Ask Dr. Helen: Are Hybrid Owners All That…?
Today, instead of taking a question from a reader, I have my own question I have been toying with as of late. Do our choices in cars really reflect our true personality traits? I wondered about this after reading a “psychographic profile” of hybrid-car owners that found the following:
… people who drive hybrid cars are 78% more likely than the general population to be highly creative. … That is, they are inventive and imaginative and also tend to be emotionally sensitive and intellectually curious. …
They tend to be more open-minded, more spontaneous, and more assured of their ability to lead others, the Mindset Media found.
According to JD Power, hybrid buyers and potential hybrid buyers tend to read magazines as such as The New Yorker, Sunset and Wired and are likely to watch cable television channels such as CNN and CNN Headline News.
And naturally, most hybrid owners turn out to be — shock, progressive types — those bastions of openness and creativity (just don’t mention Fox News or Limbaugh around them or they’ll break out in a rant about censoring these idiots). Before I comment on this hooey, let’s first start with the obvious — what the heck is a psychographic profile? Apparently, it is a fancy name for a profile done by the company mentioned above, Mindset Media, on various products to find out what types of characteristics people who buy that particular product have or don’t have. For example:
People with high self-esteem are more likely to drink premium coffee. Altruists floss more, and deliberate people pay off their credit cards more regularly. Pragmatists like minivans, but station wagons appeal more to spontaneous types. And highly open people buy organic foods at nearly three times the rate of the general population.
Do you ever wonder if some of these tests are just geared towards making people feel “good” about themselves, particularly if they have what are considered “progressive traits” so that it will reinforce their buying habits, adding to those who smugly go around feeling that they are “saving the world?” The bias in some of these tests is fairly obvious, as pointed out by this commenter:
Before hybrid owners break their arms patting themselves on the back, they should be aware of a couple of things about these “studies”. While there is no reason to doubt the honesty of the J. D. Powers study, it is simply another example of the old truism: only the wealthy can afford liberalism. Though the percentages would differ, you’d no doubt see a similar pattern if you polled for “luxury vehicle” instead of “hybrid vehicle”. If and when hybrid vehicles begin to cost about the same as conventional vehicles, such a study might prove interesting.
As for the “psychographic profile”, using the title “Low Dogmatism” for the category of people who “disdain so-called moral authorities, especially the conservative kind” is a dishonesty sufficient to justify ignoring it as OBVIOUSLY biased.
Good point, I wonder how and if the personality of these owners will change as the price falls on hybrids so that more people can afford them? And why is it that the bigger the car, the more likely it is to be assigned with a negative personality style? For example, this article entitled “Auto ego: What your car says about your personality” states:
“The Hummer screams the need for power and control and domination over all others,” says consumer psychologist Charles Kenny of the research firm The Right Brain People in Cordova, Tenn. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger loves the Hummer. It’s Kenny’s opinion, based on Democratic presidential hopeful and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s personality, that Clinton would “love to drive” one.
“If there is a boss car on the road, the best one to fulfill the need for power is the Hummer,” Kenny says. “It fits her to a T.”Doug Brauner, of ESPN’s “Autotrader.com DRIVE” and owner of Car Czar auto-repair centers in Citrus Heights and Sacramento, differs in his assessment of Hummer owners.
“Overcompensating, you lack a certain amount of self-esteem in certain areas,” he says of those who buy Hummers. “I don’t want to begrudge our governor, but there’s an empty card in your soul if you drive these things.”
Yep, one’s choice of car makes them an empty soul if it doesn’t jive with progressive dogma — even Hillary Clinton is fair game because she is not always seen as a true progressive — and certainly Schwarzenegger deserves a dig because, despite evidence to the contrary, he is a Republican. And why is it that you have high self-esteem if you buy premium coffee but low self esteem if you buy a Hummer? Are you starting to see a trend here? Are Starbucks liberals who drive hybrids the only ones with any consistently positive traits?
I drive a Mercedes C230. It’s their bottom of the line car that I bought because I love the service at Mercedes. My husband drives a hybrid and while he is “all that,” he doesn’t really fit the profile of the “typical” hybrid owner. I don’t really see the car as a reflection of my personality but maybe I’m missing something.
Do you think cars really reflect people’s personality traits? What car do you drive and is the brand and model consistent with your personality traits?
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If you have a question you would like answered, please leave it below or email me at askdrhelen@hotmail.com. Your questions may be edited for length and clarity. Please note that your first name only or no name at all will be used to identify your question – if you want me to use your name, tell me, otherwise you will be referred to by your first name or as “a reader” etc. And of course, if any women have experience dealing with this type of money issue, please comment also.
Helen Smith is a psychologist specializing in forensic issues in Knoxville, Tennessee and blogs at drhelen.blogspot.com. This advice column is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not purport to replace therapy or psychological treatment.
I live in Texas and I drive a truck! I’m a girly girl who’s never changed a tire; every time I think I’ll have to one of our famous troglodyte rednecks pulls up and does it for me before I can get the jack out. I’ve driven a truck since the early 90s. Many liberals, some who I thought were friends, have judged me quite harshly for this “sin.” My strong sense is that they associate trucks with masculinity–as do I!–and that, of course, is bad.
It strikes me that this survey, like so many others of a similar vein, can best be described in a one word scatological reference to bovine manure. It signifies yet another instance of attempting to brow beat the public into doing what the “progressives” think is right, reality notwithstanding.
L.,
I always toy with the idea of driving a big truck–something I’ve wanted since I was a teen, yet I drive a small Mercedes —people sometimes stereotype me for it but then when I open my mouth and they hear that I sound like a trucker, they often wonder why I drive such a small and cute little car.
I drive a Nissan Maxima, a few years old. It has a relatively bullet proof V-6 that is dependable and has passing power and on ramp capability. It cruises at 75 all day, effortlessly.
To improve economy and longevity, I use a K&N air filter, synthetic engine oil and synthetic transmission fluid. An apple a day.
Work requires long trips via automobile on a relatively regular basis. On interstate trips, that combination gives me 5 miles per gallon over the published mileage specs. And I can go longer between fluid changes.
But I do wish it had a hemi in it.
That environmentalleader article-study sounds like a replay of the study of last year that found ‘progressives’ to be all-things better than conservatives.
You know, I find it kind of funny that Rush Limbaugh gets under your collective PJ Media skins so easily and so much. Really, what is it about him that bothers you so much? If you don’t like him, tune him out. But this incessant and gratuitous name calling makes PJ Media look rather childish.
Besides, hybrids don’t really do anything to save the planet. A Prius doesn’t really get much better gas mileage than a Corolla. I know this well, having driven both extensively. The main difference is that you paid almost $30k for an underpowered Corolla when you bought the Prius.
The larger hybrids (Highlander, Escape, Accord, etc.) don’t really get better gas mileage. They have better performance than the base 4-cylinder engine without the bigger engine.
Now to the real ecological cost. There’s a lot more computer gear in these hybrids, which making this stuff is surely less friendly. Then the real problem comes in – the batteries. Ask the folks in Canada what Toyota’s battery plant has done for the environment. How about battery disposal? In not too many years, the initial Prius owners will have to start replacing these. What happens to the environment with those in the landfills?
Once again, the so-called “progressives” had a knee-jerk reaction to a problem with a poorly thought-out solution.
