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Issue Date: October 20, 2002
Psychology
In
this article:
 What your car says about you
What color drives you?
The car you drive
A silver SUV broadcasts a very different message from a green sedan. Can you see it?
By Kathleen McCleary
It's a notion as old as the chariot: Like it or not, what you drive sends a message to the world.
In today's information age, you can now find out what your car says about you on Internet joke sites (example: Volvo 740 Wagon = "I'm very frightened of my wife") or get your "Car-O-Scope" from NPR "CarTalk" gurus Tom and Ray Magliozzi (example: "You're a bit too 'touchy-feely' for a Passat; consider a BMW 328i instead").
"I've spent my entire adult life amazed by the way in which people judge others based on the auto they drive," says Michael Marsden, a pop culture expert and Eastern Kentucky University professor who has taught a course on "The Automobile in American Society" for years. (He drives a 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer.) "The auto is perceived as an extension of ourselves."
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It's true in the movies, too:
In next month's James Bond film, "Die Another Day", Halle Berry's character drives a coral Thunderbird convertible. It's meant to telegraph her personality: "sexy, but tough as nails ... very strong, very elegant, with a sense of humor," says a Ford spokesman. The Bond image is so juicy that Ford paid to put all key characters in brands it owns. Bond drives an Aston Martin Vanquish; the villain, a Jaguar XKR. A Land Rover and old Ford Fairlane play roles, too.
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Consider: Your typical professional athlete could easily tool around town in, say, a $16,000 Honda Accord. It would meet all transportation needs. But it doesn't say "Money! Power! Success!" like a Cadillac Escalade (starting price: $54,000; NBA star Jalen Rose's customized one cost more than $120,000).
The definition of success in American society, Marsden says, is "a stable of autos," like the 47 Porsches owned by Jerry Seinfeld, or Jay Leno's 85 vehicles (he favors Corvettes and Lamborghinis). Indeed, the image our cars convey is so important that a recent poll found people are more concerned about what car they drive to their high school reunion (52%) than whether they're married at the time of the reunion (44%).
But just because you drive a Toyota Camry doesn't mean it's the ultimate expression of the Inner You. We don't all make pro-athlete salaries, after all. "You are what you drive, but there are some real basic requirements people look at first," says Lonnie Miller of R.L. Polk & Co., which collects data on auto registrations. People in small and midsize cars are most concerned with reliability and price, he says; large-car buyers want comfort. It's not until you get to the luxury and sport categories that prestige is an issue. Consider key factors in buying:
-- Location. Domestic cars sell best in the Midwest, where most are made; convertibles are hot in Florida and California. But there are inexplicable links: Sports cars are more likely near a coast (East, West or Gulf), Miller says, while minivans sell best in Chicago. Chevrolet Suburbans rule in Texas.
-- Cost. A recent J.D. Power and Associates study found potential buyers reject a specific model because of a too-high price or monthly payment. So people find their type of car at their price. If you must have a sports car but can't afford a Jaguar ($59,975 for the XJ sport sedan), you'll keep shopping till you find a sports car you can afford, even if it's a $16,000 Hyundai Tiburon.
-- Your stage in life. Sedans are the best-selling cars, reflecting the need to drive families in a safe, cost-effective vehicle. Light trucks (SUVs and smaller pickups) are now selling even better than cars because they haul what people of many ages need, from a 20-something surfer dude to a silver-haired gardener. Minivans, the stereotypical soccer mom-mobile, are hugely popular among the elderly, because they're easy to get into and out of, have good cargo capacity and drive like a car.
-- Sex. Women, who make 52% of new car purchases, prize safety and reliability above all. They are also more practical about cost. "When men buy a car, the question is, 'Should I spend $25,000 or $45,000?' When women buy a car, they ask, 'Should I spend $25,000, or should I spend $18,000 and put $7,000 into a new kitchen?' " says Sandra Kinsler of womanmotorist.com.
Don't give the intellect too much credit. "Why do people commit themselves to years of debt for something that instantly depreciates and will get dented?" Marsden asks. "A car is an emotional high."
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What you're telling people
If you drive this TYPE of vehicle ...
Sports car: You're a CEO (or a wanna-be). You're not tied down (one passenger only). You like to push the envelope, in work and life. The message, says Courtney Caldwell of "American Woman Road & Travel" magazine: "I'm young, I'm virile, I'm sexy, I have money."
Sedan: You're supportive, reliable, dependable and practical. You're one of the pack: The best-selling cars of 2001 were sedans (No.1, Honda Accord; No. 2, Toyota Camry; No. 3, Ford Taurus).
SUV: You like to be in control and somewhat set apart. In an SUV you're "isolated from the road, above it," says pop culture expert Michael Marsden. "And you probably have a super sound system. So you're in a cocoon, well insulated. You've arrived at a level of success in which you don't have to deal with the world."
Pickup truck: You're independent. If you're a woman, you're busy, active, hip and athletic.
Compact: Vivacious, fun and spunky is one image; poor and just out of college is another. At any rate, you give off an aura that says youth, frugality and verve. Compacts such as the Ford Focus and Honda Civic are huge with "tuners" -- young buyers who beef up their cars with powerful engines and accessories.
Minivan: You're controlled by other forces in your life (most likely, kids and pets). A minivan says: "It's OK when juice boxes explode in here. We'll beat the living daylights out of this thing and have it for eight years and hope we don't need another one," says Sandra Kinsler of womanmotorist.com.
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The color that drives you
Red: You're assertive (or aggressive) and strong.
Yellow: It screams "Look at me!" -- which is why you don't see it on family sedans. It's for sporty SUVs and expensive sports cars, in which it also says, "I'm so rich I don't care what you think" (example, a $50,370 Corvette convertible).
Orange: You're on top of the trends. Orange (in many variations) is a key new color in 2003. GM has "sunset orange metallic" pickups; Mercedes-Benz offers a "paprika metallic" C-Class sports coupe.
Silver: You ooze class. The No. 1 car color (it passed white for the first time in 2001), silver represents speed, power and success -- which is why it's the favorite color of baby boomers (ages 38 to 56).
White: A longtime favorite and the color of rental cars. People under 65 in a white car like to blend in. For the elderly, white harks back to the elegance and wealth of the 1920s.
Black: Power/aggression sums it up. The top choice for ages 24 to 37 and one of the top colors targeted by thieves (along with red).
Blue (medium or dark): You're conservative, middle of the road. Blue always seems to be No. 5 or 6 on lists of the top 10 car colors.
Green (medium or dark): See blue, above, and add a touch of environmentalism.
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