Can you tell a lot about a person by their car?

[Redlyne_mr2]

Thinking about this today and do you think it's true? Can you tell a lot about a person by the car they drive and the condition they keep it in?

I definitely think you can.

[Ferio_vti]

Like how BMW drivers are douchy??

[Orbie]

Maybe, give us some examples of conclusions you come up with when seeing people's cars...

[Skyline_Addict]

Definetely.

Just like how you can get an idea of what a person is like based on how they dress, keep their room tidy and swing a golf club. It's all about perception.

[Masked Bandit]

To some extent I think so. Obviously some people drive what they do due to financial or other circumstances. I guess that somewhat says something about themselves in a roundabout kind of way.

[Abeo]

Its too easy to rely on generalizations... some people just don't give a fuck about what people think of them, and drive what they want to drive, while some people buy a car just for the image it gives, and it could be the same car in both instances.

[ragu]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Can you tell a lot about a person by the car they drive

No


and the condition they keep it in?

Yes

[FraserB]

We need to start posting pics to see what people say.

Not by the type of vehicle but the condition they keep it in. As well as their attitude towards cars, you can tell who just sees it as a means to get around and who is an enthusiast.

[bjstare]

+1 ragu. Condition they keep it in says much more. I drive a 2000 Intrepid when I'm on on the R1, and I hate that thing, just can't justify replacing it right now. And normally when I see intrepid, i think of it as an old man's car. I'm only 22. haha

Edit: **NOT on the R1

[scary_perry]

You can tell I am a miserable fucker by looking at my 'red' 2006 Maxima. I hate that thing. So I never wash the bird poop off.

[Mibz]

Absolutely not. Of course there will be stereotypes but until you know the conditions of why somebody bought a car you can't tell a thing about them.

The condition of the car says equally little, though the stereotypes tend to be truer. There are an infinite number of reasons that a car could be clean and well maintained, many of them having nothing to do with the owner.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by ragu


No



Yes


Agreed.

I bought a beater of a car for winter when I first moved to Winnipeg and I'm still driving it now. Only the passenger side wiper works...the entire front end has about 2" of play and I haven't done an oil change ever... hahaha it's like a little experiment for me, to see how long I can drive the car for. It's actually surprising me. I expected it to die months ago. The wife HATES going anywhere in it... she refuses to drive it. It's pretty funny.

One would assume by seeing me driving this car that I'm poor, which is not the case. So no, I don't think you can judge everybody by the car they drive, but I'm sure it does apply for some people.

Hippies rockin' the old VWs.... you know, the usual stereotypes.

[2EFNFAST]

Originally posted by Jlude

One would assume by seeing me driving this car that I'm poor, which is not the case.

*cough* poor person *cough*

:)

[FraserB]

What about this?

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/fraserbrown1986/DSCF0699.jpg

[AE92_TreunoSC]

I have a nice car and a not-so-nice truck, but both are always kept clean and free of clutter, I could care less what people think of me in either, but I like compliments on my cleanliness.

[XylathaneGTR]

Nope, you sure can't.
However, some people believe you can and make their purchases according to some standard stereotypes...but when it really comes down to it...The car that a person drives (and the condition in which they keep it) really don't say much about the person.

You can generalize if you like...but I do actually know of a BMW owner or two who aren't (!!) giant douche bags.

[psycoticclown]

I think you can. Here's some examples:

Guy in a new Beetle... what do you think :dunno:
Guy in a lifted truck with massive exhaust stacks and tapout sticker... what do you think :dunno:

Now yeah, some people may not be what you think they are, but I think most of the time, what they drive and my perception of the person are pretty correct.

For instance, I can tell an enthusiast from a ricer, for example, 2 guys driving a civic, one clean civic with some aftermarket rims, maybe a subtle aftermarket body kit versus some guy with a massive fart can that hangs down and dangles as he drives, body kit that's not painted, with the hood spraybombed and a massive spoiler and some stickers. One obviously is a giant tool.

