What would you choose?

"This?" 

Hans texted a Marktplaats advertisement for a beautiful Volkswagen Eos to his girlfriend Vera.

He soon received a message back.

“Wow, nice car!”

“Shall I call to go and have a look?”

“Go ahead! I just don’t have time tonight. Can you make an appointment for Wednesday?”

Hans thought: Wednesday? I don't feel like waiting that long. I want that car! Someone might beat me to it and steal it from under my nose.

While he's thinking about what to do, his phone beeps again.

vera.

Also a link.

With an advertisement.

Same price: €6250.

“This is also possible”

It's an advertisement from a travel agency. A tour for 2 people through South America. For 6 weeks! Hans hesitates. Well, a tour through South America is something he always wanted to do. A life-time-experience.What should they choose?

The phone is beeping again.

“We’re not done yet with buying the car. It needs to be insured. Road tax. Maintenance and repairs. Parking, etc.”

Vera had a point. They could easily afford the purchase, they had saved up for it. But then? Apply for a parking permit, insurance. Go to the garage every now and then. Winter tires. Phew, in addition to the 6000 euros for the car, you still have to add up some things.

And do they really need the car? They live in the city center, station nearby. Catching a train is no problem. And if they go away for the weekend you can borrow a car or rent a car.

Are young people buying fewer cars?

“Young people buy fewer cars”

“Home ownership among young people is declining”

“Young people no longer worry about their car or driver's license”

Just a few headlines from the past few years. There seemed to be a trend from 2010 that fewer and fewer young people were buying their own car. Logical perhaps: since the crisis, young people have less security and less money to spend. Trend watchers quickly concluded that car sharing was on the rise. But since 2014, car ownership among young people has actually increased again. What trend can you detect in this?

A matter of money

It is logical that fewer cars are sold to young people if they have less to spend. If you ask young people why they do not have a car, the most common answer is that they do not have the money for one. Only 6% of young people surveyed in Belgium think that there are already too many cars on the road. You can read this in an article by Ethias: Young people do not leave their cars at home for environmental reasonsNot having a car is usually just a matter of money.

Car ownership in major cities has declined

Car ownership among young people has actually increased in recent years, and is now at the highest level ever. But that is an average. In the 4 major cities in the Netherlands, car ownership among young people has actually decreased slightly. And especially among people who are highly educated. They are more likely to choose to rent a car when they need it. Moreover, highly educated young people seem to prefer to spend their money on travelling instead of a nice car in front of their door. Download a study by VWE on the increased car ownership among young people here: whitepaper car ownership for young people

Abroad

The numbers in the Netherlands also differ from those abroad. In Germany and the US, a trend is visible that young people are less likely to buy a car. I read a nice article last weekend:

Why young people don't buy cars and apartments anymore

***

Hans doesn't call the seller on Marktplaats yet. He decides to first discuss with Vera what they will do. Both the car and the trip are very tempting, but neither is possible.

What would you do? The car or the trip? Fill in your answer below! Would you rather rent a car? A rent a car in Hoensbroek and surroundings can be found at Adrem.