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You Are What You Drive?
hpmctorque
Member Posts: 4,600
in General
True or false, and why.
In an earlier time it was said that Buicks were popular with doctors, Cadillacs were favored over Lincolns by the nouveau rich, those who placed a higher priority on engineering over flash drove Chryslers, college professors liked Volvos and MGs, and counter-culture types bombed around in VW buses. More recently, the new VW Bug has been labeled a chick car, the Mazda Miata is frequently driven by girlie-men, Hummers are the ride of choice of macho guys (or macho wannabes), and, well, you get the point. Are these largely urban legends, or can you indeed improve the odds of guessing the type of person in the lane next to you by checking out the vehicle that he/she drives?
In an earlier time it was said that Buicks were popular with doctors, Cadillacs were favored over Lincolns by the nouveau rich, those who placed a higher priority on engineering over flash drove Chryslers, college professors liked Volvos and MGs, and counter-culture types bombed around in VW buses. More recently, the new VW Bug has been labeled a chick car, the Mazda Miata is frequently driven by girlie-men, Hummers are the ride of choice of macho guys (or macho wannabes), and, well, you get the point. Are these largely urban legends, or can you indeed improve the odds of guessing the type of person in the lane next to you by checking out the vehicle that he/she drives?
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Those cars tend to be good at something, but are popular for a totally different reason. Like the Miata and Mini being cute in addition to driving well, and BMWs being good cars but also prestigious.
But yeah, I make assumptions. Especially if the car's parked and I see what kind of transmission it has. I just try to force myself to be skeptical of my first thought.
I'm willing to forgive a lot/not stereotype as much if the vehicle in question has a manual transmission.
Base Mustang V6 coupes with automatics are often derided as "secretary's cars"...but if I see one with a 5 spd, it makes me forget that and think the owner is a genuine enthusiast, just on a budget.
But, if you are so tight and demanding that you can't even be bothered to purchase anything currently on the market and you drive a gift junker that does not say anything about who you are except that it is not expensive, well, maybe not.
At least, that is the case with me. My car is old and worthless but it is fully loaded with every optional nonsense that I would never dream of buying and is a full size. It still looks very good and somewhat expensive. It is almost entirely antithetical to my value system and is one of the models that I would be least likely to purchase If I had to make a purchase.
But, it was free, and that overrides a lot!
Lessee, we have my...
1985 Silverado, to satisfy my inner redneck
2000 Intrepid, to display my conservative working stiff side, I guess? One of my buddys said it also screams "family"
1979 New Yorker, for when I'm feeling pimpy and need to slap mah ho's
1976 LeMans, for when I feel like putting on some gold chains, unbuttoning my shirt to show off my chest hairs (I'd have to glue some on!), and heading out to the local disco for retro saturday nite
1967 Catalina convertible, I dunno...my inner beach bum? It's kind of a good car to take to the beach
1968 Dart, I have no idea what personality that would reflect...back when it was primer black and had the amp in it, it looked kinda rough and thuggy
1957 DeSoto...gawd only knows what type of personality this would reflect.
So, multiple personality disorder? Or just a well-rounded individual? :shades:
Hmmm....what would the fintail express...that I am a low level 60s cold war spy or the descendant of 90 year old retired doctor from Beverly Hills (where the car lived when new) who is taking it out for a spin.
The W126 expressed that I am a lower level drug runner with car-cleanliness OCD or the descendant of a 70 year old retired doctor taking the car out for a spin.
The C43 expresses that I am...I don't really know...a MB enthusiast, yeah.
My Odyssey: I LOVE my family. No doubt about it.
My Civic: I just want something that gets me from A to B cheaply and affordably.
My Infiniti I35: hmmm... this is a tough one to put in few words... Maybe a middle aged boomer who's finally reached affluence?
Funny how they say professors like Volvos and Saabs. I am a professor and none of my collegues drive Volvos or Saabs. I've only had 1 colleague ever own a Swedish car, and she was an Accounting professor who bought Saab after Saab. (she bought a new 2002 9-3 SE hatchback in 2002)
Here if you drive a Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, or Town Car you are either old, a highway patrolman, or a banker. Suburbans are always driven by soccer moms, but anyone might drive an Expedition. A really old pickup is almost always a farmer, a compact pickup is almost always a young man between 16 and 25, however, anyone is liable to get out of a newer full-sized pickup. And if you exclude work trucks, you will see about as many women as men driving F-350 King Ranch Duallies.
While I'm not sure that you are what you drive, I do believe that what you drive says something about who you are and what your values are.
I agree.
Rocky
Rocky
And I have noticed that on Sundays when he goes to his turkey shoots (that's just what they call them...they shoot paper targets and not real critters) that he does drive his truck. Maybe he's afraid all the other good ol' boys will laugh and call him names? :shades:
My uncle has a habit of buying something else almost the moment that he gets his current ride paid off, and I think he paid off his Corolla recently. I know the car probably seems out of character for me too, but I did ask him if I could have first dibs on it when the time comes, instead of him just trading it in. It's not a car I'd want to take a long trip in, but for local running around I could deal with it.
