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You Are What You Drive?

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Comments

  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    That's funny! My first car was a 1968 Buick Special Deluxe station wagon purchased in 1981. The Special Deluxe was a plainer version of the Skylark. It was an excellent car that was still running in 1992.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I just have a really hard time believing that anyone who has to borrow money to buy a car has a car that really describes their personality.

    As a finance guy - the accepted paradigm today is that you will have to borrow to buy a house and a car if you're an average American today. Everything else should be bought with available cash. So, I'm not sure that your premise would be correct, just because almost nobody pays cash for cars today, unless they're super-beaters. Credit also plays into this, I know.

    My first Lincoln - I paid for in cash. $33,000 or so. That cash depletion haunted me for 6 months and although I had the money, I vowed never again to put that kind of cash out on a depreciating asset. I buy appreciating assets, and lease depreciating assets. That way, I build equity, while paying for depreciation as I go. And that's fiscally sound, don't you think?

    So, what that ends up becoming is a bulge in the middle of the curve, where mid range cars are usually bought on time or leased, high end cars are usually leased or paid for in cash, because high end drivers often can pay cash. Low end new cars are usually financed.

    None of this has much to do with car selection though - people do tend to drive something that appeals to them, and that tells a story about them more often than not - even if it's economic. ie; you see more Hummers at a real-estate or title company office than you do SAturns.....and it's not because they can necessarily afford them. And they certainly don't pay cash.
  • kapbotkapbot Member Posts: 113
    I officially give up.

    I guess I assumed most people finance cars with a budget in mind. It is true that obtaining a loan is much different than being able to afford it.

    I know for a fact I could get approved for an auto loan close to twice what my car cost. That wouldn't be a good idea at my income level though.

    I suppose that does make me what I drive in a weird way.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Yep. And you can still get fairly low loan rates...so if you work at it, you can invest that money and make more than the interest on the car loan. Not to mention having that chunk of cash available is just a nice feeling, and that has to be worth something.
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    Hey, an excellent choice, using Firefox. I am now using SeaMonkey Beta 1.1 which has the FF engine running things, while adding the email client with auto-spelling checking, even while I type in this box. The Opera browser is also excellent.

    I guess I can't tell if you are pulling a leg or pissing on one via forum boards, as one has no facial expression or tone of voice to go by. My leg ain't wet, so I guess ya ain't pissin' on it.

    Saturn is going to get the Astra evidently. Those liking a hatchback, may have a pretty exciting looking sporty hatch for a fairly low price in the Saturn line. I am kinda liking that one and the Volvo 30 which is to come out later on down the road. I am only half sold on hatch though. While it is great to carry stuff, the road noise goes up. One of those trade off sorta things, no doubt. My PT at certain speeds can get a droning sound. Really cool for hauling stuff around town though.
    -Loren
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    Local dealer adds a pin stripping charge (real hand paint, they told me) and some security etching of numbers charge = there goes the no hassle pricing. Guess I could order one; which is exactly what I would do. Will at least test one some day, if I decide to stay with FWD cars. FWD is not really needed much on the coast of California. Yesterday it was between 78* and 82* depending on where reading were taken around the city area. Not expecting much snow :D
  • blckislandguyblckislandguy Member Posts: 1,150
    Maybe she's saving the haggle (and the fight) for Friday night when she is out with the "girls"?
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    when we bought my wife's escape, it came with window etching already done. i just said i'm not paying for that and the salesman said ok.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • highenderhighender Member Posts: 1,358
    smart move...

    we were less astute buyers 14 yrs ago, and paid $500 for the so called protection kit , window etchings, stickers, removable key fob to prevent hot wiring...totally un-needed items....a waste of good money...

