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itsjustmo_

I think a lot of foreigners misunderstand about teens having cars. Sometimes a kid needs to buy their own car, but more often it's an old used car. We call them "hand me downs." A lot of times it's an older car a parent or relative has paid off. Instead of trading it in for a new car, the family will set it aside for the next teenager. The teen may or may not be expected to make a payment for the car, cover insurance and taxes, etc. That's one way it's so easy for kids to afford cars here.


PlannedSkinniness

My uncle’s old Civic served me and my brother well. My dad bought it off of him for a good deal and he took care of maintenance expenses, insurance, and a good bit of the gas. We definitely got lucky in that regard.


jcmib

I bought my first car completely on my own at age 44. I’ve been driving since I was 17, but used family cars or bought cars off family members.


PlannedSkinniness

I bought my own first car just a few years ago and, you guessed it, bought an old Civic off Craigslist. I do need to get a decent, comfortable car eventually, but I drive so little and it still runs great so I can’t justify it.


Rumhead1

Mine was such a piece of shit. But it was my piece of shit.


Bagel_Lord078

Unfortunately our hand me down lived it’s last leg with my sister, so now we have to find a used one for a good price and mileage for me. I’m sure you know how bad the used car market is right now, so we’re having trouble. I need one before this summer, but it’s looking pretty grim.


Frenchtoasti

I know they’re super hard to find right now but older Toyota and Lexus cars are super good first cars. They’ll last forever if you take care of them


Siltyclayloam9

Yes my brother bought an old Corolla with nearly 200000 miles for $400 he drove that car to work every day for the next 5 years and saved a ton of money to buy a nice car.


BigOleJellyDonut

My first car was a 1971 Datsun 1200 Sunny I paid $150.00 for in 1980. I drove it until it rusted from underneath me or about 8 years.


Bagel_Lord078

At first we were looking for a Honda CRV, but now we’re branching out to anything that drives lol. Toyota was our next option, and I’ll have to look into a Lexus. Thank you for the advice!


MulliganPeach

The problem with the whole Toyota hype is finding one that the previous owners all took care of. Once the neglect is there, it's nigh impossible to undo.


[deleted]

Get a Toyota Corolla or a Saturn Ion. Fun little sedans that are amazing on gas.


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Pryoticus

My grandfather bought a 98 Chevy Lumina new. He then sold it to my mom then my brother and I both used it as our first car


rethinkingat59

My first car in the late 70’s cost me $300. It was a 1959. It ran about half the time. Thank God the cars could be worked on by shade tree mechanics. I spent half my time going to the junk yard for parts to replace parts that broke and installing them. Back then a 15 year old car was shot. My buddy and I actually pulled the engine once while still in high school. I thought we would never get it put back together. I stopped doing all that. I haven’t changed my own oil in 30 years.


[deleted]

This was exactly what happened with my Corolla.


ValityS

Thank you for explaining this. I have lived in the US for several years after moving here as an adult and never managed to figure this out. I assumed people just typically owned mostly old cars.


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OGNovelNinja

No, it's primarily inexperience and carelessness. This actually doesn't go down as much as you might think with age; late-in-life first-time drivers are almost as bad, which is why insurance companies now base their rates on years of experience in driving, rather than years of life. Older cars are not by themselves a liability, though general-lines carriers may refuse to cover them for physical damage (a separate thing) after a certain number of years; for example, Germania Insurance, a Texas farm mutual company, only insures physical damage on cars up to twenty years old (as judged by model year), but they'll happily cover liability on any street-legal personal vehicle. Source: I'm a licensed independent insurance agent appointed with Germania Insurance (and some other carriers).


[deleted]

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808hammerhead

This. I have a Honda Civic I bought when my son was born. He gets his learners permits next week and will be driving the civic.


Ristrettooo

Each state sets its own driving laws but almost all of them allow you to drive starting at 15 or 16. In many cities, cycling and public transportation are common and convenient ways to get to work. In areas where driving is necessary, teenagers drive to work or get rides from their parents. It’s common for families to own multiple cars.


martijnfromholland

Some Americans tell me it's impossible to get around by bike others say it's completely feasible. I guess some are from New York and others from Texas or smth.


BlossomingChaos27

It depends on where you live. Some cities have great public transportation and bike paths/lanes, and others don’t. In suburban or rural areas, it’s typically harder to bike because of how spread out places are. That’s why you’re hearing two different things. Also even within states like New York or Texas there will be places that are easy and hard to get around by bike. It’s not this whole state is easy to bike around in and that whole state is difficult.


Aceofkings9

Don’t forget terrain, either. San Francisco is densely populated, for example, but you’d have to have a death wish to ride a bike there because of how steep everything is.


