You people leave alone those "nonworking free spending set" you people sought and worked so hard to keep. They didn't become that way after they landed on their feet. I like to see those casual set continue what they do and leave jobs for those singles or attached who needed to work for a living. Although I can't stand some of those people I saw, but we should be thankful for the "nonworking free spending set" for their contributions to the economy.
Yes, we should all respect and coddle those who are born or married lucky, and pretend they did something for their gold while looking down their nose at others. Thankful? Seriously? Must be a cultural difference. And maybe if we lower their tax burdens more, it will all trickle down to everyone else. I'll get to work on that after my evening appointment with the Easter Bunny
I wonder which vehicles have the highest amount of drivers (not owners) who have never held actual jobs. I bet Lexus has at least one high ranking model...
"I bet Lexus has at least one high ranking model."
I imagine all luxury brands do.
Some people are born with better looks, physical abilities, IQ, personality or character traits, or longevity genes. Some are also fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. Should our society or culture try to compensate for these factors?
I think the RX might outrank them all, for a certain demographic. But, the competitors score highly too. Arguably Toyota's greatest highline home run - even more significant than the LS - the frilly pseudo-SUV RX.
This society seems to worship those factors, no compensation needed.
I don't know. I see no less conservative (at least lifestyle, maybe not politically) older men in LS than I do in the big Germans. But, when someone hits it big and is under room temperature in age, that's seldom the type of car they rush out to buy. The Euros tend to be flashier, and that's what new money wants. Really, there's probably no significant brand preference in old vs new money, but there might be for the layabout spouses of the moderately affluent.
I remember reading an article about millionaires, and the most common brand mentioned as being owned was Ford.
I think new rich may be more likely to be insecure and latch to an established brand name for validation. They're the "safe" choice to make to be accepted.
fin doesn't like the RX so selective attention is the norm, but I don't see how or why it would have a higher number of the trophy wife demographic than an ML, XC60, RDX, X3, Evoque, etc.
If anything I'm guessing the Evoque is the one most likely parked outside a costmetic surgery office.
fin doesn't like the RX so selective attention is the norm, but I don't see how or why it would have a higher number of the trophy wife demographic than an ML, XC60, RDX, X3, Evoque, etc.
What I typically see in an RX is a mother with a couple of kids running errands or a business professional driving to work.
Of people I know personally that own RX's, we have the following:
A housekeeper who bought it used and whose husband drives a used Highlander
An eye doctor with a healthy practice whose husband drives a beat up Pilot
A self made property developer whose other car is a 15 yo BMW convertible.
None of them are flashy or need to flaunt wealth. Maybe it's a New England thing.
Depends on what you like, too many variables to make a recommendation for someone I don't really know.
I will just say this - buy what you like, and you only live once. Also, thanks to suicidal economic and trade policies, these are the good old days, so live a little :shades:
Evoque is too new to have the numbers and around here, the layabout set loves the RR sport and the normal boat, X5 would be the X3, Volvo is too discreet...however, ML (and GL) is way up there, MDX can be too. Might be a regional thing too. People at my workplace even make jokes about the local women in their Lexus pretend SUVs.
Or simply maybe seeing fire where there's smoke? Assumptions might not have a 100% accuracy rate, but they tend to be more right than wrong, and are good for saving time. If someone is offended...well, too bad for them.
TV isn't reality (and the beltway is kind of a fantasy world too). I suspect the layabout set sees the RX as less showy than a big Euro. But then it assumes a new identity.
I don't know if property development is something one can get into without some kind of help.
In his case started by buying a row house in one of the then less fashionable Boston neighborhoods in 1980. Renovated and sold for a profit. Bought another - same result. Continued buying row houses, multi-family, empty lots, et al and developing them. Got lucky in that the areas he develops in have gentrified. Took a break on his big projects (150 unit developments) and waited for market recovery.
He still goes to each job everyday. Wears work boots, Dickies and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Now lives in a leafy Boston western suburb but only because his wife hated her commute 40 miles west of the city.