“Do you ever wonder if some of these tests are just geared towards making people feel “good” about themselves,”
Nothing new here.
It seems that this study is an attempt to give liberal prejudices the gloss of scientific respectability. It’s a step toward politicizing every decision you make, from which car you prefer to what comfort food you like. “Psychographic profiles” puts a friendly scientific face on a totalitarian mindset, which wishes to control everything we do. It’s akin to Wahhabi fatwas which instruct the true believers what to do in every facet of their lives or Nazi eugenics which explained which mate was best for you.
I drive a BMW SUV (X5) and while waiting in line at a private Catholic school to pick up my son I listen to Rush Limbaugh. Then I drive home to my gated community take my son to tennis practice or golf or piano. I am a Neanderthal with a regressive outlook who is impatient, intolerant and misguided. But I do have a wine cellar and enjoy popping a Billecart-Salmon from time to time. I also read the New Yorker but mainly for the cartoons. I prefer Golf Digest, Commentary and Popular Mechanics. So, analyze that!
My true personality drives a Maserati. My married with children and a mortgage personality drives a Civic. Then again, maybe my true personality just grew up and realized I ought to save money for college tuitions….sigh.
I’ve got an H2 Hummer and a hybrid. What does that say about me? It says I have a long commute to work during the week and I haul my boat on the weekends. And that’s all it says about me.
I’m a country music lover who’s voting for McCain. I also read Wired and my next car is going to be a hydrid – or something like it. So I must be a hybrid too. Actually, I’ve just got common sense.
I drive a pickup truck. I like trucks. Always have– the Dodge line in particular. (A friend of mine who is a volunteer firefighter had a RAM and had nothing but praise for it. I reckon if it’s good enough for him it’s good enough for me.)
The current model is a four-door Dakota, which we bought because we needed someplace to put a carseat (the law frowns upon using bungee cords to hold a child down in the bed.) It’s more car-ish than I’d prefer, but I still like it.
According to the lifestyle article linked above, this makes me the devil (The CEO of Walmart drives an F150)
The Missus drives an Element, which sort of looks like a Humm-vee washed in very hot water. Does that mean she has very small inadequacy issues? Or does she only want to rule the world a little, tiny bit?
Cars are cars, nothing more. You might as well psychoanalyze people based on what kinds of socks they wear. (Hanes work socks, which either means I have delusions of being Michael Jordan’s roadie, or I like the extra cushion in the toe.)
Steve hit it. These “studies” are just like eugenics and frenetics and any other bastardized Darwinian theory.
You know, I find it kind of funny that Rush Limbaugh gets under your collective PJ Media skins so easily and so much. Really, what is it about him that bothers you so much? If you don’t like him, tune him out. But this incessant and gratuitous name calling makes PJ Media look rather childish.
Huh?
I think your choice of cars can certainly reflect your self-image. Especially since cars are, and always have been, sold on “personality”. Some of the earliest advertisements are car ads associating a class-linked image with the car, such as this one:
1920 Packard Roadster Ad
I bet that car selection is multidetermined and idiosyncratic in nature. Some people buy a hybrid because they want to pollute less, some do it to get a date, some do it because they fell for the advertising, etc. There are many reasons that one individual person might want a particular car, and the decisions is likely not based on one single idea or motivation.
Trey
Choice of car is often a device for signalling to others who we are. In our upscale, heavily academic neighborhood, the Prius is a sign of virtue. One recent new owner even attached a Kerry/Edwards sticker to it so everyone would know she had had the right sentiments in 2004! Sometimes the Prius is an atonement for the long-standing SUV, which is retained.
Choice of car is often a device for signalling to others who we are. In our upscale, heavily academic neighborhood, the Prius is a sign of virtue. One recent new owner even attached a Kerry/Edwards sticker to it so everyone would know she had had the right sentiments in 2004! Sometimes the Prius is an atonement for the long-standing SUV, which is retained.
Well, I think we can conclude that the original study is pretty much liberal back-patting. I’m surprised they didn’t report that hybrid owners have bigger genitalia to boot.
OTOH, there is a good question here that has been asked for decades: What does your choice in cars say about you? IMHO, your choice in cars is a reflection of your personality, but it’s an imperfect reflection. There are so many other factors involved in that selection that the usefulness of a car choice is limited.
The obvious factor is (as pointed out in the article) financial situation. A Ferrari might be the perfect reflection of my personality, but you’ll never see that reflection because I can’t afford one. What about cars that double as work vehicles? Real estate agents who have to drive clients around? Restaurant owners? Postal workers? Just about any small business will see the personal car put to business use.
In essence, I think the choice in vehicles is reflective of a person’s situation, with a little of their personality thrown in. It is not a reflection of their personality with a little situation in the mix.
In any case, the hybrid market is still a small fraction of the market. If you’re interested, you can read JD Powers & Assoc. press release on the report, which is quite different than the Euroweenie Lea… er, Environmental Leader.
Oh, and I drive a Prius. Love the car, but I can’t stand the environmentangalists.
TO: Dr. Helen
RE: The Car(e)s We Drive
When the Rabbit ['84 VW Diesel] died in ’00, we already had one 4-door Nissan Stanza, i.e., sedan. We figured one was enough so we went looking for something a bit more fun. We wound up with a ’97 Toyota Celica convertible. We tricked it out with MP3 stereo and remote control security that would allow us to raise the roof from a mile away [given line-of-sight] if it started to rain.
The other-as in third-’car’ was a gift from the folks from five years earlier; an ’82 Jeep Scrambler, i.e., short-bed pickup truck.
In ’02, the Nissan threw it’s timing chain and wrecked the engine beyond economical repair.
We have not bought a replacement as we can only drive two of these things at a time. Furthermore, if we need a sedan we can borrow the folks Jeep Cherokee.
I’m not wealthy or ego-centric enough to worry overly much about what other people think of me, based on what I drive.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[My other car is an IFV. -- Bumper sticker popular on Fort Carson, home of the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)]
C-class Benz? You’d _better_ love their service, you’re definitely gonna take advantage of it pretty often
(I have a MB 300SDL, back when they built cars as if cost was no object, and Lexus didn’t exist… 426,000+ miles and going…)
Sometimes a car is just a car.
I’m a Fox News-watching, Republican NRA instructor who thinks that future generations will look at “anthropogenic global warming” the same way we now look at theories that the earth is flat and that the sun orbits the earth. I traded in my Volvo for a hybrid because I have a 60 mile 1-way commute and it pisses me off to send any more money to the Middle East than I absolutely have to, not because I disdain so-called moral authorities, especially the conservative kind.
What a ridiculous survey – garbage in, garbage out.
mishu–I think D. misunderstood Dr. Helen’s passing remark about Limbaugh Fox News and Limbaugh as “idiots”.
Psychographics are something we in marketing have known about for a while. They are completely worthless as they are self reported. People will answer the survey questions with the answer they ‘think’ will cast them in the best light, not with the answer that most accurately reflects their true self. Of course not everyone does this, but enough do to make any characterizations from psychographics meaningless.
Just like the self reporting of psychographics, the whole “hybrid” issue is simply a matter of appearances. I saw a report last year comparing the Prius to the Civic hybrid. Both cars are comparable in all respects, expect sales. It was suggested that the reason the Prius outsells the Civic hybrid (by a lot) is because the Civic hybrid looks exactly like it’s non-hybrid brother. People want other to know they are driving a hybrid, hence they purchase the car that by its very image tells the world they’re driving one.