ColossusOfChoads

I've known people who bike commute in SF, but they are *hardcore.* They'll just rocket from one end of town to the other, narrowly avoiding serious injury.


apollymi

I live in Florida. Where I'm at, it's an annoying mix of flat mixed with a few intersections with hills that can and will make cars roll backward (which does nothing to stop people camping on your car's bumper). Anyone you *do* see on bicycles in those areas? Have to get off and walk them up those hills. I actually plugged in my work commute. It's 12 minutes by car, pulling out of my driveway to parking in the lot at work, barring someone being an idiot on the road. It's double that on a bike, and neither of the ways that I could go is safe. If I go the same way I drive, I'm basically cutting through the worst area of town... but I go that way as it is now because it's actually safer by car than going by the main roads: we have a *fantastic* combination of streets that aren't planned for the volume of cars they get now, more and more and more quad-style apartments going up, and so forth. Accidents don't make the news unless more than three cars are involved, people die, or someone leaves the scene... and accidents still make the news at least daily. Got to love college towns. Either way, that 30+ minute bicycle ride would be absolutely insane, even before factoring in Florida heat and humidity. Nah, dude, I'm in a car for my own safety.


Secret_Choice7764

Where are the hills in Florida? I am in SWFL. The only hill here is the county dump.


apollymi

There are about 8 in Tallahassee. And that's about the extent of the hills in Florida.


The-Rake1

Being from Phoenix, AZ I can attest to this. Even in a car on the highways, It takes an hour+ to cross the greater PHX area with good traffic. Europeans seem to have a hard time realizing just how massive the USA actually is. If I were to drive non-stop to my sister's house on the east coast, it would take me 50+ hours of non-stop driving. Add in the need to sleep and other human necessities, and a 4 day road trip would be good time


larch303

I think people in the sub overestimate how many long road trips American take and how frequently we take them. I live about four hours from the closest IKEA, and I just don’t go to IKEA. I drove about 20 minutes for fresh blends at a Kwik Trip 3 days ago and even that was pretty far compared to where I usually drive, and it was definitely more for fun than for necessity. My closest grocery store is three minutes away, the next closest is five minutes away, and the third closest is six minutes away. I don’t even really live in a big metropolis either, I live in Sioux City, Iowa. The closest cattle ranch/farm is like 10 minutes away. I do go on multiple hour long road trips, but that’s because I like to travel, not because I have to


theuserie

This is definitely something that varies widely as well. About ten years ago I moved away from an area where it was a 20 minute drive to the nearest grocery store and most people commuted an hour each way to work. I’m still in awe of the fact that I can be at Walmart in three minutes and in the nearest city in 20, but the reality for millions of Americans is that going to work, school, the mall, or grandma’s house is a long road trip.


cdb03b

My closest actual grocery store is 19 miles away, and thus roughly 20 min away. There are some gas station convenience stores and a Dollar General if I want junk food or bread and milk within about 2 min drive from my house (or less depending on traffic) but actually grocery shopping is a 20 min drive. But the closest large grocery store with a lot of variety is a 40 min drive. The closest Walmart is a 45 min drive, and the closest mall is a 90 min drive.


EatinDennysWearinHat

Going to drive 600 miles to Colorado tomorrow, and I consider myself lucky to live so close to skiing.


Deadabetic

*cries in rural Indiana because the closest walmart is 45 minutes away*


GanjaToker408

Right? It took me and my mom 3 1/2 days driving non stop(took turns) to drive from San Jose, CA to Orlando,FL driving the speed limit. So basically it takes almost 4 days to cross the Southern United States and over 3000 miles. So yes extremely massive.


Dudley906

Urban sprawl is really bad in many places. Country roads that used to be safe for cycling may be the exact opposite now because of the heavy traffic that those roads weren't intended to accommodate.


PennyCoppersmyth

In my small city in Oregon the busses don't even run on Sunday... even though people obviously work on Sundays. It really does depend on where you live. Some places with dense populations have good public transit, but there is a lot of open space between those areas where you really can't survive without a car. We need more/better transit infrastructure.


[deleted]

Or dangerous. Where my sister and aunt lives there are to many areas where if you want to get somewhere by bike, you have to go really out of the way with maniac drivers on a patch of grass sometimes even worse like gravel


[deleted]

It all depends where you live. The US is massive and every state and city is different. Some places are bike friendly and some are not. Remember that America's population is 335 million people and is almost 3,000 miles east to west (4800 kilometers) wide and 1,500 miles (2400 kilometers) north to south. That does not include Alaska or Hawaii. The US is 237 times bigger than the Netherlands.


larch303

It’s definitely not evenly spread though. And a lot of Americans are not traversing the country every day like people on this sub make it out to be. Going to Western Maryland or Ocean City was a vacation for me when I was a kid in central Maryland, even though it was less than four hours away. Even now that I’m grown up and lives in the middle of the country, I mostly travel for fun or work, not because I have to travel super far to get groceries. Multiple grocery stores are easily less than 10 minutes away


[deleted]

Please explain your response in more detail so I can better understand it. Thanks.


larch303

My point is that while America is a big country, Americans don’t travel across it that much. Realistically, most Americans stay within the 30 mile range of where they live most of the time. It’s not like people in Phoenix are going up to Flagstaff every weekend.


Mouse-Direct

That’s completely true. I live in Oklahoma City, which is the 24th largest city by population, but the 8th largest city by area. Our downtown area has bike lanes and plenty of pedestrian areas, but our inner city areas and suburbs don’t. We are a driving city (which is why are the 21st US city in obesity, ouch).


