Auto Types: What Cars Say About Their Owners
Buying a car is not an ordinary consumer choice. It is potent with symbolism and psychology. As everyone knows, cars represent their owner’s personality.
If you want to understand someone, look at the car they drive. Even if they don't drive a car, that reveals something about the person.
The most obvious indicator is social class. Cars are a social-class identity marker for their owners. If you are middle-class, according to the stereotype, you are more likely to drive a Renault than a Mercedes. If you are young and rich, there's a good chance you will drive a two-door sports car. If you are middle-aged and well-off, you will likely drive a luxury car like a Mercedes or BMW.
Cars can even say something about how we vote in elections. In Britain two decades ago, political pundits were trying to understand "Mondeo Man", a car-owner type described as a thirtysomething, middle-income homeowner who drove a Ford Mondeo. Tony Blair decided that he needed the "Mondeo Man" vote to win an election and become prime minister. He was right. Thanks to the Mondeo Man vote, he won the 1997 election.
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The color of your car can also unmask your personality. Color is a reliable measure of personality type. For example, if you are a male and you drive a turquoise or canary yellow sports car, that conveys a certain message. A male who drives a dark blue and black BMW is sending quite a different signal. Even within the same brand — say, BMW — women tend to prefer certain colors, men other colors.
Different car types are also associated with different functions. In big cities, drivers prefer cars that are not too big and economical to drive. Families tend to prefer sportswagons with a coupe back, also called compacts. The grander tourer is a luxury and performance automobile capable of high speed. Campers like caravane cars; off-roaders like Jeeps and Hummers; and luxury SUVs are status symbol vehicles driven in both city and country.
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So the question is: what could owning one of these vehicles potentially say about your personality? Let's look at some auto types:
Truck or Pickup Truck:
If you are driving a pickup, you probably live in the countryside. You may be a farmer who needs a pick-up as a utility vehicle. The pickup is an excellent vehicle for people who seek usability and reliability both, off-road and on-road. It is no-nonsense, useful, strong and hard-working.
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SUV (Luxury):
The SUV is a vehicle for people who are well-off and fond of comfort. SUV drivers are sometimes called “suburban farmers”. They are wealthy family-oriented drivers with houses in both the city and country. They need an SUV to commute. SUV owners combine functional necessity and status symbols. So-called "yummy mummies" like to drive luxury SUVs for their daily routines like dropping off and picking up children at school.
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2-Door Sports Car:
What this car says about the owner's personality is quite unique. Most are young and rich, seeking to live a dream, ostentatious enough to take pleasure in roaring up and down streets in a car known for speed and sound, pushing adrenaline to the max and feeling good about it. Drivers of theses cars don't care about the world's problems, they are narcissistically attached to their own ego satisfactions.
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Luxury:
This car signals that someone important is at the wheel — or sitting in the back seat with a chauffeur driving. If you are driving this car, you are a VIP who enjoys discreet luxury, comfort and five-star satisfaction. You are more interested in class than show. You have arrived and don't need to boast.
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Station Wagon:
This car type is usually for people living outside of cities. In many American movies we see this car driven by middle-aged and older people who live just outside of the city in bland neighborhoods. If you are driving this car, you have a personality that more suburban than urban. You prefer calm to stress. Yet you still want to be close to the city for daily needs because you have a family. You are driving this car around because it is big enough for your entire family.
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Minivan:
What kind of person would drive a minivan? Someone who likes to go to events and parties in big groups, with friends and families. It is a big-size car with enough space for more than six people most of the time. Minivan drivers have big families and a lots of friends. They are middle-class, ordinary people with regular jobs.
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Compact:
This vehicle is meant to be for thirtysomethings who are devoted to happiness and life's enjoyments. It is a typical city car because it is small and does not consume a lot. You drive this car because you are someone who likes going out with a few close friends to have fun. You are an ordinary person who has recently finished your studies and started your career. You bought this car because it was not expensive and was just what you needed. The compact tells the world that you are not rich but also not poor; you have a sufficient income to get by, and you are living a normal and enjoyable life.
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Sedan:
This car is a dream come true for the type of people who would like to experience a combination of both comfort and luxury to a certain point at a reasonable price. You are driving this car because you have a job with high enough income but you are not rich. You drive this car to work and back; you are a city person who is overwhelmed with urban stress, but what can you do when life does not give you other options?
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Off-roader:
Off-road 4x4s are the car types of their names. They are usually driven off-road, in mountains, deserts and hills. Let’s take the American Jeeps as an example. You are driving a Jeep because you like going on adventures with your customized vehicle, and you admire driving off-road over the hills and mountains far from the city crowds. Adrenaline is in your veins. This car allows you to push it to the max. You also like customizing 4x4 cars and holding competitions with people who have similar taste and passions.
Image Credit: Jeep.com
2-Door Luxury Sports Car:
We all have heard of or seen those 2-door sport cars parked in front of five-star hotels in Paris and London and it is not hard to guess who their owners are. What is different about this car is that it is not a car that you can drive every day. It is meant to be driven on weekends and special occasions to show off and tell people: ‘I am rich and you are not’. Having said that, some drive them to fulfill their passions for luxury and speed. If you are driving one of these cars, you are probably extremely rich and living in city. You are unembarrassed about loving luxury and every weekend you jump in this car to tear through the city because you love being watched and admired by ordinary people. You are a show-off. Yes, the truth is painful, but let's face it, that is what motivates you.
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