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10-10-2009, 05:59 PM | #1 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 181013
Join Date: May 2008
Location: ⛵⛵⛵⛵
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What Your Car Says About You
Education level, tech smarts and wealth are just a few traits your ride can convey.
Zack O'Malley Greenburg, Forbes Porsches smack of success. Hondas preach practicality. And, according to a recent report, Chevys proudly proclaim of their owners, "I don't use the Internet." Your car implies more about your life than you might think. While 13% of Chevy owners don't use the Web, by contrast, less than 3% of Honda owners remain in the technological Stone Age. The antithesis of flashy, Honda owners are usually pragmatic and well educated; 70% boast a college degree or higher, compared with 35% of Chevy owners and 45% of Ford owners. The data was released in the spring as part of this year's New Vehicle Experience Study by San Diego-based market research outfit Strategic Vision. "Honda buyers buy primarily for the trust and dependability they find in our vehicles," says Honda spokesman Chris Naughton. "Typically, highly functional vehicles deliver less image because customers didn't purchase for image." Education level and computer savvy are just a couple of the things your car says about you. We collected demographic data on 10 prominent auto brands from the manufacturers themselves, as well as from neutral sources like Strategic Vision. It turns out, your wheels also give clues to your age, gender, income level and marital status--even your political leanings. Mini Mindset If you'd like to cultivate an image of sophistication, try buying a Mini Cooper. The line of Lilliputian hatchbacks appeals to urbane buyers with median incomes of around $125,000. But aside from wealth, Mini owners are a tough bunch to pin down, demographically speaking, since the car has broad appeal. "It's a certain mindset," says Nathalie Bauers, spokeswoman for Mini USA. "People who relate to the brand, there's no age to that." Bauers says Mini owners fall into four categories: brand enthusiasts, who relish the car's British racing roots; design aficionados, who like the car's simple elegance; social butterflies, who want to be part of the Mini community; and gas misers, who crave the Mini's fuel efficiency. Some of the latter group trade down from trucks and SUVs not because they feel financially crunched by high gas prices, but because they want to be conscientious and reduce their impact on the environment. These "right-sizers" like the Mini's eco-friendly image; all Mini models get at least 34 miles per gallon on the highway. Says Bauers: "Many of our customers are people who get a smaller car because it's the right thing to do." Gray Area While Minis appeal to several different types of people, owners of the classic English luxury vehicle Rolls-Royce can't be pigeonholed beyond the fact that they're rich. "As you can imagine, our customers do not really take surveys," says Rolls-Royce spokeswoman Karen Vonder Meulen. "The one common thread that all our customers share is a passion for life and most truly love cars." Indeed, well-known Rolls owners range from royal families to rappers. Recording artist T-Pain, who ranks No. 9 on Forbes' Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, owns North America's first Rolls-Royce Drophead.The fire-engine-red coupe boasts a 12-cylinder, 453-horsepower engine and a top speed of 150 miles per hour. Base price: $435,000. Similarly, the Bentley trademark screams wealth--typically at least $5 million in investable assets, to be precise--but in a softer voice than some of its competitors. "Our cars aren't as brash as some other performance-car manufacturers," says Stuart McCullough, a Bentley board member. "We tend to be understated, quintessentially English. That reflects the mood and style of our customers." Such restraint can be considered especially important in the current climate. With unemployment rates skyrocketing around the world, many auto enthusiasts would rather drive an understated gray Bentley than a flashy red Ferrari. "The most opulent part of a Bentley is on the inside," says McCullough. "Rich people are very aware of how others see them at the moment, the choices they make. Now is not the right time to be seen to be spending money when you're laying people off at your factory." A note to those wealthy employers: Think twice about splurging on even an understated new car. If you see scads of Hondas in your company parking lot, their savvy owners may be wise to your ways. If you only see Chevys, you might be able to get away with it.
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10-10-2009, 06:10 PM | #2 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 7887
Join Date: Jun 2001
Vehicle:2023 Tangerine 2023 3 Cylinder |
Hopefully I'm not judged by the interesting folks over at VWvortex. My GTI is on stock wheels, struts, and springs, so they probably don't claim me.
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10-10-2009, 09:49 PM | #3 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 92634
Join Date: Aug 2005
Chapter/Region:
RMIC
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)
My Piaggio MP3 probably tells the world that I'm a nerd. |
10-10-2009, 11:54 PM | #4 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 4562
Join Date: Feb 2001
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Auburn, WA
Vehicle:2014 Electric Datsun 2005 Adventure van |
My Forester tells the world that I love women........
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10-11-2009, 12:08 AM | #5 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 232
Join Date: Sep 1999
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Ft Wayne, IN
Vehicle:99 RS-T RIP 02 Forster-S |
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10-11-2009, 12:24 AM | #6 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 7887
Join Date: Jun 2001
Vehicle:2023 Tangerine 2023 3 Cylinder |
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10-11-2009, 11:35 PM | #7 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 20931
Join Date: Jul 2002
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: MN
Vehicle:09 Subaru |
I care nothing about the "image" my Honda Fit projects. I bought it for its practicality, frugality and exceptional interior packaging. So I guess I do fit into the "antithesis of flashy" category.
