Gen-Zers Have An Uphill Battle For Automotive Enthusiasm, But Here's The Silver Lining

Car enthusiasm isn't dying — it's just getting more expensive. Elder Gen Z started driving a little over a decade ago, while the youngest are still in high school and possibly just getting into cars. And it's more expensive than ever to be a car enthusiast in America. Gasoline, insurance, and the cars themselves are ballooning in price , keeping all but the most well-heeled from affording their dream cars. This K-shaped economy has to be discouraging, but you need a car to live in America due to the lack of reliable public transportation, so you may as well be excited about it.

📌 The Core Development

Sure, the world feels like it's collapsing around you, and you can barely afford to keep your head above water. And yes, enthusiast cars are typically even more expensive. Still, there are always alternative options that are underappreciated or even unloved that you can become excited about if you try. If the events you want to attend are too expensive, start your own. If the cars you like are too expensive, buy the cheaper version, a rough-condition example, or an undervalued competitor. If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.

The great thing about car culture is that there's always a subculture for whatever car you're interested in. Whether you want to learn to drive better or you're more interested in engineering, whether you want more power or greater efficiency, or if you just want to make your car unique, there are groups of people out there for you to learn from. Be inquisitive, learn as much as you can, and develop your own flavor of car enthusiasm.

🔍 Background & Sector Context

You don't know you're living in the good old days until they're already over. Across the last 20 years we've seen the near death of the affordable fun car. There was a time, not long ago, when every automaker offered three fun cars at any given time. The formative years of many Gen Z young adults saw the dissolution of convertibles, coupés, manual transmissions, and analog driving. What fun cars remained got more expensive, and electric cars brought pressure to note acceleration and lap time as the only measure of performance.

What fun cars will Gen Z collect once reaching their peak earning years? I predict it'll be the cars of their youth, split into three categories.

📊 Industry & Real-World Impact

According to a recent Hagerty analysis of its insurance data, Gen Z car enthusiasts make up around 10% of insurance quote activity. That alone proves that the generation hasn't given up on enthusiast cars. Furthermore, the top five cars Hagerty says Gen Z shows outsized interest in are all pretty cool: Honda Beat, Acura RSX, Toyota Celsior, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, and Chevrolet Cobalt SS. With four of the five being Japanese imports, and most of them retailing in the mid-teens for a nice example, it kind of shows what their interests might be.

🔮 Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead

This list is a relatively affordable cross section of car culture in America. The Beat and RSX represent the sport compact car boom of Z youth. The Cobalt SS and Lancer Evo are legitimately good forced-induction punch-above-their-weight kinds of cars that just aren't made anymore. The Cobalt SS was the best-handling front-wheel drive car of its day, if not all time. The Celsior offers Mercedes-Benz-beating comfort and quality from the period for extremely little money. If you want one but don't want to deal with importing it, just buy a Lexus LS400 from the same period, and you'll have the same car with the steering wheel in the right place.

You're on the right page. These are all great places to start that won't break the bank. It takes some doing to find the right car for you and your budget, but there still are reasonably affordable options out there. Get the fun car while you're young.