Detroit’s problem: We don’t love driving.

Flipping through the usual Sunday morning fare when I stopped on The Chris Matthews Show as he wrapped things up. He posed the question “What it would take to help Detroit?” followed by asking each panel member what their favorite classic car was. When it’s his turn, he picks a ’57 Chevy, and suggests that Detroit’s problems will be cured once the youngest drivers in this country get interested in cars the way his generation did. In other words: We just don’t love cars anymore and have nothing to get excited about.

Hmmm. Not sure about that.

I remember every car I had as well as every car someone in my family had. Let’s see, I started out with a green ’71 Dodge Duster > brown ’73 Cutless Supreme > red ’81 Delta 88 > yellow ’68 Chevelle (with the 327 ‘Rat’) > blue ’84 Cavalier > red ’88 Cavalier > red ’91 Escort wagon > green ’94 VW Jetta > red ’95 Nissan Pathfinder > blue ’96 VW Jetta > black ’96 Jeep Cherokee > gray ’04 Kia Sorrento > gray ’04 Toyota Camry.

From muscle cars to Kias, they all led me to the Toyota I own now, a brand which I will likely buy again for many reasons. It’s the love for driving that brought me there after looking at a lot of cars, and it’s that love that tells my kids what they should be considering when it’s their turn to buy.

Sure, I may look at Ford or GM again, but really, the things I liked about cars when I first started driving have changed somewhat. Trust me, I still love to drive, I just don’t want to go broke doing it. I also want to be comfortable. A beater that breaks down when you’re younger is expected. As an adult, not so much.

Would it be nice to have a new Shelby GT? Hell yeah. Closest I came to pure balls-out Nirvana was my brothers ’68 Plymouth GTX with a 440, before street ‘modifications.’ Hit the gas and you were literally pinned back in your seat. (Just don’t try and corner with it.) My head’s just not in that place right now for several reasons though, (not the least of which are crowded highways).

I don’t think passion for driving is the issue here. You?