What Does Your Car Say About You?

‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is an age-old saying. But can we resist? The physical appearance and image that someone projects to the world conveys a certain impression or idea about that person. Even if such impressions prove to be wrong, the car you drive can form part of the image that you project to the wider world. We’ve all heard the stereotypes – hippies driving VW’s, Volvo owners being bad drivers and red sport cars being a favourite of those in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Stereotypes aside, however, there are certain car characteristics that influence your image and the impression that others get about you:

Colour. Colours can be symbolic and highly emotive, and it’s no different when it comes to the colour of your car. It’s been said that drivers of red cars usually have bold, high-energy characters; silver car drivers are often cool, calm and collected; and black cars can symbolise determination, an edgy character or elegance. Drivers of white cars, on the other hand, are thought to be serious, safety conscious and pragmatic.

Make. Certain car manufacturers have developed certain reputations that are transferred onto their drivers. As mentioned before, many of these are stereotypes that may be far from the truth, but others are related to the car company profile. A recent market research survey based in America found that Honda drivers are the antithesis of flashy. They are pragmatic, practical and care about safety and functionality. Jeeps, on the other hand, are associated with fun loving, adventurous spirits and the large and domineering Hummers are widely agreed to be driven by attention seeking, statement making individuals who don’t care about the environment!Style. The model and make of the car you drive also reveals certain things about your personality. Smaller, fuel efficient vehicles can represent one of two character traits – either you are economically frugal looking to save on petrol and running costs, or you are environmentally conscious looking to reduce your ecological footprint. Those who drive sedans are usually conservative and practical, driving medium sized car for family functionality and comfort. The simple sedan can imply simple tastes. SUV’s (the car trend of the decade) can reflect a desire from the driver to appear as just that – trendy. Usually only older style SUV’s – such as a used Land Rover or those splattered with dirt will reflect that the driver is athletic and using the vehicle for what it was made for – as a sports utility vehicle!

Of course, such images are purely that – just images, and don’t necessarily speak the truth as to the nature or character of the driver. But it’s an interesting idea to take into consideration when choosing your next car. What do you want it to say about you? If you’re a practical, pragmatic person, for example, a trip to a Sydney Honda dealership will get you a car that speaks for you!