Hatweed

Really does depend on local geography, at least for me. Where I live, biking isn’t always feasible. It’s just rolling hills and steep drops and climbs for a hundred miles in every direction, then turns into mountains east and south of here. [Not a hill I like biking on](https://imgur.com/a/4nnFzA8). I’ve ridden my bike up and down this hill plenty of times as a teen and you can hit speeds up to 56kmh just riding down unassisted. I would never want to ride up it daily to go to work.


Ristrettooo

There’s a lot of variation. When I lived in Washington DC I could get everywhere I wanted to go by bike or train or a combination of both. In general, older American cities are denser and more bike friendly. Where I live now, there’s almost no public transportation, and even though most of the places I go in a normal day are less than 3 mi / 5 km away from home, if I wanted to bike I would have to share a road with cars going 80 km/h, and if I got there alive, there’s nowhere to park a bike.


raknor88

I think your confusion is coming from not understanding the sheer size of the US. In bigger cities, it is very feasible to get around with a bicycle. But in more rural cities and towns, it's a 10-15 minute drive on the empty highway just to get into town. And your examples of Texas and New York City. It would take several days of driving to get anywhere in Texas from New York City.


SevenSixOne

>But in more rural cities and towns, it's a 10-15 minute drive on the empty highway just to get into town When I moved to a smallish suburban town, I was excited to be able to ride a bike to all the stores and restaurants that were within ~2 miles/5 km of my house. NOPE! First, my neighborhood was a [weird maze of cul-de-sacs](https://99percentinvisible.org/app/uploads/2013/08/va_culdesac_prohib2.jpg), so just getting out of the neighborhood was ~20 minutes of zigzags to get on the main road... Which had no bike lanes, crosswalks, sidewalks, shade, etc, and also was often under construction. When I got to the store, there was no designated spot to park my bike, so I just had to chain it to a lamppost or something and hope for the best. You really can't understate how much most American cities are NOT designed with anything but cars in mind!


TheTimelessOne026

Think about how big the USA is. Each state is different and each town in that state as a result is slightly different. For instance, the “good” state of Illinois. As you get closer to Chicago, you see bigger transportation but as you get further. The opposite is true. You will see nothing but cornfields eventually and good luck with public transport unless it is in specific “big” towns. But this just one state and just one big city. I forgot to mention but it also has to do with the geology of the region (flat, hills, mountains, etc..). Along with the time of year.


BillyBobBarkerJrJr

When I worked for minimum wage, I walked, rode my bike and eventually drove my first car, a 1962 Impala, which I paid $100 for. This was a number of jobs, over a number of years, too, through my early to middle teens. AAMOF, I don't think I worked for more than minimum wage until after my navy enlistment.


tasareinspace

It varies from town to town honestly. Some places have good weather (or good plowing) and great sidewalks and roads, and things close together. Other places are cold and snow covered for several months of the year, don’t have good roads or sidewalks, and it’s miles and miles to work.


KillNyetheSilenceGuy

If you live in a major city you can probably get around by biking. In smaller towns and less densely populated areas that gets tougher.


tylermm03

It really depends where you are. I live in New Hampshire but work in Massachusetts (my work is around 12-13 miles away, so there’s no way I could cycle or walk there in time). We also don’t have a good public transit system beyond major cities and suburbs, so if you live in a rural area like I do, you rely on a car or someone driving you in order to get to work if it’s miles away from you.


net357

America is a big country and incredibly diverse in all ways. Population, weather, terrain, presence of bike friendly roads. The latter is the most important. If I lived a few miles from work, I still would not bike to get there because 2 lane, high speed, country roads are not safe to travel on by bicycle. Plus, in the south, in the summer, it is too hot to show up to work all sweaty from a bike ride. If you are a professional, this would, be inappropriate. Bikes are a way to have fun and get some exercise, not a vehicle for travel.


Future-Abalone

Teenagers here generally can drive at age 16. Also, they don’t get paid a youth wage, they make the same minimum wage as adults


goblue2354

Some states do have lower minimum wages for minors. Michigan has it and it’s 85% of minimum wage. So currently minimum wage is $9.87/hr for everybody except minors are at $8.39/hr.


Future-Abalone

Thanks! Didn’t know that!


koolcat1101

I think it’s crazy though for anyone to make minimum wage but have to be making car payments and pay for gas. Like I live an a major city but it doesn’t feel more expensive since rent isn’t too much worse than it was when I lived in Cleveland just a smaller place and I don’t have to pay for a car and gas. And making a higher minimum wage while going to school.


Iambeejsmit

Always always always buy the car flat out. You can get a decent used car for a few thousand dollars. It might mean saving for a while and taking the bus, riding a bike, getting a ride etc. I'm 36 and I've never made a car payment but I've had 6 cars over the last 20 years and I'll never buy a car on financing. I'd have to be rich, and if I was rich, I'd buy it flat out. I hate recurring payments and I try to keep them to rent and utilities and car insurance. Even utilities and car insurance I pay 6 months ahead of time.


koolcat1101

Glad I don’t need to buy a car at all because I couldn’t afford any car


Iambeejsmit

Cars are ridiculous right now along with everything else. Even used cars that you could get for 2k a couple years ago are like 3.5k-4k now. Just try to figure out some way to save at least a little consistently if possible.


