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. 

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. 

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.

1. Any fun cars that were still attainable when they started driving, between 2013 and 2020. Before the pandemic overturned the table of the car buying market, there were plenty of reasonably inexpensive fun options for young drivers. People usually gravitate toward the cars of their youth and nice examples of what they were driving as teenagers. Many Gen Z drivers are probably still driving hand-me-down 1990s and early 2000s cars.
2. The halo cars of that era will remain collectible for years to come as Gen Z enthusiasts who finally have a bit of spending cash gravitate toward realizing the dreams of their youth. Some of them, like the BMW 1M and Cadillac CTS-V Wagon are already collectible. Japanese Domestic Market imports fit this bill. Maybe some EVs will become collectible. 
3. Gen Z saw the end of the economy-car-based performance car era, giving things like the Mitsubishi Evo X, Volkswagen Golf R, and Ford Fiesta ST an extra boost in excitement. These are cars that feel more approachable.

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. 

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. 

Things are bad, and I don't have a crystal ball to see when they'll get better. It feels a bit more dire now than it did in the throes of the housing crisis, but it's always darkest before the light. Do your part, build your community, and be as enthusiastic as you can. Cars aren't the goal, they're the conduit by which we get to enjoy time with other people. Something sorely lacking in 2026.

With what's left of the middle class collapsing and as the largest generation in American history marches toward its grave, I think the collector car market will soon look a little bit like the collector art market. As older collectors pass away and heirs liquidate their unwanted hoards of muscle cars, sports cars, and vintage machinery, there is an opportunity for downward pressure on the collector car market. I don't think blue-chip masterpieces — the automotive equivalents of Picasso or Matisse like a Porsche 356 Speedster or Lamborghini Countach — will be dropping in price any time soon, but you might be able to get a Datsun Roadster or Lancia Delta Integrale for a reasonable sum in the near future.

Furthermore, you don't need a specific kind of car to do what you're excited about. I joined my local Sports Car Club of America region at a time when I owned and drove a 1992 Ford Crown Victoria, and I regularly entered it in rallycross events. My wife and I autocrossed our 1999 Saturn SL2 automatic. A friend and I entered a number of Time-Speed-Distance rallies in his Jeep Liberty. You might be surprised by what the car you have can do. Moreover, those events helped me meet some of the coolest and most influential people of my entire life. 

I know it's cringe to listen to a nearly-40-year-old guy's advice, but I have lived and learned a few things. I entered the job market in 2009, a bad time for making money. I know the ins and outs of being a broke car enthusiast. I was so broke for a few years I couldn't even afford a car and bought a two-stroke scooter. Honestly, I recommend it.

The kind of car you're enthusiastic about will not, on its own, make you cool. There is a widespread misconception that having an expensive car, expensive parts, or nice paint will make you cooler. What those things will get you is attention, so if you are only into cars for attention, you're probably barking up the wrong tree. Do cool stuff and be enthusiastic about your car. I've met cool Fiero owners and Lamborghini owners who are the absolute worst. 

Be infected by the enthusiasm of other people. Authenticity and excitement aren't cringe, they're the only things that matter. If you hang out with people who love cars, your love of cars will only continue to grow. The community works together to lift each other up. Return the favor as often as you can. 

Be authentic. It's cheaper. The big-dollar builds from influencers on Instagram are not real life. You don't need 1,000 horsepower, or a one-off body kit from Japan, and your car doesn't need an engine swap to be cool. I'm paying way more attention to a well-modified Geo Metro than I am a low-mileage Ferrari F40. All it takes to own the F40 is money, and money isn't a personality. Make your car your own. 

Keep asking questions. Someone knows more than you do. Ask them for help.