TO THE EDITOR:
I can vouch for the important issues aptly noted in "Debt-saddled buyers lean on Mom, Dad" (autonews.com, March 10), mostly the purchase of a far-too-expensive vehicle with a 72-, 84- or 96-month loan term and the fact that Mom or Dad likely co-signed for it. When warranties run out, needed repairs stay untouched most of the time. I see cars with two or three warning lights illuminated; the owner inquires but defers the fix until "next visit."
Today's cars are like a drug — they mesmerize and incapacitate the rational brain; the lust to own accompanied by the dopamine release makes lookers into instant buyers. Mom and Dad are the facilitators of these purchases and are frequently paying all or part of the repairs. But I can guarantee that Mom and Dad will not step up a second time and sign up for umpteen months of worry. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times: "Your next car will be one you can afford!"
Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler better get busy developing well-built, small, gasoline-powered cars that get excellent mileage because that's what young people will buy once the dopamine surges are long past and the pain of overdue payments — and repair bills — can be forgotten. A simple, durable and efficient vehicle is all that will be wanted, likely not a state-of-the-art electric vehicle if Mom and Dad have anything to do with it.
A.M. deLANGE, Reisterstown, Md. The writer is a former oil company engineer who now is an independent provider of vehicle servicing.