Don't know what the Subaru owners are supposed to represent. I guess that depends on which Subaru they own. If it is the STI, then it would project a certain image versus a Tribeca owner and so on. |
10-12-2009, 12:42 AM | #8 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 67807
Join Date: Aug 2004
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
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Mine says that I read "Stuff White People Like" as if it were my Bible...
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10-12-2009, 10:52 AM | #9 | |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 935
Join Date: Feb 2000
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: ಠ_ಠ Chicago
Vehicle:Will Woollard Fan Club |
Quote:
I must be an idiot since I'm still mulling selling a five year old Subaru and buying a 20 year old Volvo. |
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10-12-2009, 10:57 AM | #10 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 9481
Join Date: Aug 2001
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: FFR Challenge #43
Vehicle:1832 Steam Buggy Wood |
My collection of cars tells the world I have mutliple personality disorder.
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10-12-2009, 11:04 AM | #11 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 120152
Join Date: Jul 2006
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Indy
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Mine might say, "Asian racer/ricer wannabe white boy" (though, my car doesn't look like rice, it does have a hoodscoop...ZOMG!).
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10-12-2009, 11:34 PM | #12 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 8489
Join Date: Jul 2001
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: Atherton, CA
Vehicle:2005 Carrera GT Guards |
Obviously, I am a pretentious prich!
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10-13-2009, 02:31 AM | #13 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 199947
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Saabaru.
Mine says that I drive a car that they'd never heard of. |
10-13-2009, 07:11 AM | #14 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 2137
Join Date: Aug 2000
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: CT, USA -what am I doing here?
Vehicle:a 6spd Manual Acura |
i drive a yellow car ... I guess i'm a "man child"
I do get some wack looks from people... oh well |
10-13-2009, 08:08 AM | #15 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 110330
Join Date: Mar 2006
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: https://www.must-stash-it.com
Vehicle:2004 996TT 2018 SQ5 |
My choices say "bad decisions and fiscal irresponsibility"
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10-13-2009, 08:19 AM | #16 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 151420
Join Date: Jun 2007
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: Eatontown, NJ
Vehicle:93 Version 4-3 7/8 Quartz metallic grey son! |
I thought I felt my IQ drop slightly when I switched to a Honda from a Subaru. Then I got another Subaru and I ended up finding 2 jobs when the economy really started failing. Thank god it wasn't the Contour I was lookin at. =P
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01-04-2011, 01:22 AM | #17 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 268699
Join Date: Dec 2010
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: San Antonio, TX
Vehicle:2005 STI Silver/Silver |
My car says "I wanna go fast."
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01-04-2011, 03:57 AM | #18 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 101457
Join Date: Nov 2005
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Vehicle:Czar of Sweet Dance Moves |
Holy random and - as far as I can tell - pointless thread bump, Batman.
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01-04-2011, 04:11 AM | #19 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 73805
Join Date: Nov 2004
Vehicle:24 TypeS ZO6 White |
He is also a new Member..
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01-04-2011, 08:35 AM | #20 | |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 41218
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: North Idaho
Vehicle:2022 EV6 Wind AWD 2019 Ascent Touring |
True, but I got to laugh again at
Quote:
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01-04-2011, 09:13 AM | #21 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 44501
Join Date: Oct 2003
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Yeah, well, you know
Vehicle:that 's, like, your alternate facts, man. |
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01-04-2011, 10:06 AM | #22 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 198376
Join Date: Dec 2008
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: Delaware
Vehicle:23 RAM 1500 diesel BMW ///M4 23' C8 23' |
Mini buyers are slaves to fashion. No real other reason to buy one.
Why pay an STI price for a tiny cute car with horrendous torque steer that can be crushed by any SUV or truck. Sitting in the back seat leaves you open to instantly getting destroyed by even a minor rear impact. I had a JCW and it was not even fun to drive imho. It is in base for cute economical transportation that is ez to park in cities. |
01-04-2011, 10:50 AM | #23 | |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 4934
Join Date: Mar 2001
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: LITH, IL
Vehicle:2007 White STI LTD Grey Mazda 5 |
Quote:
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01-04-2011, 10:55 AM | #24 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 11316
Join Date: Oct 2001
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: Long Island, NY
Vehicle:1988 E30S52 DD S14VQ35 & S13KA racecarzz |
My STi with gold winter Rotas must convey that I'm either someone with horrible taste or GANGSTA YO!
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01-04-2011, 11:11 AM | #25 |
*** Banned ***
Member#: 24038
Join Date: Sep 2002
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: Godspeed Cale...
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E46 M3, Black (well, dirty), tinted windows (came that way), front and rear tow-hooks in (city parking aids), a few dents and a deep "keying" scratch on one front fender.
255s all around on 4 OE rear wheels (aka waayyy too much offset up front). What say you? |
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