cars and age myths. (luxury, vehicle, auto, GTR)

[nycjowww]

Where do people get the idea that a car is made for young or old people? when in reality car manufactures do not even label their cars for a certain age group...

Also younger people tend to like customizing/tuning/hooking up their cars so doesnt that automatically make any car they receive look a bit younger minded since a older person wouldn't waste time hooking up their car??

last but not least it seems as if in society the cars that are considered "young minded" are cars young people cant even afford, and that speaking on cars like lambo, ferraris, gtr etc. HMMM can a young minded person even afford a Mitsubishi evo easily?, or even a Nissan 370z??

[hensleya1]

Originally Posted by nycjowww

Where do people get the idea that a car is made for young or old people? when in reality car manufactures do not even label their cars for a certain age group...

Hi nycjoww--

As much as I would love to tool around in a Corvette (and it may still be on my bucket list), I simply can't afford it. The only guys that can afford one are people in their 40's-50's - just the age that 'vette drivers are perceived to be (midlife and all that stuff.)

I find that a lot of 'old people rides' - Oldsmobiles, Buick Park Avenue's, Cadillac Brougham's, etc. - often finish their lives in the ghetto, sporting wheels that are probably worth more than the car. (And they're usually driven by younger guys by this point.)

Likewise with mostly younger people in Honda Civic's.

I don't think it's so much a perception issue as much of a generation issue.

Few people my age (23) would seriously consider buying a Chevy Cavalier or Ford Taurus when they can find a comparable-year Camry or Civic, because of proven reliability issues and cost of maintenance. I figure I have some standing to make this statement because by the time we've gotten to our early 20's, most of us have finally junked our first cars and bought something that we wanted. (I'm on my third car, personally.)

In fact, racking my brains of all the cars of my immediate circle of friends:

Buick Park Avenue (1)
Chevy 1500 (1)
Chevy Cavalier (1)
Dodge Grand Caravan (1)
Ford Focus (1)
Ford Mustang (1)
Honda Civic (2)
Honda Insight (1)
Mazda 626 (1)
Pontiac Grand Prix (1)
Pontiac GTO (1)
Subaru Impreza (1)
Toyota Corolla (3)
Toyota Camry (4)
Toyota Prius (2)
Toyota RAV4 (1)
Toyota Sienna (1)

Although hardly scientific, Japanese cars outnumber domestics at least 2 to 1 on that list. I personally was soured on GM's reputation as a kid and the UAW bailout did little to help that opinion. I would never trust a GM car as a daily driver again.

The recession that we've been in has permanently addled the economic outlook of many people my age who have become convinced that the economy will remain permanently bad - and may never spend at the same levels that older people do. That includes even those I know that have found "big boy" and "big girl" jobs - they still pinch pennies despite making decent salaries.

One friend is a practicing attorney and he still drives around in his '97 Corolla with at least 180k. He says he won't replace it until the wheels fall off. No point in spending money to replace something if it isn't broke.

So, to sum up - cars aren't really bound by an 'age myth' but rather an 'age mindset'. Only older folk have the $ to blow on a 'vette, and most younger folk today prefer something that doesn't burn a quart of oil every fifty miles.

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

There are many factors at play but there is a definite focus in auto manufacturers marketing departments to make vehicles appealing to particular age, gender and wealth groups. A vehicle is never released to market to a blank target audience. Well before a vehicle hits the dealership the auto manufacturer has already set sales targets in various categories of individuals. The reasons are plenty but generally there is no jack of all trades vehicle. There are qualities in a vehicle I will appreciate at age sixty that I may not appreciate now at age 25 (consider my bone jarring suspension setup for one).

[MrRational]

Ever see an old man try to get into a Miata? or even a Porsche?

[harhar]

Originally Posted by iTsLiKeAnEgG

There are many factors at play but there is a definite focus in auto manufacturers marketing departments to make vehicles appealing to particular age, gender and wealth groups. A vehicle is never released to market to a blank target audience. Well before a vehicle hits the dealership the auto manufacturer has already set sales targets in various categories of individuals. The reasons are plenty but generally there is no jack of all trades vehicle. There are qualities in a vehicle I will appreciate at age sixty that I may not appreciate now at age 25 (consider my bone jarring suspension setup for one).

It's all marketing.

In BMW ads they show attractive singles.

In Lexus ads they show young looking 30-something yuppie couples. ---> especially in the December ads.

In Honda and Chevy commercials they show hip but conservative younger people.

Lincoln has John Slaterly (Mad Men; think of what he represents) in their commercials.

Mercedes has Jon Hamm (same as above) doing their VO for commercials.

Scion appeals to youth with viral videos, social media and drifting.

I could go on.

Cars that don't really have advertising, advertise themselves, like the Z or to a greater degree a Lambo. With the former some young kids buy them but usually it's older male, empty nesters, and Lambos are sold to whoever could afford them.

[nycjowww]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Ever see an old man try to get into a Miata? or even a Porsche?

Porsche yes.

[nycjowww]

it just hit me because i see young people talk about cars they cant afford at all while older people talk about cars they can buy plenty of.

[iTsLiKeAnEgG]

Originally Posted by nycjowww

Porsche yes.

I haven't seen too many seventy year old men in Porsches.

[SpeedyAZ]

Originally Posted by iTsLiKeAnEgG

I haven't seen too many seventy year old men in Porsches.

Really?! There's a huge Porsche club in the Phoenix area and I went to a couple of the events they put on...quite a few older gentlemen (50's, 60's, 70's) who are into both new and vintage Porsche's. A lot of older guys seem to prefer the classic 911's over the newer ones though.

So, to sum up - cars aren't really bound by an 'age myth' but rather an 'age mindset'. Only older folk have the $ to blow on a 'vette, and most younger folk today prefer something that doesn't burn a quart of oil every fifty miles.

Not necessarily, plenty of younger adults have money to spend on vehicles but instead of a Corvette, they buy a BMW M3/Chevy Camaro/Porsche/etc. I'm 31 nearing 32 and have an '08 Corvette convertible that I purchased pre-owned. Could I have bought a brand new one? Not without financing it for a couple years. A used 'Vette with low miles can be a wonderful bargain especially when the majority of the original owners are older guys who drive the vehicle twice a week and baby the car like none other.

Every car is marketed toward a certain demographic with some vehicles having more cross-appeal than others. A good example of this would be something like the new Kia Optima's or Honda Accord's where buyers range anywhere from younger adults to families with kids to retirees...quite a bit of cross appeal in these type of sedans. Vehicles with very little cross-appeal would be basically any minivan or the large luxury vehicles (LS460/S550/A8/etc).

When selling a brand-new vehicle, a manufacturer knows who's most likely to purchase it, but on the used market, there's a much wider array of individuals who can look at vehicles they couldn't afford new. That new $50K BMW can be $25K-$30k in as little as three years making it appeal to a much wider audience.

[nycjowww]

Originally Posted by iTsLiKeAnEgG

I haven't seen too many seventy year old men in Porsches.

not 70 but ive seen older men 40+ with porsche before plenty of times. Also for some strange reason the porsche cayenne seems to be very popular in the ghettos of nyc with young black males.