Check the Car Commercials thread, M-B actually targets the type of female you claim (trophy wife, kept women, cosmetic surgery patient) drives the RX in their GLK ads. I shared two real-world examples.
Apparently Mercedes' consumer research showed them who is buying their cars.
I'm not saying you'll never see an RX in the patient parking lot, just that I don't see why it's always being singled out by you and by lemko.
Maybe it is desperation to win the sales race, and in that, they are just going directly for the demographic. It will either work perfectly, or backfire by offending that set.
Or at least on perceptions. Not even the real layabouts want to be shown as such. They are real hardworking housewives, even with a maid and a nanny :shades:
So some luck, and who knows what was used to start out.
You're boiling it down to luck and insinuation?
Why can't you accept that someone could have the cajones to put everything they own on the line to build a successful business? It's a lot easier to criticize those that have done so than it is to actually do it yourself.
Polk tracks who buys what using demographic information. I mostly recall seeing brand preferences by gender. They must have model specific data though.
Why should you care what I insinuate? It's not you, right?
It's also pretty much takes money to make money, and it is tough to accept whine or lectures from boomers who were able to make their gold in a much less competitive environment. I can't count the amount I know of locally who have made a little money in real estate by buying in back when wages to mortgages were in a completely different relationship. And then they act like hard working financial geniuses. Family help for down payments and tuition doesn't hurt either.
I wondered if anyone would pick up on that angle. What's the percentage? Something like 80% - 85% of new car purchases are influenced by women. And they buy 52% of them. (Forbes)
Would probably need to be broken down into marrieds vs singles too - as it seems when the ring is placed on, the better half takes the lead in such decisions. Even if someone else is paying.
I'm so cheap I'd still be driving the '82 Tercel if I had my way (whaddya know, an almost topical post in a Toyota thread). But until she took early retirement, my wife always made more money than me anyway, so I wasn't about to argue too hard.
I had no problem whatsoever when wifey was on a roll and making more than me, in fact I can call those "the good old days". Much tougher for her to find freelance work now.
Feast or famine.
It's not uncommon to see women as the primary bread maker around here. When we had a toddler play group with 5 kids, 2 of the parents were male.
Mmmm, getting back on topic, she's OK with driving the wheels off the Sienna, pretty much.
"Toyota's sales fell 7% to 121,937 vehicles in September, with its upscale Lexus brand posting a drop of 34% to 3,792."
Not to mention "The country's auto industry also faces a gloomy outlook in China as a result of anti-Japanese sentiment stemming from a territorial dispute." (WSJ)
The stock is down ~$6 in the last couple of weeks.
Comments
I wonder which vehicles have the highest amount of drivers (not owners) who have never held actual jobs. I bet Lexus has at least one high ranking model...
I imagine all luxury brands do.
Some people are born with better looks, physical abilities, IQ, personality or character traits, or longevity genes. Some are also fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. Should our society or culture try to compensate for these factors?
This society seems to worship those factors, no compensation needed.
New money would more likely go to the Lexus store. Whether they worked hard, got lucky, or a something else, who knows.
We have a saying in Brazil:
Poor father, bad luck.
Poor father-in-law, stupidity.
I think new rich may be more likely to be insecure and latch to an established brand name for validation. They're the "safe" choice to make to be accepted.
fin doesn't like the RX so selective attention is the norm, but I don't see how or why it would have a higher number of the trophy wife demographic than an ML, XC60, RDX, X3, Evoque, etc.
If anything I'm guessing the Evoque is the one most likely parked outside a costmetic surgery office.
What I typically see in an RX is a mother with a couple of kids running errands or a business professional driving to work.
Of people I know personally that own RX's, we have the following:
A housekeeper who bought it used and whose husband drives a used Highlander
An eye doctor with a healthy practice whose husband drives a beat up Pilot
A self made property developer whose other car is a 15 yo BMW convertible.
None of them are flashy or need to flaunt wealth. Maybe it's a New England thing.
I will just say this - buy what you like, and you only live once. Also, thanks to suicidal economic and trade policies, these are the good old days, so live a little :shades:
I don't know if property development is something one can get into without some kind of help. But that's for another forum, I suppose.
