Nowhere in all of this do I see enough real data. Sure, there are statistics about purchases of new cars in the atlantic story and how that's decreased since a couple decades ago... Where's the data for used car sales?
Where are the alternative explanations? Demands for disposable income are greater now, while actual earnings are lower. Student debt is at an all-time high and must-have devices like laptop computers, smart-phones, etc. didn't exist or didn't see the adoption rates that they do now. As for license rates dropping – if you knew you couldn't afford to get a car, wouldn't you be less motivated to get or renew your license?
Further, America is growing more and more urban in population distribution – all of these things could conceivably roll in to a marked decrease in new car purchases without saying that it's an outright u-turn in "car culture".
I may well be wrong, but the assumptions and unexplored alternatives make me less than convinced.
Where are the alternative explanations? Demands for disposable income are greater now, while actual earnings are lower. Student debt is at an all-time high and must-have devices like laptop computers, smart-phones, etc. didn't exist or didn't see the adoption rates that they do now. As for license rates dropping – if you knew you couldn't afford to get a car, wouldn't you be less motivated to get or renew your license?
Further, America is growing more and more urban in population distribution – all of these things could conceivably roll in to a marked decrease in new car purchases without saying that it's an outright u-turn in "car culture".
I may well be wrong, but the assumptions and unexplored alternatives make me less than convinced.