I think it comes down to if the car is aftermarket or not. If I see a young guy driving something like a 05 Kia Rio, they probably don't care too much about cars and want to pick up something that works well for cheap, versus a young guy driving a Mazdaspeed 3 or a JCW Mini Cooper S. And I think it's true, most of my friends that don't drive super "nice" cars don't give 2 shits about cars too whereas the one's that are driving something nicer or constantly modifying their cars are always talking about cars. And by that, you can tell what some of their passions in life are.

Just like how you can walk down a street and just by the type of clothing and the company they are with, you can tell what the person is into. Dark black clothes with long hair and makeup? Goth. Ed Hardys shirt, frosted tips? Guidos. And the list goes on. Cars are the same thing too.

[bashir26]

I remember reading in a magazine back in 2000 that the owner of amazon.com drove a Honda Accord....he was a billionaire.

I don't know what he drives know, but that just shows you that you can't tell alot by a person by what they drive (financially speaking).

[03ozwhip]

i think its bullshit. i do drive a gangbanger mobile and have a full sleeve tattoo and a whack load more and no one looks at me. im a nice guy unless you make me not be one and everyone thinks just because i drive what i do and the tattoos, im a gangbanger and ill shoot them, which isnt always the case(lol), but for the most part im a nice guy! sterotypes are a bitch

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by bashir26
I remember reading in a magazine back in 2000 that the owner of amazon.com drove a Honda Accord....he was a billionaire.

I don't know what he drives know, but that just shows you that you can't tell alot by a person by what they drive (financially speaking).

Founder of Ikea, drives his what, 1985 Volve station wagon.....

But that just relates to rich guys being cheap, or maybe that's what they LIKE to drive, it's who they are... I understood the topic just the same as how people dress themsevles. (i.e. you see rich contruction/concrete owners wearing Mark's work)

[shadowz]

Really depends it can go both ways. Some people like to pose and floss something they know nothing about. But on the otherhand there are the true enthusiasts. And then there is the Ed Hardy jockin, 325i rockin hardcores lol

[5hift]

Originally posted by TomcoPDR



But that just relates to rich guys being cheap, or maybe that's what they LIKE to drive, it's who they are... I understood the topic just the same as how people dress themsevles. (i.e. you see rich contruction/concrete owners wearing Mark's work)

A lot of rich guys just don't care as well. My neighbor growing up was self made filthy rich. Owned a O&G company and several other businesses. Lives in a mansion out in Springbank that is by at least 2X, the biggest house on my parents block. Had so much expensive furniture that most of it was in storage and every few months his wife would rotate it around. Look at his landscaping and you can see he dropped a couple hundred K easy.

Despite that he has always driven around in minivans, worn plain white t's/jeans, zero effort to clean up. As Sputnik already mentioned earlier, the guys that look rich, usually aren't.

[Jlude]

A friend and owner of a couple large steel fabrication companies in Calgary would drive his 4yr old chev truck to work, wearing old work jeans with rips and holes, an old pair of steel toe boots and an old wind river sweater. Anyone coming in to meet him for the first time often thought they were being pranked by this guy coming up to them saying he was the owner.

He could care less about what people thought, I know for sure the one company I worked for made him 5mil profit and he owned several for many years.

This guy just didn't like flashing what he had to anyone. He had an acreage out in strathmore with an airplane hanger for a garage with a full dirt bike track on his land, 30 something dirtbikes a ton of old muscle cars and a couple modernized muscle cars (chip foose type) and then he had a bunch of new cars.

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by 5hift


A lot of rich guys just don't care as well. My neighbor growing up was self made filthy rich. Owned a O&G company and several other businesses. Lives in a mansion out in Springbank that is by at least 2X, the biggest house on my parents block. Had so much expensive furniture that most of it was in storage and every few months his wife would rotate it around. Look at his landscaping and you can see he dropped a couple hundred K easy.

Despite that he has always driven around in minivans, worn plain white t's/jeans, zero effort to clean up. As Sputnik already mentioned earlier, the guys that look rich, usually aren't.

Yeah, driving through springbank, the slopes, Pump Hill, Mount Royal (etc etc) is quite an eye opener. I know some people are STUPDILY well off such as this one couple drives around in a rusty green Aerostar. :dunno:

Some people just dont care what they drive, but only a fool would honestly judge them from that alone.

