007 BMW 328i coupe for $7000 USD. She likes the look of the car and does not really want to put herself in debt for a new eco-car or the stereotypical $65,000 Jeep/Bronco/Truck.

Her dad tells her it is a bad idea because he grew up around these cars when they were brand new and heard the “horror stories at the dealership”.

The reality is that her Dad had virutally no information about these cars when they were new outside of the dealership.

The auto industry also had very limited aftermarket and very limited servie tools. He is not completley wrong, but he was also indoctrinated into a completley different era as a whole.

Within one week, Ana gets online and does some research.

She identifies the weak points on these cars as they age. She orders a new OEM waterpump and some plastic hose replacements from FCPEuro.com, some “new” gently used OEM wheels from Facebook.com Marketplace, a BimmerDirect.com CarPlay kit so the interior looks much newer, and a nice ceramic paint correction from a local detailer shop.

4 years go by and she has driven the car happily and with more enjoyment than the average person her age financing a $40,000 economy car. The return on investment (financially and spiritually) has surpassed her debt-ridden peers and she has even learned a few mecahnical knowledge bits along the way. She knows how to do fluid changes, change tires and how cars work altogether.

The scenario above is more relevant than ever as many Generation-Z and younger Millenials are experiencing stricter financial burdens than their older counterparts. These newer generations are either unable to or unwilling to take on large amounts of debt for modern vehicles that are both overpriced and underbuilt.

These generations are quite literally keeping the car culture alive by re-creating the early 90s / 2000s vibe on all fronts.

Now of course we have seen the complete opposite. Older millenials can be very close-minded when trying to learn about the modern automotive environment. Older millenials are sometimes more similar to their parents than they are different. Younger Gen-Z can be extremely reckless as we have seen in the case of vehicle “takeovers”. Gen-Z can fall into the “flex” mindset where they think that having an older car is a cardinal sin compared to going into debt for a new car. However, we digress.

As a whole, we do owe it to younger Gen-Z and Millenials who are willing to take-on the challenge of older vehicles. They keep the industry alive and maintain the same energy found in the late 90s.

There are so many great cars out there from every manufacturer. Some of these cars may have in fact been unreliable when new, but as aftermarkets have grown, so has the information and viability of repairing them in an affordable fashion. Likewise, some cars were terrible values for the money when new, but are well worth their depreciated price these days.

Pick something you like, you can afford and something that you’ll be willing to take pride in and keep driving.