Close your eyes. Imagine your dream car. What color is it? Is it a sleek sports car? Is it a heavy duty pickup truck? What about the interior? Leather seats, perhaps? Fully loaded? The possibilities are endless. It is, after all, your dream car.
A car purchase is a huge investment. Some people spend the majority of their day driving. Many of us eagerly anticipate turning “sweet’ sixteen and getting a G1 permit, working part-time to save up money for that first car. A car gets us to work, gets us home – gets us to where we need to be, and for this reason, a car is immeasurably valuable!
When it comes to material possessions, we often choose those items that we believe reflect our personalities best. Through clothing, technology, homes and cars, we show the world who we are. At first thought, many may feel that the vehicle they own is purely practical. It gets them from point A to point B conveniently and that is what makes the vehicle valuable. However, the automotive industry provides us with a plethora of options that can be tailored to suit individual needs. Our vehicles say more about our personalities than we think and we take this into consideration when choosing one, whether it is consciously or subconsciously.
Judgment appears to be an integral and unavoidable part of society. People make assumptions about other individuals based on what they see, not what they know. The cars we drive are no exception. Imagine sitting at a traffic light when a fire engine red sports car pulls up to your right. You may assume this person is wealthy and takes pride in their material possessions. To your left you see a champagne colored minivan. Your first assumption may be that this person likely has a family, requiring a more spacious vehicle. The term “soccer mom” or “soccer dad” may come to mind. These stereotypes, though not always correct, are for the most part harmless and certainly not unfounded.
We tend to give cars a personality of their own. Describing them as feminine or masculine, aggressive or cute. Some cars appear aggressive and macho, like a Hummer H1 truck. Others appear “cute”; think of a Volkswagen Beetle. And in the same sense we create personalities for these vehicles, we also create them for their owners. You would be hard pressed to find someone who would assume that the driver of the huge Hummer H1 truck in a parking lot is a petite, blonde teenage girl. The same way you would be hard pressed to find someone who assumes the driver of the Beetle was a middle aged, former bodybuilder turned businessman.
Part of the reason for these assumptions are due largely in fact to how the automotive industry markets their products. Sports cars are often marketed as luxury cars – fast and pricey. So we assume that the buyers live a similar lifestyle. Compact cars are often depicted as environmentally friendly and affordable, allowing many to assume that the buyers may be economically conscious city dwellers.
Aside from judging others based on their preferred method of transportation, whether we realize it or not, the cars we purchase are making definite statements about our own traits and characteristics. Do you fall into the category with the owner of the fire engine red sports car we mentioned? It wouldn’t be a wild guess to assume that you’re confident and proud of who you are. Or perhaps you fall into the category of mini-van owners or SUVs…majority statistics show that you may be a suburbanite, likely having one or more children.
These assumptions even extend to color with red colored cars, full of energy and aggressiveness, being one of the most expensive to insure, while silver and white cars are generally seen as “calmer” and “cooler”. Vehicles truly say a lot about their owners. So before buying one, aside from all other factors considered including cost and visual appeal, what you really need to ask yourself is what is my car saying about me? Numerous polls have been taken and various statistics have been gathered to try and determine the correlation between the car and the assumptions that go along with it. There have even been studies in regards to which vehicle is most appealing to the opposite sex – unfortunately, the beloved mini-vans weren’t ranked highly on that list.
Ultimately, the only person who has a final say in vehicle choice is yourself – but remember, your car is not only a mode of transportation; it’s a statement. Whether you’re in the market for a new vehicle or happy with your current choice, it definitely doesn’t think to hurt about what you’re representing through your ride.
Top Choice Team
Here are the Top Choices in your city below:
Calgary
House of Cars - Top Used Car Dealership in Calgary
Winnipeg
Auto Gallery Of Winnipeg - Top Used Car Dealership in Winnipeg
Toronto
AUTORAMA - Top Used Car Dealership in Toronto
Bay Auto Zone - Top Pre-Owned Luxury Car Dealership in Toronto
Mississauga
Go Auto Dodge Mississauga - Top Car Dealership in Mississauga
Durham Region
Lexus of Lakeridge - Top Car Dealership in Durham Region
Houston
Shabana Motors - Top Used Car Dealership in Houston Texas
London
That Car Place - Top Used Car Dealership in London
