Each thing leaves impressions. The way you talk, walk and socialize tells something about you. Your choice of friends, clothes, and accessories point out something about your personality. Even your choice of cars conveys some details to the populace.
"You think your car is just transportation? You're wrong! Whether you buy a red convertible or a pickup truck, a big minivan or a Beetle," Dr. Charles Kenny said. He even adds, "That car says a lot about a person. It's a reflection of who you are." Kenny is a consumer psychologist who studies car buyers and their needs like power, status, control, independence, stability and intelligence.
Kevin Washington drives a BMW Z3. "The Z3 is a very smooth car, and the owner is a very smooth guy," said Washington. Ilene Griff drives a Toyota Prius hybrid. "I think my car says that I am an intelligent consumer, that I care about the environment, and now that I am part of a cult, which is the Prius generation," said Griff.
"The specific type or brand of vehicle that they buy is a way to fulfill an emotional need. People are emotionally committed to being, or to feeling like, they are rational decision-makers. Many of them want to seem ethical and smart," said Kenny.
Monty Owens drives a Range Rover Sport model. "This car has everything. It's got speed, it's got power. It's sporty, but it's also classy. It's somewhat grown and sexy," declared Owens. Drivers who love driving adventures would stick to a sport utility vehicle (SUV). With their off-road prowess, enjoyment will not be jeopardized. Owens seeks out that tinge of adventure. "Even if you didn't go off road, you still could do it, and it gave you that capability and that feeling of no boundaries," said Kenny.
Pickup trucks also fulfill the need of an individual for control and power. Convertibles also offer a sense of freedom. Bernice Popa drives a 2002 PT Cruiser. "It's perky, and I think that fits my personality really well!" said Popa. The PT Cruiser lets the driver feel refreshed and bubbly.
What a car means to people can change over time. Alison Nicks drives a red Volvo S40. "The beige Volvo was so safe before, but now, young people are driving them and enjoying them," said Nicks, who gave a playful kiss to her car. have evolved along with aficionado preferences.
Kenny also revealed that the newly released compacts like the Scion, Vibe and Fit lure eccentricity. "They just don't want to be thought of as run of the mill. There's a need to feel like they're unique and to have other people recognize them as unique," added Kenny.
Based on Kenny's work, here are some of the things that your car is telling about you: minivan says that do need nurturance and escape; a two-door sedan for single women proclaims gender identity; the SUV tells people that you have that need for adventure; ultra-luxury brands show off your need for status and uniqueness; sports cars tell people about youthful exuberance, rejuvenation, and impulse control; a four-door sedan says practicality and nurturance; custom vans mean a need for uniqueness; muscle cars such as the old Camaro and Firebird tells people about impulse control; trucks show off a combination of power, control and gender identity; full-size trucks says more about power and control; compact trucks dwell more about gender identity; full-size four-door trucks for men show off power, control and gender identity as well as nurturance; full-size four-door trucks for women drivers tells about independence and gender identity; hybrids show off character, doing the right thing as well as having the fear of judgment; and compact cars tell people about your need for rationality and character.
