Literally ZERO people have signed up for Credit Link

[fuzzymoomoo]

http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/21/11990478/ford-private-car-share-program-credit-link?yptr=yahoo

 

Weren't we all wondering what exactly the point of this was? Seems the general public is struggling with the same question.

[BORG]

People don't want to OWN cars if they are going to share them with others, that's what Lyft and Uber is for. I know Ford is trying to get ahead of a trend that is likely to cause great hardship for full-line automakers, but it's going to be tough to do it on their terms.

Edited June 23, 2016 by BORG

[mackinaw]

Why would anybody want to share a lease on a vehicle?

[akirby]

Why would anybody want to share a lease on a vehicle?

 

Lower cost. Instead of 3 people (roommates e.g.) each leasing a $300 car and paying for a parking spot (maybe), they go together on one vehicle.

 

The problem is finding 2 or 3 people who are living together or close by for 2 or 3 years who don't mind sharing one vehicle. And you also have to pay insurance.

 

Uber/Lyft or public transit is much more attractive for most people.

[jcartwright99]

These types of things offers/agreements will only work in certain areas. I think in a big college town, it could possibly work but it would need to be a 1 year lease. Overall, I am skeptical of this model working well. I don't want to pay for something and have to possibly worry about scheduling concerns, or how the other person treats the car so I don't get dinged financially.

 

Living in the Chicago area, Zip Car makes sense for a lot of folks. Zip Car does well too. I think this model works best for highly populated urban areas, if you are only going to drive under 20 hours a month, renting by the hour (@ avg of 12 bucks an hour) makes sense. You can get all different types of cars, vans and SUV's too. I went through a year period where I needed to get rid of my car. Zip Car made it possible for me to go get groceries and run my errands in times where public transportation can be a huge pain (bad weather, at night, PT dead zones).

 

In regards to Uber and Lyft, I actually think they break rules and undermine a lot of the laws the big cities have in regards to transportation services. These companies have played their hand well, and have basically screwed Taxi/Black Car companies that have followed protocol. By creating an App that can be used on phones (Millennials love apps), they gave an avenue for highly populated urban areas to completely automate have to get a taxi (or uber driver) with no personal interaction. This became a huge hit and people didn't care if those services where screwing the cab companies. They knew if they could exploit the laziness of cab companies (ie, not creating any sort of app or way to get a cable besides calling or hailing) and bypass the laws long enough that their would be hordes of people that use it/like it, where they would have a lobby to keep it. It also created a pseudo taxi service for less populated areas..

 

The media buzz for Uber/Lyft and Tesla for that matter is absurd and has created this paranoia for traditional car companies. Millennials aren't going to buy cars. If they do, it's going to be electric! The thought of being left behind by a Silicon Valley start up is obviously in the back of traditional automakers minds.

[silvrsvt]

The media buzz for Uber/Lyft and Tesla for that matter is absurd and has created this paranoia for traditional car companies. Millennials aren't going to buy cars. If they do, it's going to be electric! The thought of being left behind by a Silicon Valley start up is obviously in the back of traditional automakers minds.

 

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around what Millennials are supposedly doing...seems like the media is tail wagging the dog in this case.

 

Then again I can't imagine why someone wouldn't want a car (I get the cost factors...but still it was expensive when I was driving)...it was a rite of passage when I turned 17/18 years old. I guess its cool to be driven around by your parents at that age (and even after that!) now....

[fordmantpw]

These types of things offers/agreements will only work in certain areas. I think in a big college town, it could possibly work but it would need to be a 1 year lease. Overall, I am skeptical of this model working well. I don't want to pay for something and have to possibly worry about scheduling concerns, or how the other person treats the car so I don't get dinged financially.

