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The whole Prius stereotype is ridiculous. Lots of people just buy them because they are cheap to run and reliable. For example, my mom is a physician and doesn't like flashy or expensive cars, but wanted something respectable. A generation ago she probably would have bought a Buick. Today, it's a Prius. There are at least 4-5 other Priuses in the doctor's lot at her hospital.
The first-gen Prius was an early-adopter car. But these days, it's one of the best selling cars in the country, and there's just no way you can generalize about such a huge customer base.
All kinds of folks buy these cars. And after all, haven't you heard the stereotype that guys who drive muscle cars have small penises? What do you think about that one?
I love how people say American muscle is dead, yet you have an affordable Camaro, Mustang, Challenger all with huge power that are faster, better handling, more efficient, and more comfortable than the old muscle cars. They're basically better in every way, except for maybe the x-factor and look of an old car. You also have the Corvette in all its variations from the 430hp base to the 638hp ZR1.
Just the fact you can pick up a C5 Z06 used for around $20k that gives you a lightweight, 405hp supercar totally erases any notion that affordable American performance isn't what it used to be.
We're living in a high point in combustion engineering right now. That will be realized in the future.
The whole Prius stereotype is ridiculous. Lots of people just buy them because they are cheap to run and reliable. For example, my mom is a physician and doesn't like flashy or expensive cars, but wanted something respectable. A generation ago she probably would have bought a Buick. Today, it's a Prius. There are at least 4-5 other Priuses in the doctor's lot at her hospital.
The first-gen Prius was an early-adopter car. But these days, it's one of the best selling cars in the country, and there's just no way you can generalize about such a huge customer base.
All kinds of folks buy these cars. And after all, haven't you heard the stereotype that guys who drive muscle cars have small penises? What do you think about that one?
Werd. Priuses are hardly a granola-eater holdout; at first, yeah, maybe a bit... they were kind of a middle-class-or-above treehugger or tech-geek car, but now, people of all stripes drive them.
I'll even go as far as to say that the newest Prius is somewhat fun as far as compact FWD sedans go, and their interiors aren't half bad either. I never thought I'd say that myself... I had driven the original Prius and the second-gen, and there was nothing fun about them... they just... drove. I wouldn't go as far as to refer to the current gen as an "enthusiast" or "driver's" car, but I don't think of them as the automotive kryptonite that I used to.
People restore and hot rod Fox Body Mustangs as well as contemporary Camaros all the time, and I remember hearing people say the exact same thing about cars in that era.
People are restoring and hotrodding old Toyotas, Hondas, and Datsuns/Nissans from the 70's, 80's, and 90's - which many people never would have imagined would happen. Hell, some people still refuse to believe it's happening...
I wouldn't be surprised if in 40 years, someone will go to work on a 2011 Mustang V6 with a good chassis. Who knows what sort of engine they'll put in it? But, they'll do it...
It didn't seem to long ago that Fox Mustangs and F body Camaros were dime a dozen and I have noticed in recent years, they've come off the road in big numbers.
With my fox mustang(1988), it literally fell apart, despite doing tons of maintenance. It was built as a cheap car and it showed in it's later years. Even before that it had the flaky Ford paint that was recalled. Plus so many of them were hacked up as drag cars.
Really the only way forward for those cars is total restoration, probably to better when they were new. I dropped out of the Mustang scene, in terms of keeping track via magazines, so I don't know how many are restoring such cars, but I notice on ebay, there are not many good examples left.
I've also noticed quite a few people restoring the older Japanese cars, which I never expected.
Well you are right, "masculinity" is a broad term. I'll try to rephrase my posting. Basically you are what you drive. Most people I see driving muscle cars are either driving that car that was cool in their youth, or about having fun and not driving some boring cracker box commuter car, or want to drive something cool that also looks good and/or have the funds to do so.
I've also noticed a number of buff gym rats, that are into body building, driving muscle cars, if not late model American performance cars. If it's not that, it's 4X4 trucks, particularly the lifted ones. You could call it a status symbol if you wanted to. Of course there are exceptions to the rule.
I don't think I could see someone like Lou Ferrigno driving a Prius but won't rule it out either. I could however see someone like Steve Urkel driving a Prius. He's probably less worried about looking cool because he's a nerd anyways and might only see a car as an appliance (similar to most women) plus he's probably more into comic books and action figures anyways.
Bottom line, muscle cars might be 40 years old, they might not be very fuel efficient, they might not have the best handling, but they're just cool to drive, grab people's attention and some actually do not mind if they're not quite up to par with today's cars. Besides....there's older cars that make muscle cars look like major advancements in technology.
To be honest, I don't drive. I don't even have a car. I define myself by my own definition. I know others will try to size me up by what I have, what kind of car I have, etc, but the fact is, I don't think in terms of "you are what you drive". If I am to get a vehicle, it is to be representative of what I like and my tastes, not as a "status" symbol. I think one reason I tend to not care about muscle cars is because of the way I grew up. My youth consisted of riding a bicycle(I never got my drivers license as a youth) and not that much of a social life outside of school and running track. I was(and still am) an intellectual bookworm, so muscle cars were the last thing I worried about. Where I lived, pickup trucks with big wheels were the big status symbol(I went to high school in rural Georgia). I never liked them because they scared me. To me it represented hyper-aggressiveness.
I do notice some gym rats who are into muscle cars. I also notice there are women who are into them. My mother(who grew up in the mid to late 1970s) wants one. I have heard of women who like them. I also notice some men who are slender who like muscle cars and see them as something that attracts women. Personally, my philosophy has been "if a woman can't take me for who I am and for what I like, she can take a hike". I do my own thing.
I have never heard of Lou Ferrigno until you mentioned him. I have heard of The Incredible Hulk, but I didn't know Ferrigno was in it. I have never watched it, just heard of it. I hear of things, but never have any interest in seeing or listening to them. I don't see myself as "Steve Urkel" but more, my own person doing my own thing. I could imagine him driving a Prius. He never really worried that much about what others thought of him. I try not to worry that much either. I could see myself driving a Prius because I look at it this way: "At the end of the day, I have to ask if I'm happy with it. If I'm happy with a Prius, what is the point of getting a muscle car just to look 'cool'"?
You like muscle cars. You're into them. It's your thing.
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