And by the way, I work at a fair sized advertising agency (80 people), and fully a third of us drive SUV’s. Yet somehow we still manage to be creative.
…people who drive hybrid cars are 78% more likely than the general population to be highly creative…
Sounds like the message from a fortune cookie served at hybrid car dealerships….with green tea, of course….
I’d like to overcompensate, but they don’t sell Abrams tanks to civilians.
Anectdotal evidence that this survey is crap: I live in Northern Virginia, the most liberal area of our state. Around here, white-collar liberals and conservatives both love luxury and ostentation. Huge numbers of SUVs and mini-vans; relatively few hybrids. It’s also not unusual to see a hybrid parked in the driveway next to the SUV – as if the hybrid somehow “offsets” the gas-guzzler. One commenter above got it right – the guzzler is for local jaunts and weekends; the hybrid’s for the long commute.
Generalizations don’t work.
Dear mishu:
Reagarding your “Huh?” on my comment about Rush Limbaugh and PJ Media, just about every other article posted on the site takes a gratuitous swipe at Rush somewhere. Lately, The Anchoress on “We’re All Rinos Now,” some psychologist last week talking about Eliot Spitzer’s psychological profile and putting Rush in the same category, and today’s article on how Helen’s fantastic, creative, progressive, intellectually curious husband and others like him think Fox News and Rush Limbaugh are idiots.
I was only pointing out that they go out of their way to denigrate him regardless of topic, and that it is becoming rather childish.
I drive a Prius for three reasons:
1. With the tax credit and my habit of driving cars past 150K miles, it should actually pay for itself.
2. It is cool technology (at least when I bought it it was)
3. I don’t want to give any more money than I have to, to oil rich countries that tend to funnel it to those trying to kill infidels.
I am a libertarian/conservative hunter. I live in MI and have seriously thought about returning from a deer hunt and swinging through downtown Ann Arbor with a deer carcass strapped to the roof of the Pruis, just to mess with everyone’s stereotypes. ( but I don’t because the prius is a hatchback with fold down seats and it putting the deer on the roof would mess with my mileage )
I drive a 1967 Galaxie XL (with a 390 big block) as my daily driver.
Driving can be a mechanical means of getting from one place to another, or it can be an experience. I prefer the latter. I work from home and don’t have a daily commute, so every time I start the car up is a pleasure drive.
I also have as a backup a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Having been a Cub Scout, a Boy Scout and a paratrooper in the 82nd, I kind of have a “Be Prepared” mentality…I want as much steel around me as possible, and as much horsepower, acceleration and utility as possible to be able to get out of bad situations on the road.
I’m sure all of this would profile me as one of those “world dominating thugs.” =)
I am reminded of the National Enquirer articles who say that those who like TV program A are caring homebodies, and those that like TV program B are the outgoing type.
I think studies like this reveal a lot more about progressives than they realize. Progressives need to have their egos stroked by some meaningless study telling them they’re smarter, kinder, more creative, and all-around better people because they drive a certain type of car. Conservatives don’t really care what you think of them. I think I smell a big cloud of smug over this study.
“…and today’s article on how Helen’s fantastic, creative, progressive, intellectually curious husband and others like him think Fox News and Rush Limbaugh are idiots.”
Double huh? (seems to me I’ve seen Glenn Reynolds on Fox News several times. Don’t know what he thinks of Limbaugh but this article was using Fox and Limbaugh for rhetorical purposes with absolutely no pejorative intent. This “D” fellow/gal doesn’t know how to read)
What about me? I’m a 52 year old widower with two vehicles – a 1990 Volvo station wagon and new ‘my’ car is a 1997 Ford Expedtion. Am I a gluttonous environmental hog or a sensitive, eco-friendly type? I’m so confused. . .
Oh wait – I’m a Gemini. That explains it.
Driving can be a mechanical means of getting from one place to another, or it can be an experience. I prefer the latter. I work from home and don’t have a daily commute, so every time I start the car up is a pleasure drive.
Heh, I used to think so until I started riding.. Once you get a motorcycle you never look at cars the same way again. The fastest, best handling street-legal car on earth can’t hold a candle to a $14,000 motorcycle as far as exhilaration goes, I would take a stock Hayabusa over an Enzo any day of the week, even if I didn’t have to insure or maintain it. Add a turbo and NO2 that will take that bike to 250mph or higher….
Frankly, I would probably be just fine with a half-ton pickup with a bed that could handle my bike, but the car runs so well, carries all my costco shopping and gets nearly 30mpg highway..
I am a lady of 60yrs I drive a 2006 Mustang GT. I modified it with a set of Basini mufflers and a JLT cold air. More mods to follow! I love my car and would never drive a hybrid! I bought this car before they take the gas guzzlers off the road. I am also a grandmother. Do I fit the profile (what ever that is)for a hotrod driver? Oh, I live in Texas!!! You decide!
My wife and I share three cars: (1) a Mustang GT convertible (black/red leather), (2) a Jaguar X Type 3.0 (red /tan), and (3) an Excursion Diesel (gray/gray). None are hybrids, though I wouldn’t rule out owning a hybrid if I thought they made economic sense. I’m politically conservative, somewhat to the prudish side of Glenn. I’ve only voted for two Democrats in my life (A.C. Wharton and Phil Bredesen). And I am that rare bird, a former fighter engine designer who became a nuclear physicist and then made the transition to rocket science. So can anyone tell me if my cars fit my profile?
BBB
I’m 51 and I have a hopped-up Buell XB9S and a KTM 525EXC.
They are exactly like me.
A dollar to any other poster here who knows aht they are without Googling.
I’ve wanted a hybrid ever since I read that it can be used with a UPS to power my house.
http://priups.com/
As a long-time car enthusiast, I’m quite certain that a person who understands both cars and people can see patterns of car choice and personality. Whether the people conducting this survey can is another matter. I’d be more inclined to talk to someone at one of the car magazines. At least you could be fairly confident they understood one half of the issue.
I drive a white Chevy Blazer 4×4 for practicality not personality. It snows where I live and I often need the 4×4 just to get out of my driveway. The cargo space is great. I get decent gas mileage on highway driving. It has enough power that I can pass a loaded semi truck on a 6% grade. White is a good color for not showing dust and dirt since I don’t have the time or inclination to be washing my vehicle.
Personality…I would drive one of these new Chevy Malibu dark green with tan interior. Good looking car.
My husband has 3 trucks for his business for practicality and for personality. He is a classic car buff so his “fleet” consists of a 68 Chevy Short Bed Stepside, 57 Chevy 1 ton and a 71 GMC long bed. All have been restored with V8 engines and upgraded running gear etc. He says when you can make a hybrid that can pull a John Deere Backhoe up a hill or over dirt roads, THEN he might consider.
The idea that if you don’t drive a hybrid you are some sort of radical who wants to kill the environment is just ridiculous and frankly ostentatiously bigoted. I would drive a hybrid if they weren’t (mostly) butt ugly or so expensive that they just don’t pencil out. The return on investment in a hybrid is longer than the lifespan of the vehicle.