I interpret Rock's comment as meaning that if your Corolla is the "S" (sport) model, you're fun to be with. If it's one of the other trim levels, however, then, well, ummm, you may be a bit socially challenged, or insecure, or both...or neither...depending on whether one is indeed what one drives.
The Corolla S though...I don't get it.
Well I can also see why alot of drivers use a car strictly as an appliance and care less about trim levels to express there character. I however couldn't imagine many people in this edmunds forum being a part of that crowd. :shades:
Rocky
For example, my wife drives a 2000 Corolla, but she really wants a small SUV, which is something a lot of women without children want to drive. Once they have children, they want a larger SUV, though many choose to be more practical and buy a minivan.
Myself, I at the ripe age of 39, drive a 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis LSE. I had an old 94 Grand Marquis as a beater that I loved so much that I bought a newer one last September. I get crap from a lot of people for the car, but once they ride in it for a while, they love it.
Sadly, once the children arrive, we will probably switch cars.
I agree with this statement. I *wish* that I was currently driving a new Mustang GT like my buddy. However, my buddy will *wish* that he had put as much money into his retirement accounts as I currently do when we both reach the age of 55 instead of having paid a $650/month car payment and gaining very little equity on a 30 year mortgage like he is currently doing.
I like to think it makes me look like a cool, Steve Mcqueen sort, but I know it's also one of the conveyances of choice for the "hot-headed road jerk" set (esp. once your model is no longer the current one...think about what you envision when you see a 1980s Fox Body Mustang with the 4 inch cowl hood and primer-color body parts...)
Still, not as bad as a Camaro or a Firebird I suppose... :P
2005 Buick LaCrosse CXL
2002 Cadillac Seville STS
2001 Chevrolet Impala base model
1989 Cadillac Brougham
1988 Buick Electra Park Avenue
As far as I feel, it says nothing more than we like GM cars - especially Buicks and Cadillacs. We are not older people. I'm 40 and she's 39.
If you choose to be prudent and buy a car that you can comfortably afford rather than stretch your budget - that says something about you. Positive in my opinion. No one ever jumped off a bridge or had a heart attack because they had too little personal debt or saved too much.
You ought to send that post to GM. I'm sure they could use a little Holiday Cheer, given their current condition.
w00t, I'm a miser.
You're right, because then what you drive is the result of your decision-making process. The only problem is that we were trying to make assumptions about people just based on one sight of their car. Which, of course, doesn't work.
Incidentally, I saw a Miata and a 3-series convertible with hardtops this weekend, and my immediate reaction was "they must be more serious about driving." Dunno why, but there it was.
What I would like is Chevy Tornado/Montana being sold in the Latin American countries.
Yeah...you can definitely add this one to my "Wouldn't be caught dead in" list.
But then where are the kids going to ride? On the luggage rack?
Seriously though, if my wife told me she'd rather have a van than the SUV we're currently drivng, the Odyssey would be at the top of my list. We have a couple of friends who own them, and I could see going on vacation in it or driving the family to church on Sunday. Day to day I can drive my old pickup.
But what the Ody says to me is that you've probably got kids and quality is important to you. Granted I have heard of a few problems with the Ody, but if our friend Barbara's van can survive her kids, it's tougher than that Dodge Ram from Twister.
It's a shame to see that Pops was such a swingin' dude with his 'Fro, gold chains, Eleganza duds, platform shoes, and Chess King leather coat back in the '70s driving his flashy disco van with three foxy babes in the back. Today, we see him as balding, potbellied, bespectacled, emasculated shell driving his dull soccermommy minivan to pick up Moms at the Whole Foods today.
Almost any minivan will make a decent car for a road trip. Roomy interior, plenty of creature comforts (DVD entertainment anyone?) and somewhat decent fuel economy.
We like cars for how the drive, hold stuff etc. We also like cars for how they make us feel and because we like to think of ourselves as someone who owns an XXX. That's the fashion side of cars as identity.
Some of us buy into that more than others.
The teenager who has a car that is given to them by their parents could be used as an example, I suppose.
Most people, the vast majority, choose their own rig. Unless, of course, you're talking about husband and wife battling over which car they should buy. Most couples have more than one car, but a battle could ensue over who should get the new rig they (or one of them) want.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Meanwhile you tell others "I am grouping myself together with others of like mind. Driving is not to us what it is to you. We are special. So ha!"
Something like that. That's why so many people scoff at the idea of buying a minivan. They don't want to be perceived as... what they really are. Because we all wish we were part of something more exciting, even if we go along with what's practical and what authority figures tell us we should do (get a job, get married, buy a house, have 2.5 kids, save up for their college and your retirement).
Most people belong to a couple of groups they're responsible to (workplace and family), and if they're lucky, recreational groups (sports fans, poker friends, etc). Buy a niche vehicle, and for two hours a day you belong to another recreational group. You don't know any of your groupmates, but for the time you're commuting you're not an office employee, nor a dad; you're an enthusiast. "Look at me I'm not a cog in the machine at the moment!"