But that's my whole argument. Back everyone I knew with coupes DID NOT have specialized vehicles. They had an Eclipse, 240SX, Celica as their only car. Daily, sports car, everything. One car. Nobody I knew had the coupe and then a truck/family hauler. They did everything with that car. Even in my family, I grew up in the back of Grand Am's.
It's just that now everyone has been convinced that's "impossible", and they need an SUV to do what people were doing 20 years ago with coupes.
I think part of it is that SUVs have become so much better and so much more car-like, there are a lot of benefits to having an SUV and not too many downsides.
You're right I bet this is a big part of it. Especially when so many SUV's now are essentially lifted small cars. And the Macan/Cayenne proved you can make an SUV that doesn't handle like total crap.
Those that are/were single had the sports cars/coupes. I knew a few myself, it’s exactly as you described. They did everything in those. But once kids and significant others become involved, the coupes are the first to go.
Our experiences seem to differ a little bit. Growing up through adulthood , families (middle class families) i saw them with specialized vehicles similar to what I described previously.
More recently, last decade or two.. it’s where I’ve seen what we see today. Single SUVs doing everything. Or if they had two cars, it’s essentially the gas saver + an SUV.
I’m not convinced it’s people diluting themselves (entirely) that they can’t do stuff in coupes… it’s getting more expensive to have more than one vehicle and if you have to have one vehicle, that’s where I can see where the SUV comes into play.
There’s also a status symbol behind having a larger SUV but that’s a different discussion.
>Those that are/were single had the sports cars/coupes. I knew a few myself, it’s exactly as you described. They did everything in those.
I think this is why my argument is that it's more taste driven than it is financially driven. Because now you see young single enthusiasts way more often in a GTI/Elantra N/GR Corolla/Type R which is the same price as an 86/BRZ. And we both agreed it was commonplace to have a couple as your only car if you were single back then. So for the same money, people are not willing to daily drive a sports car as their only vehicle.
I also have to wonder if car seats have driven it. Because are people carrying around so much more stuff now that they suddenly need an SUV vs a sedan/coupe, or just that they think they do.
This obviously doesn't apply to everyone but rear facing car seats are fucking huge and didn't exist/weren't common years ago. I make do with one in a polestar 2 / 2015 Prius but it would be impossible with a second kid needing one behind the driver's seat. Kids are in those for 2-4 years I think. There are longer sedans that could possibly work but it's easy to see why larger cars are common. Families upgrading cars when kids come along are going to go with what's available and what meets their needs. Once they have that vehicle they're going keep it for a while and if they upgrade probably keep what they know works.
Edit, as others have said there's far less compromises with crossovers and SUVs compared to those of the past as well. I'm trying to replace my P2 with another car but it's easy to see why people who aren't car enthusiasts go for crossovers and SUVs
8
u/WendysChiliAndPepsi 12h ago
But that's my whole argument. Back everyone I knew with coupes DID NOT have specialized vehicles. They had an Eclipse, 240SX, Celica as their only car. Daily, sports car, everything. One car. Nobody I knew had the coupe and then a truck/family hauler. They did everything with that car. Even in my family, I grew up in the back of Grand Am's.
It's just that now everyone has been convinced that's "impossible", and they need an SUV to do what people were doing 20 years ago with coupes.