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It is very simple. When I was married for years, I ALWAYS kept my wife in the best car in the family. I also never drove her car because she kept it spotless and I am not that good at keeping mine clean. I simply wanted her to be able to drive a nice car, a safe car, so that I never caught the heat from her when something went wrong.
We men might not mind tinkering with our cars to keep them alive, but most women simply want to jump in and get there with no problems.
It is very simple. When I was married for years, I ALWAYS kept my wife in the best car in the family. I also never drove her car because she kept it spotless and I am not that good at keeping mine clean. I simply wanted her to be able to drive a nice car, a safe car, so that I never caught the heat from her when something went wrong.
We men might not mind tinkering with our cars to keep them alive, but most women simply want to jump in and get there with no problems.
And I understand that old mentality among married couples, and I understand why highschool and college aged females have newer cars(fathers are more likely to buy their daughters going off to school a new or newer car than their sons), but how does that explain single adult women 25 - 60ish?
Most women handle more child related duties and would theoretically be in more danger to themselves and their family in the event of a breakdown/wreck. Therefore, I’d say a lot of families prioritize the mother/wife driving the newer vehicle.
Single women probably drive newer cars because many HATE to tinker with a vehicle and want to make sure they have one that runs perfectly so they trade it in with relatively low miles. I know some women that skimp on routine maintenance like oil changes (maybe every 20k miles instead of every 5-10k like the manufacture calls for), but they easily get by because they trade it in for a newer car before it reaches 100k miles. For most new cars you could probably drive 90k miles only doing 2-3 oil changes and NOTHING else...plus get book value on a trade in because if the car looks good who will really know it hasn’t been maintained by the book? Rinse and repeat every 4-5 years. Yeah, that means a constant car payment but doing “stuff” to a car is something they will rarely have to do...which also means avoiding mechanics that can rip them off. A vehicle is truly an appliance with none of the emotional strings (my “baby”) that men get caught up in.
Last edited by eddiehaskell; 10-11-2018 at 11:32 PM..
I see a lot of people that simply look at that payment/how much they make and buy the newer prettier car if they can make the payment (be it $199 or $399). There’s no eye to the future like hey, if I drive this well worn/well maintained car for 200k+ miles I can really save some money. And of course women often have the luxury of finding a man that makes more money so long term finances may not be something they worry about as much. What’s one of the qualities women rank near the top — does he have a good job? For men you could say “is she pretty” far outranks all the provider stuff. Or course some men do a good job of appearing to have more than they really do, but that’s how it goes.
Here in Montana, the average woman does not drive a car. We have been leaders in going from cars to SUVs and 4 door pickups. Go to any parking lot and over 75% of vehicles will be a SUV or pickup. No sissy little cars for the ladies here. As a state of almost 1,000,000 people we have second highest car deer accidents in the country (1.5 million a year nationally) we don't go for those dinky little cars when a deer jumps in front of you and slides up the hood and crashes through the windshield often killing people in the front seat.
The smart ones want additional protection, and install deer guards. When a deer is killed by deer auto crash, average repair bill $8,000 without guard. With guard a trip through the car wash, to get rid of blood and guts. Also a lot of protection in other wrecks.
I see a lot of people that simply look at that payment/how much they make and buy the newer prettier car if they can make the payment (be it $199 or $399). There’s no eye to the future like hey, if I drive this well worn/well maintained car for 200k+ miles I can really save some money. And of course women often have the luxury of finding a man that makes more money so long term finances may not be something they worry about as much. What’s one of the qualities women rank near the top — does he have a good job? For men you could say “is she pretty” far outranks all the provider stuff. Or course some men do a good job of appearing to have more than they really do, but that’s how it goes.
All cars cost something even if it’s paid off. The $199 is a known cost. Random transmission and engine failures on a busted old car are surprise cost (and surprise strandings). Eventually you will have to cough up money for another car anyway.
It’s like buying groceries. It’s a perpetual cost forever.
Men are equally driving newer and more reliable vehicles too. This is not a "women" thing, but a "society" thing.
That said, a vehicle's serviceable life is a lot longer now too. Cars do not wear out mechanically in 100K miles anymore, or rust out after 5 years. So cars that would appear to be a clunker 20 or 30 years ago would appear to be a newer, decent vehicle today.
The answer is basically two parts. The first is women are afraid of breaking down and you can't blame them. However, cars are far more reliable than they used to be so the are reliable a lot longer than just 3 or 4 years. The second part is women, especially younger women, think of cars as status symbols so they want to get a new one every 3 to 4 years. Some guys do this too, especially younger. It isn't until later, usually in their 40's that they realize nobody really cares what car you drive. When you stop at a red light and you think people are looking at you because of the car you are driving, they are actually looking at the car and thinking they like it or don't like it. You could both go in the same store 5 minutes later and they would not recognize you from being the driver of the car they were looking at up the road at a red light.
It is sort of funny how people stay in debt up to their eyeballs on cars trying to project a status. On the other side of that is the self made millionaires that built wealth by not throwing money away and often drive the same vehicle for 10 years or more.
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