Another friend owned one works for MD Public TV, he's basically John Davis's boss, from MotorWeek. Replaced it with a Highlander Hybrid.
The latter is funny because he has access to the Motorweek fleet, so he brings all sorts of cool cars home, including the Alfa Romeo 8c. :shades:
Stereotypes and assumptions aside, those are the RX owners I know.
How many households are single income nowadays? Even in Potomac most households are dual income.
Dr. Rey from Dr. 90210 had a Porsche and his trophy wife had a Benz GL.
All the Kardashians (sp?) drive european cars, too.
Hef's kept women also - european cars.
TV isn't reality (and the beltway is kind of a fantasy world too). I suspect the layabout set sees the RX as less showy than a big Euro. But then it assumes a new identity.
At least go to the cosmetic center parking lot and survey all the cars. :P
Or show us some solid demographic data, then at least there's something to discuss besides those assumptions.
There's an aesthetic fitness center adjacent to my building. It's a parking lot of RX/ML/X5 along with some Audi wagons.
The "data" you pine for doesn't exist. It is all anecdotal. If someone doesn't like it, they are free to ignore it. They have no other recourse.
In his case started by buying a row house in one of the then less fashionable Boston neighborhoods in 1980. Renovated and sold for a profit. Bought another - same result. Continued buying row houses, multi-family, empty lots, et al and developing them. Got lucky in that the areas he develops in have gentrified. Took a break on his big projects (150 unit developments) and waited for market recovery.
He still goes to each job everyday. Wears work boots, Dickies and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Now lives in a leafy Boston western suburb but only because his wife hated her commute 40 miles west of the city.
Apparently Mercedes' consumer research showed them who is buying their cars.
I'm not saying you'll never see an RX in the patient parking lot, just that I don't see why it's always being singled out by you and by lemko.
Maybe the lack of ability to admit the truth makes the product seem pretentious.
You don't have to answer, we already know. :P
It's more than a little ironic, you gotta admit.
You're boiling it down to luck and insinuation?
Why can't you accept that someone could have the cajones to put everything they own on the line to build a successful business? It's a lot easier to criticize those that have done so than it is to actually do it yourself.
Inside Line did a blurb not that long ago.
The List: 10 Models with the Highest Proportion of Female Buyers
Does Gender Affect What Cars We Buy? (WSJ)
It gets more interesting when you look at luxury cars, although this link is out of date.
Luxury Cars most preferred by Women (Gizmodiva)
And a pdf where the C Class makes the list in Chicago for both genders. (chicagobusiness.com)
On a related note, Ferrari/Maserati/Porsche appear first in that 2nd article for the opposite reason.
Wonder what that PDF is measuring? Can't be gender ownership, of course.
It's also pretty much takes money to make money, and it is tough to accept whine or lectures from boomers who were able to make their gold in a much less competitive environment. I can't count the amount I know of locally who have made a little money in real estate by buying in back when wages to mortgages were in a completely different relationship. And then they act like hard working financial geniuses. Family help for down payments and tuition doesn't hurt either.
Luck luck luck.
Feast or famine.
It's not uncommon to see women as the primary bread maker around here. When we had a toddler play group with 5 kids, 2 of the parents were male.
Mmmm, getting back on topic, she's OK with driving the wheels off the Sienna, pretty much.
Encore, Encore! (get it?)
Avalon is the favorite Buick of many folks. Ironically it's more American than some Buicks are (Regal is German, Encore is Korean).
They're really on a roll.
"Toyota's sales fell 7% to 121,937 vehicles in September, with its upscale Lexus brand posting a drop of 34% to 3,792."
Not to mention "The country's auto industry also faces a gloomy outlook in China as a result of anti-Japanese sentiment stemming from a territorial dispute." (WSJ)
The stock is down ~$6 in the last couple of weeks.
Could end up being a good thing - we should less fewer cheap copy cats of Japanese cars there.
Uninhabitable but full of natural gas and the waters around it with potential for oil.
I'm sure someone hit oil a few miles under your house just now.
That whole "dispute" is a weak ruse to cover local developmental issues in China.