I drive a nine year old, very beat up Nissan Sentra with 175,000 miles on it. It has no frills whatsoever. I even have to roll up the windows by hand!
I have always thought that this car reflects personality to a T — straight forward, no frills, not showy, practical, reliable, and frugal.
P.S. I am a feminist and I have no objections to people who drive trucks. I assume those who object are criticizing the impact of trucks on the environment — not the “masculinity” of the trucks, even assuming that trucks are inherently masculine which seems kind of ridiculous. Personally, I don’t think any one person can save the environment by herself so the solution is not to give up one’s truck
Nuts. Whatever happened to choosing the right tool for the job?
I drive:
1) a Neon when shopping or delivering bodies to an event/appointment
2) a 4WD F150 for firewood that’s off the beaten path, retrieving deer, and boat ramp activities
3) a 2WD Cummins Dodge when pulling a heavy trailer on pavement
What does this have to do with personality? Drive what works.
Bob
Very simple explanation: hybrid owners are a lot richer than the general population. Only someone with money to burn will be so vain as to spend that much on a ‘statement’.
They got cause and effect switched around. The traits cause the money, and the money (along with some social neediness) causes the car.
How about the car reveals your personality which is the opposite of what the car is considered valuable for–like all the rich guys who buy a hot, red, sports car….
So Prius owners feel they are not very imaginative, and caring so they go out and buy a vehicle to remedy that ill in their life?
I drive a 1997 Ford Windstar because I am, indeed, a pragmatist in that I love the way it handles, I can haul a lot of stuff, it’s easy to get in and out of and the mileage isn’t bad.
What I would love to drive is either a ’57 Chevy, a 1929 Auburn or an old Army Jeep but because I’m a pragmatist and none of the above is remotely realistic I drive a minivan.
That you have no mortgage to pay.
I’m slightly right-of-center and do not fit a lot of the profile of a Toyota Prius driver. We also have a smaller SUV in order to be able to carry larger loads. The wife and a I alternate weeks, each driving the Prius and our other vehicle. We bought the Prius purely for reasons of economics AND politics. We want to do our share in not sending as many dollars over to dictatorships and Islamic regimes, and we want to save money for other things. The Prius gets us, depending on the conditions, weather, and the kinds of roads we are on, between 45 and 52 mpg. Our other vehicle, half that.
It’s mostly a practical rather than an ideological reason why we drive the Toyota Prius. These personality traits are mostly laughable. I get a real kick when I read about those who strut and boast about their owning a Toyota Prius, but turn around and use air transportation that has an enormous carbon footprint and not very fuel efficient at that. Plus their many homes. Gasbags all of them… Liberals/Leftists are such idiots that we cannot see through their act.
Only the rich can afford to have their personality revealed by their vehicles. My last two car purchases have been used old-lady cars (Mercury Sable, Buick Century) because they fit my need for cheap and reliable and safe. I’m not actually an old lady; my personality drives a brand-new Mustang.
I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone with a Ford Focus personality; people buy a Focus because they can’t afford anything better.
I dream of passing Priuses in my motor home while pulling a small Hummer. Of course Prius owners, like many Hollywood feel-gooders, have the advantage of being able to fit their car inside their medium-sized private jet, enroute to the latest global warming conference probably, where they can arrive appropriately to the function. I sometimes wish I were progressive so I too could enjoy the fruits of excess so guiltlessly.
I drive a Mini Cooper as a form of, uh, *reverse* compensation. Yeah, baby.
Real Americans never settle for just one. You should have one for each need, or one for each mood you may be in. This “one car personality” is some big-city, East Coast thing where people have less range of emotion and lead one-dimensional lives.
I have a ten-year-old Olds that gets 30 and outhandles the big Jags. The 78 Dodge three-quarter is just for pulling the John Deere around. For the opera, my 63 Avanti makes the swains step back, and still gets over 20–though the blower does come into play when shaming a tuner. Cruise nights bring out the 66 ElCamino my uncle left me (283, 21 MPG); when you pull up to the country bar in a one-ton GMC dump truck, the pickup kids have to move over a spot. West of Laramie we use the Jeep (20 MPG, but my old Real Army 4-cyl only got 13). The best fun is when somebody in the neighborhood thinks he’s just bought the biggest SUV. We go out back and crank up the 1953 Studebaker 6X6 deuce (seven tons, empty), put down the top, drive past the offender’s home, then go out for ice cream at the drive-in. (it’s sad, but drive-throughs are out of the question). I don’t know how people can get by with one car. How drab their souls must be.
If cars actually do reveal your personality then I’m Sybil. I’ve owned large sedans, subcompacts, a minivan, mid sized cars and compacts.
Currently I’m driving a ’93 Escort that used to be my parents’ spare car.
To me a car is just a hunk of metal that gets me from here to there.
As long as it does that reliably its an ok car to me.
That cars reveal your personality is something car guys say to make themselves feel better about getting ripped off when they bought their last ‘impress me more’ vehicle.
My husband is a barefoot Farrier ( horses hooves specialist ) and was spending $ 800 a month on gas last summer. We bought the Prius( no need for a truck like farriers who use iron shoes and need to haul anvils, etc. )for it’s gas mileage and the high customer satisfaction. The tax credit was a bonus too. We love the car, but we are big time right wingers and are still looking for the perfect bumper sticker to confuse the libs that see the car and make assumptions. I have a truck for hauling horses , and a vintage 450 sl for my personal car. We are practical, pure and simple.
I think one’s personality is reflected in the choices one makes, sure — I don’t think there are too many actual Spocks around that are solely driven by rationality (which itself would be a trait I suppose).
But I don’t think marketing companies have a line on actually matching up personality and buying patterns. There is too much to the mind. (I don’t even think psychology in general has a good grip on predicting a person’s behavior, for that matter..)
However, if marketing companies had a report stating hybrid owners are more likely the be elitist, insufferably moralistic, stuck-up little prigs, I’d start thinking they are on to something…
I believe, to an extent, a person’s car can indeed convey his or her personality. I drive a 14 year old VW that I’ve owned since new. What does it say about me? Perhaps that I value the dependability and low-maintenance it’s provided. I take care things longer than the average person. I have high standards (it has heated leather seats, sunroof, VR6 motor, etc), but feel no need to rush out and replace it with the current top of the line car, when all the amenities still work just fine.
Personally, I think what we value about our cars can reflect our priorities in life. Occasionally, when I’m getting to know someone on the first or second date, I’ll ask about the car she drives. Why she chose it, what she likes and doesn’t like about it, and what she’ll replace it with. One can discern a lot, does she seek excitement or dependability? Does she place a greater emphasis on content delivered or image conveyed? Aside from a home, a car is the second largest purchase many of us will make, and I think our decision process does shed quite a bit of light on our priorities in life, thus — to an extent — our personality.
But there’s a difference between a personalitity traits and a character traits (or to a larger extent, identity). I think the mistake observers may make is not the attempt to identify personality traits through our choice of automobile, but rather the attempt assign a value or judgement to the personality traits observed. It’s the judgement of others (or worse, the prejudice of forming an opinion without understanding the full picture of that person’s life) that tends to lead observers astray in their assessment of — and attitude toward — others.