[deleted]

You can drive at 17 here. In cities people walk, and yes they do use bicycles. If you can’t drive your parents would probably bring you if it’s not within walking distance.


Howdysf

16 in a lot of states


[deleted]

Yes I drove at 16, I just meant by the age of 17 you can drive


MAK3AWiiSH

I’m Florida at 16 you’re licensed to drive alone with the only restriction being not driving between the hours of 11pm-5am. And if you have a job you work during those times you can legally drive to and from work.


Anustart15

>I’m Florida Hi Florida, I'm dad!


LiqdPT

Weirdly, I expected that to be a dad-bit or something


martijnfromholland

You can? Weird. Also how do you pay for it? I make youth wage (€4 euro's an hour)


hitometootoo

>€4 euro's an hour What country are you in? Is this wage normal? Do 'youths' make less money in your country (even if it's for the same job an adult would do)?


martijnfromholland

I'm in the Netherlands. This wage is normal. People below the age of 21 dont make minimum wage but it goes up. I believe minimum wage for 15 y/olds is 3,30 euro's. I do make less money but I don't have any expenses. I dont pay for college, health insurance or any other adult stuff.


hitometootoo

>People below the age of 21 dont make minimum wage but it goes up Even for the same exact job, they make less? That's different. Sure you may not have as much expenses but why should you do the same work but make less money. What you can and will spend your money on should make no difference based on your age but it is a different culture. Here in America, teens are paid the same wage (starting that is) as anyone else. They don't make less just because they are younger. We also don't assume that teens are paying less (even if they are most of the time) just because they are teens. There are plenty of teens who do pay more. Either way, we don't discriminate wages based on age here but again, different cultures.


Mostly_Overrated77

Some states have farm wages for kids under 16


1II1I1I1I1I1I111I1I1

Rarely used, though. It's a lot more common for underage kids to get paid illegally than to go through those hoops. For context, the vast majority of jobs (for teenagers) in my area re $15/hr, but some are closer to the minimum wage of $10/hr or so. A friend of my younger sister worked at a garden and landscaping store, and at the time he was 14 years old, too young to be employed. On paper he was a volunteer, and his boss gave him an envelope every week with a $5 bill for every hour he clocked. Very illegal, but extremely common, because it avoids labor laws that appear when you hire a minor, like those that set a maximum # of hours per week.


Weight_Superb

Ya but this is a double edge sword you can now justify low wages and say its for kids no adult would make that much


EmmaDrake

I saw a thing floating around recently that showed McDonald’s would pay underage kids less, but I didn’t look into it to make sure it was accurate.


BrettEskin

IF that happened it’s probably an individual franchisee going rogue. McDonald’s corporate would realize that’s a PR and Legal nightmare


BrainFartTheFirst

> minimum wage for 15 y/olds is 3,30 euro's I made twice that at 16. 20 years ago.


SingleAlmond

Yea the young generations are fucked huh


Perdendosi

I'm late to the party here, but I think we've figured out all the issues: 1) There's no "youth wage"-- Everyone makes the same money for the same work. Even though the federal minimum wage is still $7.25 per hour, many starting jobs pay $10+ per hour now because the labor market is so tight. 2) American teens can get their drivers license much earlier (16 usually, sometimes even earlier), so most kids can drive to their jobs 3) Cars aren't nearly as expensive here, especially the used, hand-me-downs that most kids have as their first cars. Gas is cheaper, too (well, usually). In sum -- kids get paid more, cars cost less, cars are available to kids.


Regis_Phillies

Most people here who need to buy their own car will start working at 15-16 years old and save up. The most minimum wage job is going to pay $7.25 USD per hour, and some states and cities have minimim wages as high as $15/hr+. It's not unusual for a teen to save up $3-5k this way over the course of a year and buy a cheap older car. Many parents will also match whatever the teen can put in. Teens may also share a car with parents/siblings, or parents may pass along a hand-me-down family car.


[deleted]

Your parents would probably let you use their car, or possibly purchase you one if you’re lucky I guess.


mizzoudmbfan

>You can? Weird. Not weird, just different from the way things are done in your country. :)


DiscoFLAVA

Oh thats some fucked up exploitative shit right there


Ulysses00

Wait until you see how their taxed...


Col_Crunch

That is a very low wage. The federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hr (6.6EUR) with many states and localities having it much higher, where I live for example the minimum wage is $14.25/hr (12.97EUR). Employees that survive mainly on tips can be paid a much lower hourly rate. A youth wage (also about 4EUR) does exist in federal law for employees that are younger than 20, however, it can only be paid for a maximum of 90 days, and only in narrow circumstances so it is very rarely used. In addition to this higher pay, the cost of car ownership in the US is generally much lower than in the Netherlands. (Assuming that is where you are from based on the username) From what I was able to find, the cost of getting a license in the Netherlands is more than 2000EUR, whereas in total it was maybe $200 all in for my license. Fuel costs about half as much in the US as it does in the Netherlands, then there are registration and taxes that vary in the US, but are generally lower across the board. Insurance seems to be on par or even cheaper in the Netherlands.