    so now we know... :-)
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter is interested in talking with "baby boomers" about their relationships with the cars they have owned over the course of their lifetimes so far. Did you love or hate your first car? Did you do something especially fun with or in your car? Did you buy a modern Edsel you were later embarassed to admit you ever owned? How did your cars define your lifestyle and/or your personal image at a point in time? This is an opportunity to share your favorite car stories, boomers! Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than February 21, 2007 with your daytime contact information and a brief summary of the memory you care to share.
  • emineidemineid Member Posts: 2
    Hi,
    I have been following your posts on TTAC, and I am struck by the sheer brilliance of your comments.
    Very seldom do I come across writing that says to me, "This guy knows how the world runs."
    I read stuff on the internet all the time and it's just so rare to see something beyond the regurgitation of the usual stuff from the media, marketing people, and politicians.
    And my question to you is, why aren't the news outlets explaining to folks like me "how things really work" the way you seem to do so effortlessly.
    Do you think it's just that these reporters have to meet deadlines, don't have real-life experiences in any industries, aren't talking to the right people, just not interested in "how things really work," don't get paid for educating the public?
    As much as I like to blame the media for their bias and agenda, in the end they seem to be just doing their job. But that doesn't mean I learn much that is useful from them.
    Bottom line: Why is the mainstream media so crappy? Don't they talk to people like you?
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Dude, do you realize that you just posted a reply to an ancient post by a guy that hasn't logged on to Edmunds for over a year and a half?

    You might be interested in Al Gore's latest book though. He is a pretty boring writer, but the book (I forgot the title) deals largely with the mainstream media and how it panders to the lowest common denominator.

    To be on topic, let me say that I don't know what Al drives, but it should be an Insight (double meaning there). ;) Whereas, I drive a fine, 12 year old Toyota Tacoma V6, 5-spd. It has 210k miles on it. Still goes like a banshee and gets decent mileage. :shades:

  • emineidemineid Member Posts: 2
    Now, look here, "Oregon Boy,"

    I will make three points to you:

    1. I have some doubt that the Honda Insight or anything of its ilk is Al Gore's dominant mode of transportation.

    2. I am happy to hear that you have a satisfactory experience with your Toyota Tacoma, but I don't see how that is "on topic."

    3. I was aware that pch101 hasn't posted on this forum for a long time, but the TTAC forum doesn't seem to have a "reply" option, and I figured if he still has the same email account, this would be a way for him to receive my questions.
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Hi emineid,

    I intended no offense, just having fun. You are new around here, huh?

    Insight = greenest of green cars
    Gore = greenest of green polititians, who made an "insightful" film about global warming... It kinda wrecks a joke when you have to explain it, but I guess I was too obscure.

    As for my comment about what I drive, I am unsure why that is off topic in a forum called, "You are what you drive!?" As a side note, I bought my Toyota pickup when I lived in Tacoma. (It's true) On the dealer license-plate frame it says, "Tacoma Toyota" :P

    james
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    As a side note, I bought my Toyota pickup when I lived in Tacoma. (It's true) On the dealer license-plate frame it says, "Tacoma Toyota"

    That's pretty good.

    When I was a kid, the local Toyota dealer was owned (and named) after the Lunsford family. They used to put a sticker in the back window of the car with the dealership name. Some friends of ours bought a car from them and modified the sticker to read:

    FORD TOY
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    To be on topic, let me say that I don't know what Al drives,

    At last report - Al was personally driving a Black Lexus LS430 (among many other family owned vehicles, including a Suburban and other very non-green SUVs) which coincidentally happens to be what I drive. Now, that shames me greatly, because I consider myself to be the Anti-Gore - and to have him choose the same car I drive, given the topic, would make him a brother to me. (Don't get all biblical here please). I do not want to be associated in any way with Gore and his politics - but I do like my car. Rather, I think HE should be more ashamed to be driving what I drive, because I make no living off of panic mentality books or theories on global destruction. He is a hypocrite not to drive a Prius, CNG powered vehicle, or ride a bike wherever he goes. I OTOH, pretend not at all that my car damages the earth in any measurable degree, therefore the car fits me. It does not fit him.

    Still think you are what you drive; In my case it says I'm a Bank President. In Gore's case it says he's a liar........ Same car, two statements, both valid.
  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 22,562
    "...Still think you are what you drive..."

    I'm confused. I drive a Mitsu Eclipse which is a "girls" car. I also drive an old beat-up Ford PU which is "redneck manly". I'd say that maybe I'm a metrosexual but I have dirt under my fingernails and hair in all the wrong places.

    Also, I live in the northeast so I can't really be a redneck.

