Kids care more about cellphones than acceleration

From "American Beauty":

Carolyn Burnham: Uh, whose car is that out front?
Lester Burnham: Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The car I've always wanted and now I have it. I rule!

Sorry, Lester, but that's old man talk. According to the Boston Globe, kids are more concerned about the features on their Blackberries than the latest Buick:

"I don't care what kind of car I drive as long as it runs and gets me to and from work," [20-yr. old] Michelle Gildea said.

And therein lies the latest nail in the automotive industry's coffin. Cars used to have a mystical aura of freedom and independence:

Now they're just a means of conveyance from point A to point B.

And the wheels that once lured young drivers - the sleek sports car, the muscle car, the used luxury sedan, the souped-up vintage jalopy - have been cast aside or priced out of reach for first-time buyers. It is a development industry analysts attribute in part to Toyota, the first major manufacturer to focus on quality and price instead of design and prestige. American automakers, in an effort to cut costs to stay competitive, followed suit.

These kids today with their "quality and price"consciousness! What's this world coming to?