Jamie Wolfcale reveals what your car really says about you.
There’s little doubt that stereotypes are bad for our culture. However, they don’t just materialize out of thin air. This applies just as much to car owners as it does to the rest of our society. Are all Corvette drivers balding, middle-aged men in the midst of a midlife crisis? Probably not, but if a Corvette pulls up next to you in traffic, take a quick glance, and chances are you’ll see a guy who resembles a slightly younger Clint Eastwood.
I spent nearly a decade as a valet at malls and restaurants before starting my own automotive blog. During this time I started asking myself a few questions: Why do most Cadillac drivers look like they lived through the Great Depression? Why are Porsche drivers such anal-retentive snobs? Why don’t Jaguar drivers tip well? My coworkers and I even had a running joke about how strip clubs must hand out Scions as company cars.
One thing I did not anticipate when researching this article was how hesitant people who work in automotive businesses would be to discussing this topic. I talked to mechanics, valets and car wash attendants, none of whom were willing to go on the record for fear of offending their clientele. Except for one guy.
Nazar Aldulaimi owns a chain of San Diego car washes, is a professor of Arabic at the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and is a former manager of Rolls Royce Dubai. He’s also currently at work on a book about this very subject.
“I don’t think Corvette drivers are interested in speed or anything like that,” says Aldulaimi, who also agrees with my contention that the ’Vette has always been America’s flagship sports car, which means the decision to buy one is partially rooted in patriotism.
Congruently, Porsche 911 drivers tend to be a fairly specific breed, too. Male drivers are often stereotyped as trying to compensate for a lack of trouser furniture, but I don’t buy this. Porsche drivers see themselves as having refined sensibilities. They might be doctors or investment bankers, as opposed to landscaping-empire-owning Corvette drivers.
“Honda owners are practical people,” says Aldulaimi. The same could be said of Toyota owners. Both companies build cars that make sense to, and serve the purposes of, people across all demographics.
According to Aldulaimi, drivers of the two big Swedish brands, Saab and Volvo, tend to be “mid-40s, conservative, white collar and married with two kids.”
As for Hybrid cars, Aldulaimi says that the average Prius driver is “very careful with their money but not necessarily the environment,” suggesting that saving money on gas is a bigger motivator in the purchase of a Prius than being an environmental savior.
Of course, all of this has to be taken with a grain of salt. None of these are absolutes. But whether you realize it or not, the kind of car you drive probably says as much about you as the clothes you wear and the music you listen to.
Whatever you drive, just be sure to tip the valet. He’ll think highly of you, no matter which logo is on the keys.
[Reprinted from Pacific San Diego Magazine]
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