    Somebody help me, I'm so confused!!! :confuse: :cry:

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Are there hicks in NY? Or yokels? :P

    On the note of this thread, I have no idea what my cars make me.

    I have noticed that the "sport" model Toyotas tend to be driven by the least sporty people imaginable, including the 100-something year old man I saw yesterday in a Matrix XRS going 10 under the limit oblivious to the traffic around him.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    It means you don't care what you drive :blush:
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I'm confused. I drive a Mitsu Eclipse which is a "girls" car. I also drive an old beat-up Ford PU which is "redneck manly". I'd say that maybe I'm a metrosexual but I have dirt under my fingernails and hair in all the wrong places.

    Well it could be worse. At least you're just torn between two extremes. OTOH, I switch up between a '57 DeSoto, '67 Catalina, '68 Dart (okay, that one no longer runs and is hopefully soon outta here), a '76 LeMans, two '79 New Yorkers, an '85 Silverado, and a 2000 Intrepid.

    Oldfarmer, maybe you're just bi-polar, while I'm harboring multiple personalities. :P
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    We all have change ups, just like I wear a suit to work, but shorts on the weekend.....I drive the Lexus to work, but the old Suburban on the weekend....both convey a message, both are consistent with my life.

    Suit = Lexus
    Shorts = old Suburban, comfy, weekend...

    It all speaks quite consistently about my life.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    might your middle name be Sybil? ;)

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    I don't necessarily see an inconsistency in wearing different clothes for different occasions, or shoes, for that matter, so why not cars? Some of us also listen to different music, read a variety of material, take more than one type of vacation, play or watch different sports, have multiple pairs of glasses, etc., etc. That, by itself, doesn't make us confused, or odd, or suggest a personality disorder. It does tend to make it more difficult, maybe, to define people by what they drive, or don't drive.

    One common thread of your varied fleet, andre, is that you show a preference for vehicles that don't owe you much; they're all close to fully depreciated. Mine too. It would be annoying, and somewhat of a hassle, if one of our cars got stolen, or side swiped, say, but it would hardly be a disaster. Could it be that our choices suggest that we're risk averse, when it comes to cars, at least?

    As for Al Gore, I beleive he traded his fuel guzzling Lexus for a Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Given his celebrity status, his vehicle choices may have limited meaning, since he may get special deals to support his image, that aren't available to the rest of us.

    I think some people are what they drive, while others aren't.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...my daily driver cars are two extremes:

    2007 Cadillac DTS Performance - brand new, clean, immaculate.
    1988 Buick Park Avenue - very bad paint, a few small dents, but kept clean.

    Maybe I'm Jeckyll and Hyde?
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    First I'm delighted to hear that Gore is driving a Hybrid. Not only diminishes his hyprocrisy somewhat, but frees up my car to reflect my image better. :shades: Now, if he would just sell that mansion of his and buy 8 smaller houses like McCain...... :sick:

    Anyway, I'm not sure you are a Jeckyll/Hyde personality - as much as you are a new suit, and an old suit kind of guy. Now, if you had a different KIND of vehicle, rather than justs a new and an old Luxury car, THAT may make you schitzophrenic, like me.... ;)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    If the Buick gets dirty, maybe you are just the odd couple :P

    My cars...hmmm

    The E55 makes me a failed dot-commer who hasn't made any real money since 2002.

    The fintail makes me some kind of [non-permissible content removed] war criminal, trying to remain incognito...in 1964. Maybe some kind of lower level European mafia type too.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    The fintail makes you one of the bad guys in a James Bond movie.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Or a mean old German lady who wants to push Ashton Kutcher's rental car into a ravine because he threw a snowball at you. :P
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service, where Telly Savalas's gang has a red one for their car, until they roll it on an ice racing track, and it promptly bursts into flames.