In the quoted article above, an interviewee suggested the purchase of Hummer reflected the existence of “a hole in the soul” of Arnold, that he attempted to fill by the material purchase of a Hummer. Fine, entirely plausable. But the speaker needs to realize that such holes can be found in many types of people, and that material band-aid could be anything: Hummer, hybrid, Harley, Honda, whatever.
Sure, our personality can be discerned by our consumption habits and the decision process behind them. But our /character/ is defined by our actions toward others and the world around us, not our purchases. The eagerness to assign (or convey) an identity and judge someone’s character through his purchases is probably a result of living within such a comsumption-oriented culture, where many people don’t know how to assess (or express) themselves otherwise.
@Chris: Some of your facts are from a marketing study, not a scientific one, that was never peer reviewed and has been refuted by the scientific community. Please look up the paper, “Hummer versus Prius: ‘Dust to Dust’ Report Misleads the Media and Public with Bad Science”. Producing any car creates waste. Prius included, but it doesn’t make so much to offset the benefits.
I know a few hybrid owners from online, and most of them were motivated by environmental concerns. They liked lower emissions, better gas mileage, and the encouragement their purchase was giving companies to develop “greener” technology. I haven’t noticed an across the board difference in any of them.
For that matter, some of them just like the styling, or the ride. Others were swayed by the uniqueness, or the fact that celebrities were driving them, etc. People buy cars for all kinds of reasons, so while I think our consumer choices do reflect parts of our personality, I don’t think we can safely assume which parts.
My kids call the Prius an “Old Lady Car.” They’ve noticed the same thing the survey noticed, but put a less flattering spin on it …
I tend to think of cars in terms of what OS the driver uses. You can always find the Mac enthusiasts driving silver Scion xBs or Priuses (Prii, for the fans), sometimes with a white Apple sticker in the back window (I’ve actually seen this a lot, and I live in Arizona). If you’re a Mac user that doesn’t have one of these vile smug-mobiles, no offense.
By the way, anyone know what Linux users drive?
I drive a black 2002 convertible Porsche Carrera 4, and a 1995 Nissan Maxima with 154,000 miles and a nice bike rack on it. And, Dr. Helen–I am exactly the same guy in both cars, but the interesting story is how different people react to the cars. I would say a car may say something about a person, but how a person reacts to a car driven by others says quite a bit as well.
I drive a ’99 Suburban. Since my daily “commute” is 3 miles, round trip, I’m not overly pained by even 3 dollar gas day to day. When we want to go somewhere with our 3 ton travel trailer it’s a necessity. The wife has a Camry and we use it for most running around and trips when we don’t need the trailer.
I drive a 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer with no headliner and a hunk of wood to hold up the back of the front seat which sags. I once leased a BMW 325i and while driving characteristics were somewhat better, it didn’t have a cupholder. I haven’t had to make a car payment in several years. Both cars reliably got me to where I was going in about the same amount of time and my Grand Wagoneer is far more comfortable for my dog. I also never have to wash it. What personality type am I?
Jim – Priuses are the secular environmental equivalent of the Jesus fish.
Jack – Linux users build their own rods.
Jack – I’m a Linux user and I don’t even own a car (and never have – city dweller); does that mean I have no personality at all? I mean, sure, I’m a systems engineer, but I’m not _that_ bad, am I?
I live at the bottom of a hill in Michigan. Every winter we get snow and anyone without AWD or 4WD gets stuck trying to crest the hill and has to wait for the plow.
This and my need to tow light loads occasionally lead me to purchase a midsize SUV. It had nothing to do with my psychological profile and everything to do with my usage requirements and desisre to be able to drive at will. Of course, they would probably call this a simple case of denial.
I (Mac user) drive a paid for ’95 Jeep Cherokee, my wife (Windows XP) drives a paid for ’99 Olds Alero. Our next car will be a paid for also. Other than being frugal pragmatists, what does that say about us?
I think a linux user would have a LS6 454 in a Dodge Charger, putting power to the wheels through a M-22 tranny and a ’64 Galaxie rear end. Only problem is, he can’t get it out of Mom’s basement.
Ben: As I figure it,
no car ≈ public transport
public transport ≈ environmentalism
environmentalism = 70:30 odds of liberalism
I’ll crunch some numbers and get back to you.
Helen,
This psychographic profile sounds a lot like the standard NEO-based personality tests (which also seem to have an anti-conservative bias).
The biggest problem with those personality tests is that they are fairly superficial self-assessments. What they really probe is how the subject would like to think about himself, not how he really is.
Hence, people that like to think of themselves as open and tolerant may score that way on the assessment, but are anything but in real life.
The real personality test is who *owns* the car–you, the bank, or a leasing company.
\For that matter, some of them just like the styling,\
That’s just so damned difficult for me to believe, in the case of the Prius. I look and look, and can find absolutely nothing to like, apart from the gas mileage.
If I have another small business, I’ll look more closely at fuel mileage, though overall cost of use is what matters most to me. I believe that the numbers favor other vehicles, currently.
As it stands, we moved a few miles from work, not 50+ miles like certain hybrid drivers I know… So we don’t have to waste our money on new cars frequently, or on the latest butt-ugly-but-high-mileage car marketed at us. I have a Jeep, because in terms of overall cost, the lousy gas mileage hardly matters, if one doesn’t have a business (legitimate reason) or choose to live in some far-flung suburb. I actually LIKE the Jeep, so it probably does reflect something of my personality (I’ve also carried and used a Victorinox daily since I was a teen). However, if I ever bought a Prius, it would reflect one thing: I have another business that requires a lot of driving. And I’d do my best to keep the Jeep around.
Our other car is an old Subaru AWD wagon, set up to carry the dogs and various other stuff. It’s comfortable and goes anywhere, including in the sand at the beach. It reflects – if indirectly – a lot of my wife’s personality, though I suspect she’d want her 2-seater back — in addition to a wagon — if we move out of the city and having multiple vehicles becomes more convenient.
This much I will say: if I ever do get something as god-awful as a Prius, because I need it for practical reasons, I might just cover the butt end with stickers like the smarmy liberals who drive the things around where I live. They’ll just say different things (e.g., Save a Deer, Shoot an Anti-Hunter; Nuke the Gay Unborn Whales for Jesus; Guns Kill People like Spoons Made Rosie O’Donnell Fat). The only problem is this: the “progressives” where I live are the sort of scum who will vandalize cars. I would never worry about the local conservatives doing that, no matter what they thought of my politics.
I have a 2007 Civic Hybrid, and mechanically it’s the best car I’ve ever owned. I’ve put 20,000 miles on it since Father’s Day ’07. I’m regularly beating the old EPA numbers for the car, and I’m happy about that since cutting down on consumption of imported fuels despite my ridiculous commute is why I bought the car (it replaced an Altima, which got about half the Civic’s mileage). I have to say, though, that only the tax credit and the state rebate (plus my level of usage, 600+ miles per week) ultimately made the car economical.
My soul still wants an ’87 Buick GNX, however.
Judging from the comments here, the actual truth is that cars reflect a combination of one’s chosen priorities and one’s means.
Shocka!
Speaking for myself, I wish they would lay off these “studies”. I drive a hybrid in part because I did something stupid with an S2000 a few years back. I forbade myself buying another sports car until I acquired the discipline that I clearly lacked that night… so I got a hybrid. I figured, if I can’t geek out on power anymore, I can geek out on the technology and efficiency aspect instead.