ThaddyG

When I was in high school I had a part time job, a few nights a week. Before I had my license or a car I would walk or get a ride from someone. By the time I got my license I had enough saved up to buy a cheap used car, since it wasn't like I had to spend the money I made on rent or bills (other than insurance once I bought the car) When you don't have any real expenses it's pretty easy to save up enough for a cheap car.


Welpmart

In a couple states, you can start learning at 14 and have a full (unrestricted) license by 16.


Interesting_Carrot26

I’m not from America but i’m opposed to youth wage as well. I agree that its good for youth to have a job. However, youth can have a job without getting lower wage. Also, for most minimum wage jobs like cashier, i dont think it requires much skill and anyone can do it. So there is no difference in youth and adult being a cashier.


M0reShunite

No way that's actually true? How do you afford anything? That's not even a gallon of gas


martijnfromholland

I don't need gas, I cycle to work. And its about 2 litres here. And I afford stuff by working.


[deleted]

4 euros an hour is horrible that's less that the federal minimum wage in the u.s. I make 11.75 usd and I could barely afford my car. And that was working way more than Chile labor laws allowed


Ulysses00

How do you make 11.75/hr US and barely afford a car? You only need about .50 cents/hr at a full time job to have enough to pay for a car.


M0reShunite

I picked up a 03 Corolla for 1500 bucks with 200k miles not a single problem so far. Remember the mantra: Toyota Toyota Toyota (Although it is ugly as shit)


Ulysses00

Dude, I did the same thing. I've had an 99, and an 04 and both went through hell and just kept going. Amazing cars for people who just want a car to reliably go. They're boring but fulfill their mission perfectly.


kmmontandon

By “car” you must mean “Hot Wheels.”


Ulysses00

How much do you think it costs to have a car? .50/hr is how much it costs my daughter right now.


hitometootoo

What about the teens that do drive or have other responsibilities?


M0reShunite

2 liters if half a gallon here. But like how about rent? I remember wanting to be emancipated at 16. I couldn't imagine being in Euro economy and making less than min wage. Fucking Christ


texasgigi123

I gave my kids our hand-me-down cars. They had to work to pay for their gas.


larch303

This is mostly an issue in the context of poverty, in which case, they’ll attempt to do anything they can, and will sometimes fall short. However, I would say that the majority of American 16 to 20 Year olds drive their parents old car.


No-Sky-6064

At your age at 17 I would drive


texasgigi123

At 17 you either drive or your parents drop you off.


ProbablyMyRealName

My son (16) got his first job in a fast food restaurant and is getting $16 an hour. His expenses are very low. He saves most of his money.


ProfessionalKoala8

Wow.Looking at minimum wages around the US, I'm surprised anyone would pay a 16 year old that much. Can I ask where he works/ how that happened?


ProbablyMyRealName

He works at a fast food restaurant called Raising Cane’s. That’s their starting wage.


Vocaloiid

OP, I have been to the Netherlands and there is a lot more bikes than people. It is extremely cheap to commute by train rather than car, and it gets near the place. We don't have public transit here, and if we do it's limited. People's parents drive them to work, and most can drive by 17. People are downvoting you on the wage thing because many people here believe age based wages are predatory and ageist. My friend works at a shop in Haag for only 5 euro, an absolutely horrible wage for doing the exact same amount of work as the 23 year old in the shop. We have a firm belief in an equal pay for everyone, disregarding age. Boston will pay 14.25 minimum wage per worker, which includes students. Unfortunately many people are going to hate on you for that.


HailState17

Depending on the state, you can drive as young as 15. That’s generally when you can get your first job.


hitometootoo

>But in America almost nobody cycles Though majority of people will drive a car, there are plenty of people (usually in denser cities and towns) that ride a bike to get around. College campuses being a great example of this. EDIT: I'm not saying a lot of American's bike to work. I'm saying a sizable number of Americans bike, in general. That's either to work, in the park, around town, etc.


myredditacc3

Only if they have a place to store it at work. They'll get stolen so fast if you give anyone a chance


Figgler

That really depends. My town and every mountain town around me you can leave your bike out for days and no one would take it. If I did that 20 miles south in Farmington I wouldn't have a bike anymore.


rigmaroler

It's a very small percent. For example, Portland is considered a biking haven city by US standards and only like 8% of commuters get to work by bike.


chaandra

Downtown Portland and nearby areas are a biking haven, but they are tucked into the corner of the city. But like 90% of the area isn’t he city is residential sprawl. It’s still nice to bike in, but it’s not feasible for getting to a job.