    Now that I think of it, I can't think of any movie where a fintail plays a role greater than a background scene where it isn't associated with bad guys. Maybe that means I need to be more evil.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    actually show up on this movie poster. So I guess I could be a wanna-be street thug one day in the Catalina, and if I still had the Gran Fury I could be a wanna-be-cop the next day.
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Here's a famous fintail movie appearance: Marathon Man Road Rage

    I don't remember the movie well enough to say what kind of person the driver may have been, although I suspect that he was fintail's "[non-permissible content removed] war criminal, trying to remain incognito". :blush:

    james
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Yep, that's a great scene. I think the fintail driver was the brother of an old criminal who had stolen some kind of treasure during the war, or something like that. Probably one of the typical fintail demographics....maybe along with retired doctors (my car was originally owned by a doctor), old pilots, maybe some professors or scientists, etc.

    Hit a heating oil truck at 30mph and it explodes :confuse: ....but you get to see the crumple zones at work anyway.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Hit a heating oil truck at 30mph and it explodes

    I guess British physics are the same as Hollywood physics when it comes to car crashes...ANYTHING can explode!

    I think there's also a Hollywood law, at least with lower-budget movies, to film the same explosion from three different angles. Dunno if there's a British equivalent of that law.

    **Edit: oops, brain lapse. I got mixed up and was had James Bond on the brain when I typed that above, and not "Marathon Man".
  • pburiakpburiak Member Posts: 10
    I'm not sure what my cars say about me. My daily driver is a loaded 2006 Impala 3LT. One of my classics is a 1969 Chevelle Malibu convertible-red on red, with a black roof. It has rally wheels and white letter tires, but it's a bench seat, has an automatic on the column, and powered by a 350 2-barrel w/single exhaust. A nice, smooth cruiser, but not a "muscle car" by any means. My other classic is a 1972 Chevelle (base model, not Malibu) 4-door post sedan. 250 straight-6, powerglide, no power steering, no power brakes, rubber floor mats w/o carpet, dog dish hubcaps, and probably came with radio delete.

    The 1968-72 GM A-bodies are my favorite vehicles of all time, especially the convertibles, but I think they're all awesome. My other "fetish" as far as classics go are the "strippo" models from the 60's-70's-Biscayne, Ford Custom 500, base level Novas, Chevelles, Valiants, etc. I just like seeing how basic you could order a car back in the day, and how a la carte the options were-like how you could get a basic Biscayne but still get the hot big-block powertrain.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Another piece of Hollywood physics is that any crash on a highway must involve at least one car becoming airborne. I swear the James Bond fintail scene was on youtube, but I can't seem to find it.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Old stripper cars are somewhat interesting, for how stripped they can be.

    Back in the 90s my dad had a run of hobby cars, and he had a 68 Fairlane that was an odd mix. It had base hubcaps with no beauty rings, vinyl bench seat, manual steering and brakes, and a 3-on-the-tree...but it had a V8 and a AM radio.

    I find the really loaded cars of the period to be interesting too, when you start finding power windows/seats etc on a late 60s middle market car.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Shoot, a Chevrolet Caprice with every option is hardly less luxurious than a Cadillac of the same period. I'd take a loaded 1971 Chevrolet Caprice because it bears a strong resemblance to a 1969-70 Cadillac.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    The 71 Caprice was a beautiful car to be sure.....Actually, I like the 69 - 76 Chevy Impalas/Caprices a lot. They were tributes to the days when America was in charge of the world car market, design and dominating size. Those cars could seat 8 easily!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I like those big Chevies too. I think the one I'd really want would be a '72 Impala. My grandparents had one, a forest green 4-door hardtop with a white vinyl roof. I think I like the '72 so much because IMO, it was the cleanest looking of that generation. The '71 was nice too, but I don't like its more pretentious Cadillac-esque grille quite as much as I like the low, clean grille of the '72. Then the '73 got kind of fussy again, although I liked the '74-76 styles.

    I also really like the Buicks from that era. Nice clean, handsome smooth beasts. I don't find the Pontiac or Olds styling quite as attractive though. The Oldsmobiles got a bit fussy in their details some years, like the peaks over the headlights, and Pontiac had that retro thing going on with the narrow, tall grilles and peaked hoods, like they were trying to bring the late 30's kicking and screaming into the 70's.

    In contrast though, I didn't really care so much for those "fuselage" '69-73 Mopars. The styles with the hidden headlights, like the Imperial, and the sportier models were kinda cool, but in many cases they just looked fat. I thought the '74 Plymouth Fury and Dodge Monaco were beautiful looking cars, although they were a straight ripoff of a '71-72 Buick!
  • bumpybumpy Member Posts: 4,425
    Those cars could seat 8 easily!