 

Living in the Chicago area, Zip Car makes sense for a lot of folks. Zip Car does well too. I think this model works best for highly populated urban areas, if you are only going to drive under 20 hours a month, renting by the hour (@ avg of 12 bucks an hour) makes sense. You can get all different types of cars, vans and SUV's too. I went through a year period where I needed to get rid of my car. Zip Car made it possible for me to go get groceries and run my errands in times where public transportation can be a huge pain (bad weather, at night, PT dead zones).

 

In regards to Uber and Lyft, I actually think they break rules and undermine a lot of the laws the big cities have in regards to transportation services. These companies have played their hand well, and have basically screwed Taxi/Black Car companies that have followed protocol. By creating an App that can be used on phones (Millennials love apps), they gave an avenue for highly populated urban areas to completely automate have to get a taxi (or uber driver) with no personal interaction. This became a huge hit and people didn't care if those services where screwing the cab companies. They knew if they could exploit the laziness of cab companies (ie, not creating any sort of app or way to get a cable besides calling or hailing) and bypass the laws long enough that their would be hordes of people that use it/like it, where they would have a lobby to keep it. It also created a pseudo taxi service for less populated areas..

 

The media buzz for Uber/Lyft and Tesla for that matter is absurd and has created this paranoia for traditional car companies. Millennials aren't going to buy cars. If they do, it's going to be electric! The thought of being left behind by a Silicon Valley start up is obviously in the back of traditional automakers minds.

 

I guess I don't see the conspiracy of Uber/Lyft like you do. They saw a need and they filled it. Simple as that.

[rmc523]

I just don't understand the concept of owning a car that you then have to worry about scheduling conflicts to use it. But also here in south Florida, we don't have much of anything in the way of public transportation, and with everything so spread out (depending on where you need to go, etc), you need a car to get anywhere. I can't imagine the difficulty of having to schedule trips places with multiple other people.....I mean forget spur of the moment trips to the store or whatever.

[akirby]

These people use public transportation or bicycles most of the time - this shared vehicle would only be used part time for out of town trips or going to the store, etc. It would not be a daily driver.

 

My son has lived in North Seattle (Ballard - where the crab boats dock) for over 3 years without a car. He loves it. No gas, no insurance. He rides the bus or rides with his friend who does have a car.

[jcartwright99]

 

I guess I don't see the conspiracy of Uber/Lyft like you do. They saw a need and they filled it. Simple as that.

 

Skirting the rules, fees and taxes that taxi's and black cars have to abide by for essentially the same service is what I am talking about. Trying to create a gray area when there isn't one, when in reality they are a taxi service.

 

Imagine if you were taxi company in Chicago and paid 75k for a medalion (1 car), just for the opportunity to be highly regulated and taxed to be a taxi company. Uber comes in and says they aren't a taxi company, infiltrates your city, doesn't follow the rules and doesn't get taxed, All while you watch them take away your client base. That is essentially what happened. I am not defending the Taxi companies but what Uber and Lift did is wrong. Taxi companies played by the rules, only to watch a start up knowingly break them and ruin their market. Uber banked on cities bureaucracy and sloth like response to grow their client base while skirting all the rules and regulation that industry had.*

 

* You can put Tesla down in this category too to an extent with the recent NDA for safety fixes. Trying to circle around NHTSA, absurd!

Edited June 23, 2016 by jcartwright99

[fuzzymoomoo]

As a millennial, I'm getting really tired of society and the media telling me what I am doing/ how I live my life.

 

I buy cars. Always have, probably always will. New or used isn't a deal breaker to me as long as it fits my needs, but I prefer new.

 

I don't support Bernie Sanders, and tend to be more moderate to conservative in my political views

 

I have a job, show up every day and don't bitch about hard work. I don't expect ANYTHING to be handed to me.

 

I don't want to rent for the rest of my life, we are in the beginning stages of buying a house. Don't want to raise a child in an apartment.

 

 

I don't mean to rant, but a previous post in this thread really struck a nerve with me.

