Car Dream

I was driving around earlier this week enjoying rare 75 degree autumn temperatures when I passed a smart car. They are so different from all the other cars out there and I began to think about how cars have evolved since they were first mass marketed. I also started to think about how the American Dream of owning a car has evolved.

The end of World War II brought thousands of servicemen back home. They landed decent paying jobs; the new jobs generated money, and money generated a new consumerism. A common expression of that consumerism was a car. According to The Great American Dream Machines: Classic Cars by Jay Hirsch, the car has represented the ultimate symbol of power, status, and success for decades. I am not much of a car enthusiast but my husband is. I decided to ask him for his perspective on the American Dream of cars.

Eric believes the American Dream used to be every family would own a car, but the dream has now evolved to every person (of driving age) owning a car. While he believes owning a car is an attainable part of the dream, he said there are people who consider the dream to be not just any car, but a very nice car. “There are trends of trading in cars more frequently and financing cars. People don’t pay in cash and they don’t keep the car as long. People always want something better.” I asked him would like a better car. He was able to provide me with a list of cars from an AUDI RS5 (retail $80,000) to a McLaren F1 (retail $1 million)! Fortunately he added, “While I do have it as a goal, I don’t know where it would really fit into things and I would never actually consider buying cars like that unless I had an excess of cash.”

While some people follow the practical path Eric does, others do get a car out of their price range. He says that wanting a nice car can cause people to get a better car than what they could actually afford. Lenders are also trying to attract customers who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get the vehicles. “They now offer 72 month loans, which never existed before.”

I agree with all of the beliefs and ideas Eric expressed. Maybe that is why I married him! The American Dream does seem to now be every individual having a car instead of just one per family. A 2006 Media Index study published by The Nielsen Company reveals, nearly nine in ten Americans claim to own a car, representing 190.3 million people, making the USA the world's largest in terms of car penetration and absolute numbers. http://my.nielsen.com/news/20070529.shtml

I also believe people may try to get a nicer car than what they could or should afford. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, car ownership costs are the second largest household expense in the U.S. In fact, the average household spends almost as much on their cars as they do on food and health care combined for their entire family. http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/cost-of-car-ownership.html

I think that an average hard working person can achieve the American Dream of a car, but not everyone will be able to get their dream car. People spend a fair amount of time in their car and want to enjoy that time. However, some people may need a closer look at their version of the American Dream.

While I may never love of cars the way my husband does, I definitely enjoy having a car and will be taking advantage of the nice weather for as long a possible.