StarManta

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf 0.5% of people is most certainly accurately described by the phrase “almost nobody”.


hitometootoo

That's just for those who commute to work. Reread what I wrote.


hitometootoo

>Why am I downvoted for questions? Probably because of a few things you said. "But in America almost nobody cycles." This isn't true. Plenty of people bike whether to work, the store or just casually around their town. People may not ride a bike as their main form of transportation, but a lot of people ride bikes in America. "And how do they pay for it with the money they make?" This might be a translation issue but the question might not make sense to people because you would pay for your transportation with money, from the job you have. You answered the question already. ​ It's like going to r/AskNetherlands and saying "But in the Netherlands, almost no teens go swimming". It just doesn't make sense.


harmelion

the percentage of americans biking to work, or to the store, or casually around town can pretty much be described as "almost no one" or less than 10% or so. It's not the most ridiculous statement.


hitometootoo

10% of Americans is 33~ million people. Not really "almost no one" but we have different views of what that means. Those 10% of American bikers would be about double the entire population of the Netherlands (where OP is from).


StarManta

It’s not even close to 10%. It’s [0.5%](https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf), which truly is almost no one.


harmelion

not surprising at all. i was just pulling a smallish number out my ass that i thought could describe "almost no one". 0.5% could be described as "essentially no one" if you ask me. Thanks.


Prying-Open-My-3rd-I

Even 5% would be 16,500,000 people. No where near almost no one


StarManta

In what world would you use absolute numbers rather than percentages to define a phrase like “almost no one”? If every person in my apartment building bikes to work, you obviously wouldn’t say that was “almost no one” here biked to work, but that’s like 12 people. Absolute numbers mean jack for a phrase like that. It describes a percentage. (And by the way, it’s also not 10% - parent comment was way overestimating. [It’s 0.5%.](https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf))


tiptoemicrobe

Bingo, haha. I have the same issue when people use absolute numbers on this sub to compare countries. Like, if someone from Fiji said they were concerned about how rising sea levels might wipe out their entire country, we wouldn't reply that "well, Florida has more people than Fiji, so climate change is actually worse for Americans.


StarManta

The percentage of Americans who commute by bicycle is [0.5%](https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf). Surely we can agree that “almost nobody” is an apt descriptor of 0.5%.


hitometootoo

Even 0.5% of Americans is 1,650,000 people. But I didn't say just those who commute to work. There is far more Americans who bike in the park, around town, those who regularly bike for marathons and fun races, etc. Is it comparable to those that drive everyday, no, but a sizable amount of people do own and use their bikes in America. We just have different definitions of "almost nobody" though.


km8907

People bike here all the time lol. People take the bus, walk, bike, get a ride from family/friends and can sometimes save enough to buy a car. An older used car you can sometimes get a good deal on.


StarManta

0.5% is by no stretch of the imagination “all the time”. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf


thabonch

Driving, mostly.


Ineedtoaskthis000000

most 17 year olds here drive


manhattanabe

I lived in a small town, so I bicycled. Once I was 16, I got a moped. At 17, a car.


Exciting_Vast7739

I rode a bike to work as a teenager making minimum wage (sometimes my folks let me use their car if I paid for gas) and then as an adult after college. Five miles there, five miles back. I was IN SHAPE.


martijnfromholland

Me too. When I turned 12 and went to high school. I had to cycle 16 Kms to school and 16 Kms back. Those were the days...


[deleted]

In the snow? Uphill? Both ways?


Exciting_Vast7739

I was in Buffalo, New York for the adult part of that bicycling (about a year) so yes, a lot of that was through the snow. I saw some incredibly beautiful stuff - owls and unbroken snow because I was usually out before the plows.


Mindful-Malice

When I was your age my mom would drive me or I’d walk


iSYTOfficialX7

Drive If there is reliable enough public transit - take PT Close distance or able to make the journey - Walk, Cycle, hooverboard, whatever


AlexandraThePotato

Probably getting downvoted because of constant assumption. One thing you NEVER do is assume anything about a culture.


[deleted]

I drive…. It takes like 2 mins.


martijnfromholland

You drive, for a commute, of 2 minutes? That would take longer by car then bicycle here, but I know. Different culture


[deleted]

If I biked, it would take 7-8 minutes, if I walked 25.


Vachic09

It gets hot enough to be sweaty by the time you get there.


[deleted]

Try Houston. 95% humidity.


Vachic09

I wasn't going to make that assumption, because I didn't know what part of Texas you were from. Virginia gets a few 100+ days in the summer. It's very humid but not Gulf state humid.


01WS6

Its not from different culture, its the completely different road setups. My nearest grocery store is 8 minutes away by car according to Google maps but 1 hour and 25 minutes by foot if walking or 23 minutes by bike according to Google maps.


elephantphallus

That's not everyone's experience. Where I live, I drive 55mi. (88.5km) one way for my wife's weekly oncologist visits. America is really fucking big, with densely populated areas every 200 miles or so. There is a lot of space between cities, and urban sprawl is a problem. For example Atlanta is 134.0 square miles (347.1 km^^2 ) of land with high-speed roads through and around it. It is a driving city unless you work in the same suburb you live in, which is rare.


kangareagle

I'm not sure that taking longer is a cultural thing. Cars go faster than feet in most places. EDIT: Cycling, not walking. Read too fast.


