I use TikTok a lot and I like cars, so I see a lot of car content on the app. I’ll see anything from a guy listing all the ugliest cars ever made to a teenager showing off some kind of supercar to skits people have made of their cars “talking” to one another. There’s endless car content on there. However, some car enthusiasts are starting to see this as a problem.
Back in the day (or BTT: Before TikTok), most people were seeing car content on TV or in magazines. There were shows about restoring cars or selling cars at auction, articles about the latest top speed record or an interview with a car designer. There were also the movies, from Bullit to Fast & Furious, which made certain cars iconic. Hell, even Cars has become a catalyst for many current car enthusiasts to get into the hobby. Cars have always been a huge part of American culture, and the ways we have glimpsed them or watched them speed down a track have changed with every generation.
But for some reason, the car culture on TikTok has been treated quite differently. Rather than being applauded for diversifying car content and making it more accessible, many view TikTok as the destroyer of true car culture.
Has car culture changed?
My boyfriend and I are both longtime car enthusiasts who have enjoyed plenty of car content and attended many car shows. We decided to make the six-hour journey to Monterey Car Week last year, which looked like a more exclusive, refined car show experience, based on what I’ve seen online. The first few days felt like a dream. Cruising down 17-Mile Drive was an unforgettable experience, with supercars, classic cars, and modded cars alike all seeming to spawn in down the coastline. Anywhere we went — from restaurants to neighborhoods — had us randomly spotting the rarest and most exotic of cars.
But as the final day at Pebble Beach approached, the events became packed. Walking down the streets in Caramel By the Sea felt like I was in a rowdy high school field trip, with younger crowds flocking around supercars, filming themselves talking to influencers, and screaming and hollering as cars drove by. It became even tougher to get around at Supercars on Broadway. It was so difficult to maneuver around that we ended up leaving to hang out in a nearby town, where we watched a classic car parade. The tradition of hanging out at In ‘N Out was not an option: it was so crowded and rowdy that police had to shut it down.
I found myself asking, “Is this the car event that people keep yapping about?” It seemed pretty annoying, overcrowded, and obnoxious to me. However, I saw a lot of TikToks soon after discussing the very same thing. Many car enthusiasts noted the influx of crowds, including many younger folks, and lamented that the event “wasn’t the same.” Some said they wouldn’t even be coming back. The magic was gone. I felt pretty bummed that I hadn’t been able to attend Car Week back when it was the classy, laid-back event people claimed it was.
It seems a lot of car community OGs aren’t fans of all the new car “influencers” on YouTube and TikTok. Podcast bros claiming you can own your own Lamborghini just like them if you take their finance courses. YouTubers purposefully destroying expensive supercars for views. Twitch streamers getting arrested for running over their friends while they record themselves behind the wheel. Teenagers on TikTok renting expensive cars to make videos with their friends (they call this “larping” now). Older people may not like this stuff, but younger crowds are eating it up.
Certain cars have become known as “TikTok cars” — Lamborghinis, Porsche 911s, Toyota Supras, BMWs… People claim these cars are only trending because kids on TikTok keep hyping them up. Kids are obsessing over “car spotting” videos, where content creators stumble across JDMs and supercars while hanging out on certain streets or at car shows. Are these cars even cool anymore or are they just trending? Kids are obsessed with horsepower, top speed… A group of teenagers lost interest in my Lotus Elise when I told them the horsepower. I think they believed it was a supercar. Under 500 horsepower? Lame…
Have the days of appreciating cars ended? Is it all just about popularity, money, and speed now?
“Now I don’t think trust fund kids with expensive cars are new or anything like that, but it’s disingenuous to say that popular DIY car cultures from 20 years ago aren’t an extreme minority now compared to showing off factory high performance and luxury. Of course, social media platforms played heavily into this, and of course, both camps existed pre-internet,” said one enthusiast on Reddit.
“I find there are a lot of people at car meets who take out massive loans or finance over many years just to get a car that is hyped on TikTok and whatever other social media,” another said. “I honestly don’t know what to think of the car community anymore and it feels demotivating to even think about enjoying my car the way I like, just because I will get endless hate for it at the end of the day by someone who doesn’t even know what a fun car is and only cares about 0-60 and burble tunes.
“Whatever happened to people enjoying their cars because of the raw driving experience? What happened to the fun in going to car meets? What happened to car culture?”
Or is car culture saved?
I actually don’t dislike these TikTok kids at all. While I’m not a crowd person, I actually thought it was pretty cool that Car Week went from a “rich old man” event to a celebration of all kinds of cars and car enthusiasts. I’m not going to lie and say I love screaming teenage boys, but I think there’s something to be said about kids being excited about cars, even if they are “trending.” There’s something wholesome about teenagers waiting on a street corner, hoping to hear a Mustang rev or catch a glimpse of a rare supercar. It’s not like they’re hurting anyone.
I personally don’t think TikTok ruined car culture at all. I think it just made cars more accessible. Don’t lie and pretend you never hung up a poster of a Ferrari on your wall as a kid, ripped out of a magazine. Don’t pretend you never debated the top speed of a supercar after watching it get sold for millions at an auction on TV. We all loved fast supercars as kids; the content was just different. These TikTok kids will eventually turn 40, and they’ll probably be rolling their eyes at the thought of the 0 to 60 of some random electric hypercar.
As we get older, we just prefer practical cars or more nuanced performance. You don’t salivate over speed anymore. You don’t want to spend six figures on a car that will require thousands of dollars every time it needs an oil change. It’s impractical. It’s silly almost. These overpriced vehicles just sit in a garage all year, waiting to be taken to Car Week to get screamed at by a bunch of kids. We’re wondering which commuter car has the best fuel efficiency or which sports car has the best steering feel while driving through a canyon. Everyone has their own distinct taste as they get older, something about cars that excites them.
But we all started out as a moron building LEGO supercars and debating how fast Lightning McQueen could go in his prime.
We need these TikTok kids. We need them to keep car culture alive. I used to wonder who would keep all these classic cars safe once the boomers who own them pass away. It’s corny, but it made me sad to think about. Now, there are tons of kids that are passionate about classic cars because they saw some restoration video on TikTok or admire the Hudson Hornet’s mentorship. These classic cars will have plenty of support for decades to come.
So let them watch their dumb Lamborghini videos now. They’ll grow out of it.