But I’m not a leftist at all. I’m an Objectivist, fer cryin’ out loud — I’m all about Ayn Rand, individual rights, freedom of trade etc. and I know better than to buy into any of the man-made global-warming hype. I have even transported firearms (*gasp*) to the range in said hybrid.
So I’d like to avoid getting lumped into the “smug cloud”, but one of these days it will happen…
Do you think cars really reflect people’s personality traits? Yes, but If you ever buy a vehicle to just to impress other people, you are need of therapy. Narcissists are just that, they’d buy a Yugo if it was perceived as a status symbol.
What car do you drive and is the brand and model consistent with your personality traits? I currently drive a Honda Civic Hybrid. Just returned from the “Big D” and was getting 53.7 MPH. I drive this car because of the great mileage & the Honda reliability. It is a good little ride.
Does it fit my personality? I guess I can answer yes and no. I am frugal and don’t like wasting my money (I need to save it for when the Lib’s take over) At this stage of the game I could care less what people think of my vehicles. I prefer the performance of my 1968 Mustang Convertible, but for making the day to day runs around town and a long road trip, I like to use the civic.
What driving a Hybrid shows is that some people are bad at math.
I looked at buying a hybrid 6 years ago, when I knew I was going to be commuting a long distance. When I sat down and actually did the math, the total cost of owning a Hyundai Accent was cheaper than a Prius or an Insight over the likely length of ownership.
I figured it was going to take at least 9 years (by which time the car would have over 250,000 miles) for the gas savings on the hybrid to make up for the lower cost of the econobox.
I bought the econobox.
One caveat, though: My driving is 90% highway, and hybrid’s only get about 5 or 10 MPG better than my car (I get a measured 39 MPG). An urban commuter would probably see a quicker payoff.
That brings up another issue, though: while my car has a slightly larger carbon footprint related to use, it has a much smaller manufacturing footprint. Where they balance out, I have no idea, but again I bet it is longer than the expected life of the car.
Funny, but I own a Mercedes ML 320 and a Toyota Prius and have NRA stickers on both, so I obviously am not the typical “progressive” portrayed in this article. I find the Toyota service to be much better than Mercedes. Of the two vehicles, I don’t think you would need to take too much of a leap to assume which one has been back to the dealership for problems more often.
I am a Philosopher and have the Infiniti M35 Sport and my wife (Economist) has the Infiniti FX35.
We love the design, the power and the reviews. We were all for BMW’s and Mercedes, but after reading reviews of the 5 series and the ML, we decided to go to Infiniti. We couldn’t be happier.
I have to say none of my friendsat Berkeley are impressed with my car though. They ask the mileage, I say 15mpg (the lowest I can get away with), and no more questions are asked, I wonder why. They probably think I’m so obtuse I won’t care anyway. Maybe because I’m a foreigner.
I know I used to pay $8,00 a gallon in my home country, where very few dare to buy a car with an engine bigger than 1.3/1.6 liter unless absolutely necessary (looking for better gas mileage), so I couldn’t care less about gas mileage now. 5 dollars a gallon? Bring it on! It just means I’ll buy a more powerful car, cheaper (from my scared american friends).
The only thing I regret about the oil price increased in the consequences for the poorest countries. I wonder how Africans transport their products and supplies with the oil at $100.00+ a barrel.
Other than that, life in the US is good. Couldn’t be better. Thanks USA! Can’t wait to become a citizen in this wonderful country.
Of course the Prius isn’t all that either. A normal diesel VW will beat it in MPG in Europe. Ever wondered why Toyota does NOT pass the MPG test in Europe but is seen as the “green” manufacturer in the US? Yes, Toyota is seen as far behind over there.
But it also reminds me – it seems as if everything is turning green nowadays. And people just can’t understand why consumers aren’t buying more of it. Not rocket science – really. People buy for many reasons – not just the environmental impact. You think you can sell a “green” blow-up doll? Maybe look at functionality, price, quality etc first before turning everything green. Then we can start changing the consumers. More on this on my blog at http://angryafrican.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/make-it-better-can-i-interest-you-in-a-green-blow-up-doll/
Okay, I listen to Rush, Tom Sullivan and Laura when possible. I get Weekly Standard and read NR, as well as NRO, Spectator, Insta, and LGF. Voted R since Regan. And I own a LITTLE HONKIN’ ELECTRIC CAR. So where do the Pius owners line up to kiss my ass? I mean, they’re just a bunch of half-ass wanna be’s. I go for the gold and doesn’t that make me morally superior? Or am I just a cheap mofo who likes to get free parking downtown? Oh, the Trailblazer EXT parked in front of my house? Pay no attention, just wallow in your own unworthyness as you still burn gasoline. My vehicle is charged by wind and solar (and how would you find out otherwise). Bow down, you gashogs in your hybrids!
I bought a Honda Insight way back in 2000 for a few reasons…
1) Looks – It looks like a car from the future when the future used to have interesting cars.
2) Solo commute at hours that were awful, so ride-sharing and such things were DOA.
3) Looking at the gas savings per month and saw that it perfectly off-set my insurance increases, so the car was not paying itself off but paying for being there at no extra monthly cost.
4) Motorcycles are not safe in SE DC. With that brick of batteries behind me, nothing was going to easily pull that car aside, plus low to the road it was hard to get an aim at the driver. If you know that area of DC, you know those to be definitive pluses.
5) Comfortable for someone of my height, like most Hondas and unlike most other cars, including those in the US.
6) Offset in taxes was nice, but not a factor. And the only thing that turns tighter is a motorcycle, and even then I don’t think one has the mass to do those donuts at 40mph.
It is the only car that sold itself to me on looks…. and even then it had to offset my monthly costs to get there.
Then gas prices went up… and I got original cost offers for the car even after it had been on the road for a few years. Now that I am unlikely to drive in my lifetime, I remain passenger and the car, itself, I can get a decent deal on when I move.
I think hybrids are a great idea purely from an engineering standpoint; they’re more efficient. And I’ll be happy to buy one as soon as they’re affordable by people with limited means. Right now I’m driving a 19-year-old car because I was able to pick it up used for $2500 — and I had to borrow most of that.
Obviously I’m not trying to impress anyone with my car; it’s just a means for getting to work and back. If people want to try to judge the state of my soul entirely on the basis of what I drive, they are idiots and I couldn’t care less what they think of me.
@cherokee jack
I use Windows, Mac OS, *and* Ubuntu Linux at home, and I do drive an xB. Sorry to blow your theory. (But it ain’t silver and there’s no Apple sticker to be found.)
The reason I drive the xB is more usable interior space than a small-SUV combined with sub-compact gas milage. It’s a pretty darn practical car. (Now, when I get around to modifying the ground effects kit so it doesn’t drag on everything it’ll be a totally practical car.)
I wonder what the Communists (excuse me Progressives) must think of my choices in autos. I have a VW Jetta Turbo Diesel that get 50+ mpg, and I just picked up a new Dodge Ram 4500 Cummins Turbo Diesel (empty weight 10,400lbs with dump body).
I’m sure these little pinkos would approve of me in my little commuter car one day, and despise me the next as I drive by in my small dump truck.
It amazes me that we have time and resources to study the personality traits of peoples’ car choices. How useless is that!