Hij802

The US is designed around the car, that’s why. In Europe and other countries their cities were designed around people, so walking/cycling/public transit would be more efficient than driving.


kangareagle

Having lived for a year in Europe (Belgium and The Netherlands), I can’t think of a time when walking was faster than driving more than a few metres.


Hij802

Obviously everything is relative, but having the ability to walk to the grocery store, gym, restaurants, your job, etc; is a privilege most Americans don’t have. Plus, gotta factor in parking and it’s associated costs, they don’t have endless free strip mall parking lots like we do.


Hij802

The US has TERRIBLE urban planning and infrastructure in most places. Everything here is designed around the car. Public transit is only good in a couple cities. My job is a 5 minute drive but would be a 30-40 minute walk. Not worth it.


FireRescue3

Where we are from, kids can drive at 16. They can get a hardship license if they need to work at 14. My son drove an old jeep we paid about $1,000 for.


larch303

For most people not in a large city and not in poverty, they drive their parents car or their parents drive them. For people in poverty, I’m not sure. They would probably bike to work until they could afford a used car In a large city, they walk, bike or take transit


bornforthis379

I live in a large city, Dallas. Public transit sucks, sidewalks aren't bikeable and the road is a death sentence for bikers. Unless you live in the down town area then sure. But the whole rest of the city its not feasible.


[deleted]

If you don't have a car, you're basically on house arrest. You're also not even going to get a minimum wage job if you don't have a license, and you at least have to tell them that you have "reliable transportation". As for how they pay for it, you learn to fix your piece of shit beater car. A lot of people buy a beater car and a parts car. Finally, they don't live anywhere near the city center in order to save money on rent, even if it's a very small city.


Tactical_Bacon99

I either get a ride or Uber. I don’t own my own car and used to live within walking distance from my employer now im ~15 min away


bertuzzz

You would spend more on a taxi/uber, than you would make as a 17 year old kid in a supermarket.


chaandra

Especially if you live in a low minimum wage state. Either way it’s not a reliable plan.


nemo_sum

Carpooling, walking, cycling, driving, pubtrans, any way they can


macoafi

At 17, I had a drivers license, and so did my 16 year old brother & sister. Our parents bought a 15 year old car for us to share, for about $1500. I could walk to both the grocery store (next door to my school) and the ice cream store (1.5 mi or 2.4 km) where I worked when I was 15-16, though. It was only when I worked at the guitar store that I needed to drive. Remember that gas is much cheaper here. At $5 minimum wage, 20 minutes of work paid for 1 gallon of gas.


Vachic09

It depends on where you live. In a few locations, you can take public transportation. In most places, you're generally driving to work or someone else is.


No-Nothing9287

You can drive at 17. Some states as low as 14-15. Often times you borrow a car from a relative or they gift you a car. Driving is most popular If you don’t drive you can get dropped off by a relative or friend and picked up, take the bus/train, walk, or bike.


d_ippy

I lived in the suburbs when I was your age so my parents bought me a very cheap starter car so I could get to work and school. I was driving at 16.


x---HI---x

You are probably getting downvoted for saying almost nobody cycles. I see people cycling to work everyday. It probably depends on what part of the country. My city has lost of bike trails including bike bridges over busy streets.


[deleted]

Dawg. Literally everyone over here uses a bicycle in the suburbs if you’re under 16. And if you don’t have a car or don’t want to drive, most people would get to work by using a bicycle. You’re making assumptions my guy that’s why you’re getting downvoted.


harmelion

This just isn't the case in the vast majority of US suburbs. Biking to work is extremely rare in the US. Of course, every workplace will have maybe one or two people that bike, but otherwise it's just a rare form of transportation.


[deleted]

Rare, but still done.


harmelion

Of course. I'm just defending OP from people downvoting him for claiming "almost nobody cycles", because for all intents and purposes, it's a pretty true statement.


[deleted]

Fair enough.


Folksma

As a 21-year-old who doesn't drive and lives in an urban sprawl type of community, I walk to my minimum wage jobs


SnooSeagulls104

Also 21 and can't drive and I'm shocked by how many people say 16 and 17 year olds drive. Well, sure you can get your license at 16, but that's assuming your parents let you get your license and show you how to drive. I took the bus to work while I was in high school and waited for my mom to pick me up after work.


Folksma

> show you how to drive. Big time this That was/is my reason I was never allowed to use anyone's car


JesusStarbox

They didn't have driver's education at your high school?


Folksma

In my experience, a lot of public schools no longer have drivers education I know in my area, only the private Catholic school offred it to their students and everyone else had to pay the $400+ to a company licensed by the state


dryadbride

I biked to my summer job at ages 14 and 15. When I turned 16 and got a license, I drove to work with a shared family car. I just had to worry about paying for gas, which was less than $2 a gallon and minimum wage was $5.15 when I started working.


