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Women have much more money today and disposable income as well. As the gender gap closes you are seeing their relative consumption levels changes and adjust to their taste and preferences.
I think most families view it as important to have at least one solid reliable vehicle in the family and for the most part women are toting around the kids in that safe vehicle.
My wife drives the 2017 JeeP while I tool around in my 17 year old truck and her 17 year old Wrangler.
We use her new Jeep for our business and road trips.
As far as new cars go this isn't what the data shows. I work as an analyst for an automaker and can tell you that the majority of new car purchasers are still male. I will concede that some of these could be husbands buying a car in their names for their wives.
I can speak to my personal situation which might be widespread. My wife is at home with the kids and drives them to school, appointments, etc. I am the one who goes to work every day. We use our newer and nicer vehicle for family duty so my wife is usually the one driving it. Since it's only me going to and from work I don't care that I have the older less appealing vehicle. I want my wife and kids riding around in the newer, safer, nicer vehicle.
I think most families view it as important to have at least one solid reliable vehicle in the family and for the most part women are toting around the kids in that safe vehicle.
That's how it is for my family. The wife gets the 2017 vehicle to drive herself and the kids around in. She's the type that would drive on grinding brakes for 3 months and not say a word until I take the car for a spin and notice it. Therefore, she gets the car that should require the least maintenance.
As for what other people buy...none of my business as to what they do with their money or how they justify it
Most women use cars like appliances so they don't have to fix them often or maintain them. There's nothing wrong with that if you're not skilled or knowledgeable with cars then buy a new or used with service and warranty.
I often have to remind myself to do the fluids and filters so it's not easy for women who don't like to do these dirty work.
It has less to do with income. I make a good salary but I refuse to pay for new car.
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.
Oh, geeze.
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Originally Posted by Ziggy100
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.
That's what I've figured out, too. I only drove paid-off vehicles for a long time. It seemed like I was always paying for one repair or another. Maybe if I knew how to work on cars myself, it wouldn't be so expensive. But for me, I'd rather pay a modest monthly car payment on a newer vehicle that isn't going to need as many repairs. At least it's a known cost, like you mentioned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dijkstra
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.
It's usually men who are 40+ that I see driving sports cars, big and expensive pickup trucks, muscle cars, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SWFL_Native
Women have much more money today and disposable income as well. As the gender gap closes you are seeing their relative consumption levels changes and adjust to their taste and preferences.
Yup.
I just think things are so different for women now. So many of us aren't spending our 20s and 30s at home taking care of babies. We actually have our own incomes to pay for cars. Many of us aren't relying on men to take care of us anymore.
A working woman who needs a reliable car to get to work each day doesn't want to drive a beater that she's going to have to take to the shop all the time or that's going to leave her stranded.
And who wants to be the "nag" who has to beg our husbands to fix our cars for us when we can buy our own cars that we can count on? And that's for women who are married...many get married later or not at all.
As far as new cars go this isn't what the data shows. I work as an analyst for an automaker and can tell you that the majority of new car purchasers are still male. I will concede that some of these could be husbands buying a car in their names for their wives.
I can speak to my personal situation which might be widespread. My wife is at home with the kids and drives them to school, appointments, etc. I am the one who goes to work every day. We use our newer and nicer vehicle for family duty so my wife is usually the one driving it. Since it's only me going to and from work I don't care that I have the older less appealing vehicle. I want my wife and kids riding around in the newer, safer, nicer vehicle.
Also males are statistically more likely to own more than one car, even when single many guys who own newer cars also have an old "backup" car or a "project" car. when I was in my mid 20's(back in 94) I briefly sold cars at a "tote da note" that had old junker cars for sale in the back of the lot, I sold a lot of those to 40somthing guys who would see something back there and say"hey I had one of those in highschool/college!!!!!" and I would make a quick $400- $800 sale it was usually some 60's-70's muscle car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Checkered24
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.
yes more women AND men have newer cars, but why is it only men have older cars? a man who does not make much money will drive a beater so he can still afford to have a life, a woman who makes the same amount will saddle herself with a car payment that she can't afford to do anything else on or ride the bus or get rides until she can afford a vehicle made in the last ten years.
I would say most women are a practical bunch, choosing comfortable, safe and reliable vehicles that also express a certain style they like but I am a bit fascinated by the numbers of women who have no qualms ponying up the $20-50k+ upcharge for premium performance marques, sometimes even choosing the ultra-high performance version- M; AMG; RS models when they rarely if ever would utilize or even approach the capabilities of that vehicle.
Obviously there are some women who enjoy driving enthusiastically but I mostly see a bunch of Porsche Macan/Cayenne GTS/Turbos, AMG 63s, and M BMWs blithely driven around by women as if they are Prius V's. Rarely if ever are you going to see a women accelerating briskly out of a corner with a big smile on her face and entering into a lane safely getting quickly up to the flow if that requires aggressive acceleration. And show me a high performance car unnecessarily applying its brakes at the very hint of every clear corner or turn it encounters regardless of the completely innocuous safe pace with which it could easily complete that maneuver and I'll show you a women driving it.
I get that anybody should be able choose and drive any vehicle they want but it's just kind of sad to see all that great engineering go to waste and why pay all that extra money if you are never going to enjoy it? Because it make you look "sporty"?
I will get flayed for this but there is a certain truth to my words.
Last edited by T. Damon; 10-12-2018 at 11:04 AM..
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