Next time I’m driving down the road in my truck, I’ll be sure to check out the expression of a person’s face if they are in a hybrid car, especially if we’re at a light. I’m sure it will be priceless.
My husband and I drive two cars interchangeably. Instead of the cars fitting us, we simply drive the best one for the situation. We have a beautiful Cadillac Escalade that we use primarily on long trips where comfort is key, when we are pulling our travel trailer, or when we need to carry a lot of people. It gets far better gas mileage than most people imagine. 18-20 on the highway, which is where we drive it mostly. For around town we have a wonderful little Saturn Vue (not the hybrid) that is good on MPG and very easy to drive and park. People can make of it what they will, but we just buy cars that suit our life and that we think are going to last a long time.
Whatever the income level, always a car with “personality” (this is not always a good thing!).
In the past, a (well used when I bought it) Porsche 911S, had no heater or defogger, and I lived in Nebraska then.
Had a VW beetle (1st iteration), followed by a Corvair, also with no heater, and it leaked fumes into the passenger compartment, so it had to be driven with the windows partly open! [yes, still in Midwestern winters] This was followed by a 1953 Studebaker pickup. I loved that thing!
Then there was a Jeep C-J, a baby Bronco, and a Suburban, when I lived in the mountains.
The Suburban still survives, and I now have a Mercedes SLK. Bought it new, it still looks like new, although it is 9 years old. Sure love not having a payment book. Sure love to drive fast!
Hybrids, minivans, & Volvos are the bane of the roads! Always self-righteously driving 51 mph in the fast lane, smugly sipping $8. a cup coffee while enraptured by NPR. Fie!
“Do you ever wonder if some of these tests are just geared towards making people feel “good” about themselves, particularly if they have what are considered “progressive traits” so that it will reinforce their buying habits…”
Well that is the point. Marketing and selling product. American progressives (liberals) like to think they aren’t the evil/carbon- dumping consumers that conservatives are. And you are quite right. Instead of “Hybrid” substitute “Luxury” and the same people would be susceptiple to the same marketing strategy.
Smug is the new stupid.
An exception to this criticism may be Harley Davidson motorcycles. If you compare one to the currently more-popular “racing bikes” full of carbon fiber and titanium and *MUCH* faster, Harleys make a HUGE amount of neighborhood shaking NOISE! Why? Because their mufflers are designed to not work well, period. Consider a car. A car has a MUCH bigger engine than any motorcycle, especially an SUV (!). How much noise does a Hummer with an engine 10X bigger than a Harley make? Almost none. The only truly loud car I’ve ever heard was a restored Ferrari Testarossa. A neighbor got it for $35K back in the 80s. It literally sounded like a rocket. He worked in construction and just loved cars.
Another thing though if you just look around, is how utterly UNINSPIRED most cars on the road are, meaning, to me, first that most people are “sold” by car salesmen whatever they want to sell most, but also that most people (85%?) really do just see a car as a means of transport instead of an extension of their personality, for who wants to scream out to the world “I’m boring!”?
For the record I have owned:
A Fiat X1/9 (poor man’s Italian sports car with go-cart-like tight steering, a removable roof that stored in the front trunk and a small panel between the two seats that allowed one to manually advance the timing by turning the half-tightened distributor cap!)
A Toyota Camry (when my mom died I got her car). Boring, but reliable.
A Toyota Landcruiser with a tank-sized inline six cylinder engine, which I restored after removing 150 pounds of late 1970s “pollution control” canister thingies from.
A Honda Helix (still made in one form or another), highway legal (75MPG easily) SCOOTER, that was so quiet while idling that I could park it at bike racks in college.
I now own a high tech lithium battery powered “Razor style” scooter, made by Roth Motors, for use in NYC. Slightly dangerous though since you can’t see potholes at night. I didn’t get a gas one since they make noise and are not legal here. I also figured out how to use a certain power tool battery pack to modify it to go twice as far.
In other words, there are *so* many choices in vehicles! The confusion I have about pickup trucks vs. SUVs though is that I’ve never seen a “big fancy” pickup truck with anything in the back, save maybe a dog.
Oh, I forgot about my DiBlasi *folding* motorcycle (not highway legal but fully legal within NYC and merely technically illegal across the footpaths of bridges). What I realized though, was that a good titanium bicycle was better, so now I use that when it’s too wet or dark for the stand-up scooter.
So I’ve had a wide experience with vehicles. But a car with batteries in it? Ugh. Twice as many systems to go wrong, and will those batteries last 100K miles? And WHERE do I plug it in when I park at a meter? I guess I’ll carry extra cans of gas in the tiny trunk, or strap them to the back, like I did with the Landcruiser!
I mean how efficient can it be to use a GASOLINE motor to run a on-board GENERATOR to charge BATTERIES to run extra electric MOTORS? And how well do BATTERIES work in the winter? How well will this “more efficient” quality hold up after 50K miles?
My guess is that only when FUEL CELLS that run on gasoline are perfected will electric cars ever catch on, since then you’ll have only ONE system involved, all electric.
I’m 61 years old and drive a midnight blue 1998 Honda CRV, which I bought used when my Chevolet Celebrity (which I bought used on the advice of my mechanic and put over 100,000 miles on) started to have continuing problems and I was afraid to drive it out of town.
What does that say about me? It says that the CRV is what I could afford at the time I needed a car, and the equipment and product I carry for my part-time business would fit inside. (And yes, I was managing to shoe-horn it into the Celebrity; I should have sold tickets to watch me load the car.)
It’s an added benefit that it has all-wheel drive and sits up above the roadway. I’ll never to back to a regular car again.
As for the survey? Pffffffft.
(Edward Lunny – I am so stealing your genteel way of saying bullsh*t! ;-p)
I’m a bit of an eco-freak: drive a 2002 Prius when I drive at all. Ride a bike, rapid transit or walk the rest of the time. I even pick up and properly dispose of trash I encounter along the way. I’m also generous in helping those for whom the playing field is not yet level. Despite all that, my votes are for limited government and to maximize personal freedom. I want the government out of both my wallet and my bedroom, and think private charities vastly better at helping the needy than government. I’m always amused when people think I have to be a progressive to care about the Earth or drive a hybrid. But why can’t a conservative conserve, I ask? And why must an eco-freak be a stupid one, treating so-called global warming as a more urgent ecological problem than many that are much more serious and urgent?
There’s one tiny fact that the proud pious preening prius pushers ignore: it’s not the miles per gallon, it’s the gallons consumed! Gramma in her Yukon who drives it 500 miles a month is going to use a lot less fuel than yuppy who drives his prius 5000 miles a month.
It’s not about reality, it’s about demanding admiration.
I have been driving a hybrid for 7 years now, and I have never considered myself a “progressive”. I bought it because A. It was in my price range and B. it got up to 70mpg. Quite frankly, if it got 70mpg while leaving behind the legal maximum of pollution, I would still have bought it. I remember running across an article when I was researching cars that said that 2/3 of hybrid owners were conservative (it gets 70mpg, neat!) or libertarian (it’s the most technologically-advanced car that I can afford, neat!), NOT liberal. Of course, this WAS 7 years ago; it is possible that by now “progressives” have actually started buying the cars that they had been saying they wanted the rest of us to be forced to buy, but I suspect it’s the high mpg thing still at work, not the low-pollution thing.