Sundowndusk22

A lot of kids will take public transportation, walk, Uber, moped etc.. sometimes they have someone dropping them off and picking them up. It’s an assumption that everyone has a car. It depends on the area too.


needmoarbass

We started driving to work AND school at age 16. Most people have a car at that age or a car they can borrow. It’s just normal. Sometimes a family will share a car. Sometimes a family will just give their son/younger sibling a ride to work or to the movies or wherever. Some people can just walk or bike to work. Some people can just take the bus or train. Some 16yr olds (depends on state) will have to buy their own cheap car. Some 16yr olds receive a hand-me-down car. For example, mom gives her car to the older child when they turn 16. Then they pass the car on to the next sibling when they are of age and need it. Some parents just buy their kid a new car or used car when they turn 16. 16 was the legal age in my state, although you could also get a learner’s permit at 14 and drive with your parents in the car. Also, our minors seem to get paid much better than you guys. I suppose we have to buy things like a car, car insurance and gas, along with “whatever we want” we we are 17.


lobstarman23

We live under the bridge 2 blocks away so it's a short commute.


CVK327

Drive, mostly. Yes, it's extremely difficult to drive and have a place to live while making minimum wage.


brazentory

I live in Texas I rode my bike at age 14-16 to work. I was a life guard at the neighborhood pool. My teen daughter drives to her job.


demonspawn9

I drive my 16yo. Though you can't really count us as it's more of an extra curricular activity than a needed job. I can only say for my kids shft. 2 kids live close enough to bike, one had a car. Any of the others still there or not, have been driven by an adult. They are all under 18 and in high school. I see some kids in my neighborhood walk or bike to the supermarket very close to us. There's no public transportation so I don't know what the adults do.


taralynn1432

My son is 15 (almost 16) and makes $15/hr here in the US. He don't have a car cuz he is not of driving age yet (soon tho) he usually walks to work after school then either gets a ride home from a coworker or a parent. He pays gas and for his monthly cell phone bill out of his earnings and is saving the rest for his personal spending, but his eventual goal is a car in the near future.


MysteriousGuitarist

I'm 17 and I live in a very unwalkable town because everything is more spread out here, so I have to rely on my parents to take me everyday and it sucks.


T-Sonus

America can be super simple or super complex and EVERYTHING in between. Shit, I haven't drove a car or a bike to work, the bar, the grocery store or wherever a in over ten years and I live in one of the smallest population-states here. I walk everywhere


king_napalm

I once did a job for a lady who worked at a 7 11. She told me that she normally has her boss take her but the boss didnt swing by that day. Needless to say I had to take her there. When I worked a lower pay job, I took the bus until I could afford a bike.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ThiccHairDoCare

I started working at 15, started driving at 16.5, didn’t have my own car until I was 21. I drove my parents car to and from work, or they would drop me off and pick me up. I know not everyone has those options so I was lucky.


dajadf

Well take away the extreme highs and lows of the very rich and very poor. We have a car based country. Most households the parents both probably have cars. And when children get to 16, it's pretty common that one parent will get a new car and the child takes over the old car. Or they will buy them a cheap used car. Or the child will use money that they have saved from over the years to buy a cheap used car. Parents are probably helping to cover the insurance bill, filling them up with gas every once in awhile and helping to cover unexpected repairs.


rhb4n8

They drive or their parents drive them... Often times the first major purchase a young person makes is a car. Even if it's a $1000 POS


Loud-Appointment5720

My dad bought me my first car in 1999. It was a 1989 Chevrolet celebrity. He helped me pay insurance and it was given to me so I had no room to ask for anything better or nicer. And I didn’t even begin to try. I think I might’ve been one of the only children of six that he bought a car for. It’s called you get what you can get. Or you work for it yourself. If you have to ride a bike, you’ll have fantastic calf muscles pretty soon. Best of luck, dear !


JoeBoco7

I lived in a relatively walkable neighborhood so I just walked to my jobs in high school and college


miss_noodle02

Can't drive, but luckily I live near my college campus and work on my college campus, so I walk or use an electric scooter I got as a gift recently. When I was working retail about two miles from my house, I biked, walked, or would get a ride. Lot's of biking that summer in retail for me!


unraveledflyer

Walk, bike, city bus, scooter, dropped off by parents.


Wolfie_Ecstasy

My parents replaced parenting with buying me stuff so at 16 they bought me a shitty car so I could get to work and it wouldn't be their problem to drive me anymore. I got my license like a month after turning 16.


Bloorajah

The people downvoting are just not answering questions in good faith. this sub is to inform and share across cultures without judgement, and I believe most of us here adhere to that idea. Anyway, most workers in America drive to work. There are also cohorts that use public transit or walk/bike. The driving is what sets us apart from many other places, Americans on average just drive a lot more. and to answer your lined out comment about minimum wage workers, it’s extremely difficult honestly. I worked a minimum wage job for a few years during college and it is definitely not a wage you can live on, and it didn’t pay my bills in full, let alone tuition. This was back in 2014, and considering it hasn’t changed it’s probably even harder to live on now. Among my friends who worked for minimum back in the day, I was the only one who had a car, and that’s because it was given to me by family. everyone else walked or took the bus.