Baby boomer car shoppers have been called out. A recent video on social media is singling out the generation for being out of step and behind the times when it comes to new cars.
The teasing spoof, posted on Tuesday by New York state-based Williams Auto Group (@williamsautogroup) pokes fun at boomer quirks, such as wondering where the car’s CD player is hidden.
The popular video has already received over 512,800 views and counting.
Boomer car shoppers have issues
In the video, one of the group’s employees, who is decidedly not a boomer himself, poses as an older customer. Starting at the finance desk, he makes a series of seemingly age-specific complaints and demands.
“I pay with cash! I don’t trust the banks,” he exclaims, as another employee fills out forms.
Proceeding to a new Honda SUV’s interior, the “customer’s” complaints focus on now-standard twenty-first-century features.
“No touch screen! I just want a car that drives,” he continues. “Where’s the built-in CD player? I need to listen to my Eagles CDs.”
“I don’t want a car with safety features. Why is it slowing down? I don’t like the way the steering wheel shakes either!” he says.
He then stands over the Honda’s engine. Noting the many plastic (and sealed) parts, he grumbles, “I want a vehicle that I can tinker around with the engine. All this plastic here, I can’t do anything.”
Back in the passenger cabin, he gesticulates wildly and complains, “I don’t need a car that talks [to] me. I just need it to play the radio.”
Ironically, the car’s built-in digital assistant then begins to play the radio.
What boomers really need
Millennials are now the largest demographic group in the United States and have been for roughly half a decade now, according to Statista.
While boomer buying power is still a force to be reckoned with, they’re eclipsed by their grandchildren in the market. They also have a perceived reluctance to adopt new tech, making the generation an easy target for the barbs of frustrated car dealers.
However, Forbes notes that as drivers 65 and over continue to age, they may soon come to appreciate new features that make their driving experience easier.
“Seniors are almost twice as likely to die in car crashes than drivers aged 55 to 64,” the article notes, but “a long list of features available in today’s fleet of new vehicles can help keep those with declining abilities stay behind the wheel for an extended period.”
Some of these features include backup cameras, heads-up displays, self-parking systems, navigation features, auto-centering, and auto-braking.
These “advanced safety systems … can help motorists – especially those with diminished vision and/or reduced reaction times – avoid getting into a collision.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Honda via email for a statement.
@williamsautogroup IYKYK #BoomerCarShopping #BoomerCarGoals #ClassicCarVibes #BoomerCarVibes #BoomerApproved #BoomerCarBuyers #OldSchoolStyle #CarsForTheBoomers #RelatableCarContent #Dealership #TEAMWilliams #FastSimpleFun ♬ original sound – Williams Auto Group
What the viewers think
While the video was intended to poke fun at Boomers, many younger viewers found themselves agreeing with the fictional customer.
“I guess I am a 29-year-old boomer. I agree with bout 85% of these,” Tanner Atkinson (@tanneratkinson0) commented.
Another viewer wrote, “Most of these are completely valid.”
One viewer noted, “Touch screen for the heat and a/c is horrible though. We want knobs.”
“GenX here. I hate all the plastic covers, moon roofs, and even some of the annoying safety features. And whoever invented auto start/stop needs to find a new job,” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Williams Auto Group via email and TikTok messenger for further statement.
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