    Three in the front seat, three in the back seat, and two ex-breathers in the trunk. :P
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    would something like a '71-76 Impala/Caprice be cumbersome to drive on a daily basis? I'm sure they would be for most people, but what about someone like me, who's accustomed to a '67 Catalina, '79 New Yorker, or '85 Silverado?

    I never really had a chance to drive a big GM car from that era, with the exception of a '75 LeSabre 4-door sedan that was for sale at a local car lot. Believe it or not, at the time I only had ONE car! A 1969 Dodge Dart GT that I had just repainted, and it looked really nice. So I wanted to get a "beater" to help preserve the Dart. Only problem was, they wanted more for this beater LeSabre than I had paid for the Dart!

    It didn't seem all that cumbersome back then, but that was also a long time ago.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Ask the man who owned one. I had a 1975 Cadillac Sedan DeVille four door hardtop and this is about as big as a passenger car ever got. They can be cumbersome on a lot of curves, but the ride is extremely smooth and nothing beats the way these cars just g-l-i-d-e down the block. You don't just pull up to the curb, but e-a-s-e on up to it. They are excellent cars to be seen in and to see yourself in. I often hoped I'd get stopped somewhere where there were a lot of store windows just so I could see my reflection in this sleek classy ride, especially when I had all four windows down.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    That was the motto of Packard Motor Co. until they folded. :)
  • davethecarnutdavethecarnut Member Posts: 248
    Oh yeah!!...Can you say COPO?
  • rightmoverightmove Member Posts: 9
    People call me something similar...
  • carthellcarthell Member Posts: 130
    My first car was a 2001 Sentra. I guess that paints me as an everyman who occasionally wanted a cheap thrill on the interstate ramps while saving at the pumps.

    When I lost the car, I briefly considered the Altima in 2003, which had just changed its styling to its current form. Again, the hot rod and practical sides of me were at war. The compromise came in the form of a red Aerio SX: It had more power, haul things as needed, could be (and still does, except for the color) be distinguished from every other vehicle in a parking lot, and had better room and seating positions than most compacts at the time (my sister has a 2001 Cavalier which, to me, feels like getting into a very low bathtub).

    "Is that a truck?" some people would ask.
    "Nope." Not much of the local (personal) market had discovered that it was possible to haul stuff at more than 21 mpg overall.

    Now, custom usually demands that I immediately swap the car for another brutal assault on my wallet for the next three to five years. I like having money, so I'll hold onto the vehicle until something non-replaceable and/or down-payment expensive breaks, forcing me to consider a new vehicle.

    If I were to pick a vehicle today, I think I'd go for the Mazda5. Practical and zoom-zoomy at the same time. Curse my dual nature!
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    I think many of us on Edmunds have a dual nature, if not a triple or quadruple one.
    There's not a car made that doesn't compromise some things, nor will there ever be one. That's one reason why many people have more than one vehicle, in addition to need.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I'm conflicted: I normally drive a Lexus for work because it's large, comfortable, will take clients in comfort, has navigation and bluetooth, very helpful tools in my trade. BUT, I just fell in love with, and acquired a Thunderbird (picture on Carspace) that I am really enjoying, in fact, haven't driven the Lexus since I got it. I know what it says about me, I'm nostalgic, ergo; old enough to remember the original Thunderbirds, and liked 'em, trying to capture my past in a car, and probably having a mid life (actually, it's too late for that) crisis.

    Do both cars together make me Schitzo-effective?
  • davethecarnutdavethecarnut Member Posts: 248
    Just effective. The Lexus is about clients or friends or family. The T-Bird is all about you. Roll with it.
    Wow...and I don't have a psychiatry degree!! ;)
  • boaz47boaz47 Member Posts: 2,747
    It would seem that in a good economy what you drive is more important than in a bad economy. When I see people driving anymore I just think, well at least they can afford to drive. ;)

    What my cars used to say about me is different than they would today. Today they say, "paid in full, got the pink." :shades:
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