Rippling Hurst: Hope your path to citizenship runs smoothly. Sounds like you really want to be here, and we like people like that.
Harvard@Cal: Tom Sullivan’s been a Sacramento institution for so long that it’s really strange to hear people from out of area talking about listening to him. He’s only been national for a few months now.
We drive a Ford Freestyle, the unholy cross between a station wagon and a Ford Explorer. It’s pretty much our ideal car for several reasons:
1) It seats six adults. Really, I’ve sat in the back seat and I’m 5’9″.
2) It lives up to its five star crash rating, something I discovered when we got rear-ended during the aforementioned back seat jaunt. The truck weighed half again what we did and I got nary a bruise. (We did tear out the twerp’s oil pan, by the evidence- he ran, he was caught, he was DUI #3, he went to jail.)
3) Between 23 and 25 miles to the gallon. Seriously.
4) It’s comfortable… I can drive for multiple hours without a break. And the ergonomics are pretty good- something I can’t say about any Chevy I’ve ever driven.
I’m vaguely libertarian-conservative, and Evil Rob is contrarian-liberal. I think, however, we both fall pretty firmly on the practical side.
I have a red Maserati and a Prius. I’m the same in both cars, but people react to them very differently. Funny truth: females under 20 want to ride in the Prius, over 20 want the Maserati. I actually had a girl I barely knew say to me, “Oh, it makes me feel so guilty that you have a Prius.” You don’t think I figured out a way to assuage her guilt, do you?
Those studies are stupid. Some people are really into cars and drive the car they drive because they really wanted it. Most people, like me, drive the car they drive because it fit their needs at the time they acquired it.
I drove a 20 year old Corolla in law school because I was broke and it only cost me $700. I drive a 13 year old pickup now because I inherited it from my father and it cost me nothing. Neither vehicle has anything to do with my personality.
There’s another issue not discussed. Purchases of cars to remind people of their youth.
When I was young I owned a 1969 Plymouth Satellite. Sigh. I wish I still HAD that car. I stupidly sold it. Idiot!
I now have a big old Ford Crown Victoria. It’s not the Plymouth. But it will do. It’s BIG. It is a big old boat. Lots of room for almost anything in the trunk. Including Tony Soprano. Emergency Mobster release. Cruises in style. Not a great handler, but it gets me to where I need to go. Good off-the-line torque getting on the on-ramp. Eats gas like crazy on the city, OK on the freeway. Big old honest V-8. Got’s lots of luxury at a budget price.
Because it’s a taxi/police fleet car and old geezer’s car. But it still is fun to drive.
Cars are clothes, even lovers.
“Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.” – Coco Chanel
I was conceived in a car. So were many of you.
Model T? Any color you want. As long as it’s black.
I can’t say it since I feel like a dumb kid doing so: the only time I was ever truly calm, as in ‘The Right Stuff’ or Bill Wittle’s rants about flying actual planes (http://www.ejectejecteject.com) was when I was driving fast, way way…way too fast, every day.
Has our “consumer culture” finally lost its car component?
No. It’s been dumbed down a bit though.
A history of the cars we have driven is almost sexually confessional.
Why? Girls who drive fast cars are fast girls. Simple fact. Guys who drive “efficient” cars have sex once a week instead of twice a day. Simple fact.
Because, unlike clothes, or booze, or rock concerts, even houses, the car you drive makes you into a superman, quite literally. Mostly a guy thing, but with latest middle-aged modern culture, I know more gals than guys who own, albeit somewhat less than real “super car” super cars or motorbikes and surfboards.
So they sell them off. Why? No balls. My experience is limited, but sincerely honest experience it is. Men enjoy being control of life and death. Women, as a rule (if you mention Earhart, you are making my point for me) do not enjoy LONE voyages along snake curved roads at 95 MPH, nor must make up excuses about where they just were, black break dust on all the wheels of the “family car.”
“If you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds; but if you really wish to learn you must mount a machine and become acquainted with its tricks by actual trial.” – Wilber Wright
The Toyota Prius hybrid has, over the projected life of its nemesis, the Hummer H2, three times the ecological footprint of the Hummer.
Not even considering the horror show of the ecological cost of getting the cadmium and nickel required for the short lived, throw away battery, the Prius is dead in 10000 miles, with really crappy mileage (well below the BS rating given it by Toyota and the faux conservationists who treat it like a holy icon blessed by mother Gaia.
So who drives a hybrid? Liars, whether self deceiving or blatant untruth tellers. Phoney, poseurs. In short, entitled progressive neo-stalinist nazis.
Like others have said, car choice is not a driven by only one factor… things like price/budget and practical considerations (kids, hauling boats, parking, gas mileage) can be driving factors as well. I suspect that opportunity has something to do with it as well. When I was younger, I drove cars that friends and family were able to help me get cheap.
Mind Matters is primarly a marketing/advertising company, so their profiles will probably tend to make everyone look good, but different.
To be fair, the BS gas mileage figure given for hybrids is mandated by the EPA and manufactures are not allowed to report any other figure. I believe that they’ve recently changed how they determine mileage, though.
I drive a 95 Riviera in the winter. Summer I alternate between my 61 Impala Bubbletop 283′and a 63 Ford Fastback. Big block, cam, headers, hi-rise, 4 speed. Don’t know what that says about me, but I CAN say I ALWAYS enjoy driving either one of those beautiful old parade floats.
There’s a small market I shop at sometimes that has reserved parking for hybrids right up front. I guess the point is that only the rich deserve the quality parking, while those who can’t afford hybrids, no matter how conscientious they are about the environment, should be punished for their shameful poverty. They’re only poor because of bad karma, after all.
Cherokee, that’s another thing that chaps my hiney. In Washington state (and I understand many others), hybrids can use the HOV lanes with no passengers. Never mind that my 3-cylinder Geo can get better mileage. It’s not about protecting the environment (and certainly not about reducing congestion, which was the original campaign promise of the HOV lanes), it’s about handing out privileges to the fashionable. Bunch of elitist [self-censor].
This is like a wifi hot spot that only connects to Apples. Funded by taxpayers. It’s an abomination.
Whoknew-
Ya owe me a dollar.
I want the new streetfighter SO BAD.
Lets see – when I lived in Alaska my friends all thought the right car for me was a Dodge Viper. Now that I am in Washington State they think the right car for me is a truck. So I guess it is realtive.
(I have an Acura Legend (awesome car), a Ford F-150 pickup, a second gen RX-7 that is getting turned into a full race car, a boat, and next on the list is a motorcycle, for daily commuting.)
I drive a Hybrid Camry. Before the Camry I had a Monte Carlo. At the very least I get 41 miles per gallon. The price of the Camry was the same as a Monte Carlo. I travel alot for my job, I put milage on like you wouldn’t believe. I do not get reimbursed for the milage. I have a hybrid to save money. I AM SICK OF GIVING MY MONEY TO AN OIL COMPANY. Now many of you may not mind and I see you passing me at 80 miles an hour on Route 28 in Pittsburgh PA using as much gas as possible to get two feet ahead of evryone. CONGRATS, YOU ARE A FOOL. The purpose of my car is to save money, which I am doing, the rest of you can give all your money to the oil companies. A hybrid as a status symbol? You people are stupid.