What Does Your Car Say About Your Personality?
Left: Christian and Tonya Porter, owners of Everest AutoWorks & AutoSpa, with their four children –
Zachary, Madison, Elijah, and Ezekiel.
As the owner of a car care business in Newark, I see just about every type and color of vehicle known to man on a weekly basis. Until recently I never stopped to think about a possible link between my customer’s personality and the car they drove.
One of my customers, her name is Janet, brought her newly purchased cherry red convertible Corvette in for service. I always get excited when a customer brings in a new car for service but something really struck me about seeing her pull into the parking lot in a shiny new sports car. This vehicle fits her personality perfectly. Janet has a fearless personality (she raced cars in the past), is a real go-getter (successful business owner), and she is quite comfortable being the center of attention (always drives a convertible). I realized at that moment that even if I did not know Janet as well as I do I could still make some accurate assumptions about her personality based on the vehicle she was driving.
I did some research on this topic and found there is some basis for linking personality to vehicle type and color. “The Color Answer Book” author Leatrice Eiseman, using DuPont Automotive rankings of the most popular car colors in North America, reveals several personality traits.
If your car is painted one of these hues, you have or are:
Silver: Elegant, loves futuristic looks, cool
White: Fastidious
Vibrant red: Sexy, speedy, high-energy and dynamic
Deep blue-red: Some of the same qualities as red, but you’re far less obvious about it
Taupe or light brown: Timeless, basic and simple tastes
Black: Empowered, not easily manipulated, loves elegance, appreciates classics
Neutral gray: Sober, corporate, practical, pragmatic
Dark green: Traditional, trustworthy, well-balanced
Bright yellow-green: Trendy, whimsical, lively
Yellow-gold: Intelligent, warm, loves comfort and will pay for it
Sunshine yellow: A sunny disposition, joyful and young at heart
Deep brown: Down-to-earth, no-nonsense
Orange: Fun-loving, talkative, fickle and trendy
Deep purple: Creative and individualistic
Of course color is not the only predictor of personality. The actual vehicle you choose to drive can also say a lot about what you are, exude, or care about. A Tennessee consumer psychology consulting firm, The Right Brain People, put together the following list:
What Your Car Says about You
MINIVAN: Nurturing and escape
SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE: Adventure
HUMMER OR OTHER LARGE SUV: Power and control; a “warrior” mentality
HYBRID: Character – doing the right thing. Also, fear of judgment
COMPACT: Deficient in rationality and character
CONVERTIBLE: Freedom and independence
SPORTS CAR: Youthful exuberance, rejuvenation
FOUR-DOOR SEDAN: Practicality and nurturing
FULL-SIZE TRUCK: Power and control
FOUR-DOOR TRUCK: Independence (women)
LEXUS: Status and rejuvenation
MERCEDES-BENZ: Status and power
BMW: Status and control
CORVETTE: Immortality
Dan Vierria, a published author, did some additional research on the topic. According to Dan “we are what we drive.” Some of his research led him to make the following assumptions:
- Hummer: “Safety, and it says someone has the money to afford one. But safety is a major factor.”
- Chevrolet Corvette: “It says, ‘I’m 52 and an appearance buyer.’ They want to be seen and heard.”
- Toyota Prius: “Younger people, between 20 and 40. It seems to be a combination of saving the environment and saving money.”
Whether it’s a stripped-down model like what Fred Flintstone “drove” or a firebreather from “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” Americans are prone to have close, personal relationships with their cars.
An AP-AOL Autos poll conducted earlier this year indicated four of five people felt they could tell “a little” to “a lot” about a driver’s personality from the car he or she drove.
The same study also revealed that 37 percent believe their car has a unique personality. And, 21 percent name their cars. No, not Borat, Oprah or Britney, but Betsy, Blue and Baby. Old Blue is most popular.
Some findings indicate that liberal Democrats are drawn to Volvos and Saabs, while conservative Republicans prefer Buicks and Cadillacs. Green types tend to buy hybrids, like the Prius, and macho men are partial to Chevy Camaros, Pontiac Firebirds, and Ford Mustangs.”
Of course, all personality traits associated with car purchases are open to interpretation. Sam Walton, the late founder of Wal-Mart, drove an old Ford F-150 pickup to work, and billionaire investor Warren Buffet has a 2001 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series with the license plate “THRIFTY.” Who can figure the super rich?
Everest AutoWorks is Delaware’s first and only full service car care facility that caters to the unique needs of women. The entire Everest team is committed to providing its customers with safe, honest, and dependable car care. Everest is located next to Perkins Restaurant at the intersection of Kirkwood Hwy and Possum Park Rd in Newark.
Everest AutoWorks & AutoSpa
690 Kirkwood Hwy
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 737.8424
www.everestautoworks.com
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