Edited June 23, 2016 by fuzzymoomoo

[fordmantpw]

 

Skirting the rules, fees and taxes that taxi's and black cars have to abide by for essentially the same service is what I am talking about. Trying to create a gray area when there isn't one, when in reality they are a taxi service.

 

Imagine if you were taxi company in Chicago and paid 75k for a medalion (1 car), just for the opportunity to be highly regulated and taxed to be a taxi company. Uber comes in and says they aren't a taxi company, infiltrates your city, doesn't follow the rules and doesn't get taxed, All while you watch them take away your client base. That is essentially what happened. I am not defending the Taxi companies but what Uber and Lift did is wrong. Taxi companies played by the rules, only to watch a start up knowingly break them and ruin their market. Uber banked on cities bureaucracy and sloth like response to grow their client base while skirting all the rules and regulation that industry had.*

 

* You can put Tesla down in this category too to an extent with the recent NDA for safety fixes. Trying to circle around NHTSA, absurd!

 

Sounds to me like the taxes and fees (and the cities' imposing them along with the bureaucracies) are the problem, not Uber and Lyft.

 

Did they knowingly break the rules, are did they just start offering this service and the rules came up later. Honestly, I would never expect the rules and fees and taxes and such that you mention. I wouldn't know the first thing about them if I didn't specifically research them. Of course, I live in a rural area where Uber, Lyft, taxis, and all public transportation are all nonexistent...

[jcartwright99]

As a millennial, I'm getting really tired of society and the media telling me what I am doing/ how I live my life.

 

I buy cars. Always have, probably always will. New or used isn't a deal breaker to me as long as it fits my needs, but I prefer new.

 

I don't support Bernie Sanders, and tend to be more moderate to conservative in my political views

 

I have a job, show up every day and don't bitch about hard work. I don't expect ANYTHING to be handed to me.

 

I don't want to rent for the rest of my life, we are in the beginning stages of buying a house. Don't want to raise a child in an apartment.

 

 

I don't mean to rant, but a previous post in this thread really struck a nerve with me.

 

Media....Media....Media. Period! Before Millennials, it was Gen X'rs are lazy slackers! Without going on a rant, because this is a car forum, I think a lot of this anti car buzz is done by media in NYC. Then it gets picked up by every news source/blog/social media and it's then called the gospel.

[silvrsvt]

 

Media....Media....Media. Period! Before Millennials, it was Gen X'rs are lazy slackers! Without going on a rant, because this is a car forum, I think a lot of this anti car buzz is done by media in NYC. Then it gets picked up by every news source/blog/social media and it's then called the gospel.

 

Eh not really...I live less than 40 miles from Manhattan and my one of my best friends lives in Hoboken right across the river...his wife works in the City and they still have (multiple) cars. You can get around by mass transit, but at the same time its sorta inconvenient even though we do have alot of mass transit options.

 

You can't beat having your own set of wheels to come and go as you please without depending on anyone else to do so.

[akirby]

As the father of two millenials - it's absolutely true but only for a subset of the population, not every millenial. Several of my children's friends didn't get licenses until they were 18 or 19 - unheard of in my day.

 

I do agree it's overblown when you look at the population as a whole though.

[fuzzymoomoo]

As the father of two millenials - it's absolutely true but only for a subset of the population, not every millenial. Several of my children's friends didn't get licenses until they were 18 or 19 - unheard of in my day.

 

I do agree it's overblown when you look at the population as a whole though.

You hit the nail on the head, it's a subset of us. My wife and I both had driver's licenses at 16, while my sister didn't get her's until 18 (she's 4 years younger than me) and my sister-in-law is 21 and still doesn't have hers. I owned my first car at 18 when my parents signed my car over to me, and I purchased my first car on my own dime at 19.

 

We have a trend in this country where we somehow view the minority of a group and view their trends or views as the majority. It's totally backwards.

[aneekr]

Ford Credit Link is only available in certain portions of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area in Texas, which has a population of approximately 2 million. While Greater Austin is one of the fastest growing regions in the USA, I'm not surprised at the tepid response to Ford Credit Link due to its geographic restriction.

[Extreme4x4]

You hit the nail on the head, it's a subset of us. My wife and I both had driver's licenses at 16, while my sister didn't get her's until 18 (she's 4 years younger than me) and my sister-in-law is 21 and still doesn't have hers. I owned my first car at 18 when my parents signed my car over to me, and I purchased my first car on my own dime at 19.

 

We have a trend in this country where we somehow view the minority of a group and view their trends or views as the majority. It's totally backwards.

 

In this day and age of instant media, whether correct or not, how are we surprised.

 

A few lunatics with a gun represent all gun owners

A few bad dog owners with dogs with strong jaws represents all large dog owners

A few millenials who have no desire to own a car, buy a house, or work hard represents all millenials

A few rude Trump supporters represents all Trump supporters

A few (relatively speaking) people who sponge off of welfare programs represents all welfare recipients

 

And on and on. The one thing I have learned from all of this is that many folks do not actually read much of anything. They look at headlines, the do not truly read the articles. If you read the articles, you would easily discover how they are click bait with few to no facts.................. or statistics that are skewed to present ones position as the absolute truth. The really sad part is that those who wish to push their agenda know how gullible the public is, and uses that to their advantage.

[akirby]

And if you believe one thing that's considered conservative then you're a gun toting gay hating Christian extremist trickle down economics republican. And if you believe another thing that's liberal then you're a heathen socialist.

 

WHERE ARE ALL THE MODERATES?????

 

Why can't we have a candidate who is fiscally conservative and socially liberal?

[probowler]

And if you believe one thing that's considered conservative then you're a gun toting gay hating Christian extremist trickle down economics republican. And if you believe another thing that's liberal then you're a heathen socialist.

 

WHERE ARE ALL THE MODERATES?????

 

Why can't we have a candidate who is fiscally conservative and socially liberal?

 

You mean like a libertarian?

 

Gary Johnson

 

[akirby]

Almost but not 100%.

[4d4evr-1]

there was a time, where everything that does now work, it did not work. dang liberals and academics and researchers and scientists, what is the world coming too?

[BORG]

The US/Canada has always thrived because of its young/immigrant population which keeps our economies and societies progressive and innovative. The moment we grow overwhelming nostalgic, regressive, and protectionist is the moment the country looses what made its founding so transformative.

 

As for owning a car, even Ford has admitted that it's going to be increasingly challenging for many people around the world to continue to afford cars as they get more expensive and ultimately less profitable for the companies. They have a long vision and although it's hard to see it right now, as soon as the trend starts it's very hard for companies to exist in a no-growth industry.

 

Certainly most Americans live in suburbs with very little mass transit so the car isn't going anywhere for decades to come for those people. But as younger people begin to live and work in urban centers, then you start seeing the stagnation of the 'sprawl' model of middle-class commuter living. Ford obviously sees a trend around the world, and to some extent in the US. So just remember Ford sees this future happening, even if we don't see it happening in our daily lives.

Edited June 26, 2016 by BORG

[RangerM]

And if you believe one thing that's considered conservative then you're a gun toting gay hating Christian extremist trickle down economics republican. And if you believe another thing that's liberal then you're a heathen socialist.

 

WHERE ARE ALL THE MODERATES?????

 

Why can't we have a candidate who is fiscally conservative and socially liberal?

The moderates are on each side. They'll tell you so themselves.

 

That said, your idea of what is "fiscally conservative and socially liberal" is (believe it or not) likely too broad, because conservatism requires restraint and recognition of boundaries and liberalism (as it's defined today) has very few.

 

 

Getting back to the topic of Millenials, I have several working for me. They ALL WANT CARS, but with 10s of 1000s in student loan debt, they have to put that on hold for now.