[KrisYYC]

A lot of rich people got to where they are by being frugal with their money so they could invest in businesses, real estate etc. Taking out car loan after car loan probably wouldn't have helped them when they were starting out.

[TorqueDog]

I can tell a lot about a person by what condition they keep their car in.

What car they drive, not likely.

I saw a bright orange 350Z being driven by an old white-haired grandma. I have a hard time believing anyone who can conjure up a stereotype for a 350Z owner is going to be able to pin it on the old lady.

[psycoticclown]

Originally posted by 5hift


A lot of rich guys just don't care as well. My neighbor growing up was self made filthy rich. Owned a O&G company and several other businesses. Lives in a mansion out in Springbank that is by at least 2X, the biggest house on my parents block. Had so much expensive furniture that most of it was in storage and every few months his wife would rotate it around. Look at his landscaping and you can see he dropped a couple hundred K easy.

Despite that he has always driven around in minivans, worn plain white t's/jeans, zero effort to clean up. As Sputnik already mentioned earlier, the guys that look rich, usually aren't.


Originally posted by Graham_A_M


Yeah, driving through springbank, the slopes, Pump Hill, Mount Royal (etc etc) is quite an eye opener. I know some people are STUPDILY well off such as this one couple drives around in a rusty green Aerostar. :dunno:

Some people just dont care what they drive, but only a fool would honestly judge them from that alone.


Originally posted by KrisYYC
A lot of rich people got to where they are by being frugal with their money so they could invest in businesses, real estate etc. Taking out car loan after car loan probably wouldn't have helped them when they were starting out.

See, I do think that you can tell something by what they drive though. Stupidly rich people who don't drive something nice and drive what "normal" people drive tells me that they don't care what they drive, they don't care what other people think of them and that they like to spend their money wisely, which is why they are where they are today. Plus they probably don't care too much about cars.

And I think that's quite a bit of information. Now that information might not always be correct, but I find that it's correct about 95% of the time.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Yah I think I agree with you guys when you say the condition they keep their car in rather than the actual car however if you think about it the type of car they have could still tell you about what kind of person they are.

If you think about someone with lots of money who drives a modest car then you could say they're frugal and don't care about image. On the other hand if the car is a huge mess, in poor shape you could say their lazy and don't take very good care of themselves or their car.

On the other hand my roomate in University was a huge car guy, reminded me of Top Gear's James May but all he could afford at the time was a nissan sentra. Strangely enough he did eventually sell that car and buy an Alfa Romeo 164 lol.

[Abeo]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Yah I think I agree with you guys when you say the condition they keep their car in rather than the actual car however if you think about it the type of car they have could still tell you about what kind of person they are.

If you think about someone with lots of money who drives a modest car then you could say they're frugal and don't care about image. On the other hand if the car is a huge mess, in poor shape you could say their lazy and don't take very good care of themselves or their car.

On the other hand my roomate in University was a huge car guy, reminded me of Top Gear's James May but all he could afford at the time was a nissan sentra. Strangely enough he did eventually sell that car and buy an Alfa Romeo 164 lol.

90% of my car enthusiast friends have absolutely plain daily drivers, which don't look any different from any other car on the road... one guy has a $200 shitbox that leaks oil like crazy, but he built and drives a 400 hp 240sx on the weekend. Another has a mint jag in the garage, another has a 997, another has a supercharged nsx. You would never know from looking at their dailies (or the clothes they wear). Maybe its because I don't hang around attention whores....

[max_boost]

Can't really draw too many conclusions but I think it definitely applies to a certain extent. It's an image right? By dressing/acting in a certain way or in this case, driving a certain car, how clean it is, how often you wash it, attention to detail, that's probably how you want others to perceive you. :dunno:

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by max_boost
Can't really draw too many conclusions but I think it definitely applies to a certain extent. It's an image right? By dressing/acting in a certain way or in this case, driving a certain car, how clean it is, how often you wash it, attention to detail, that's probably how you want others to perceive you. :dunno:

yes yes we all know ur a true baller :bigpimp:

[JordanAndrew]

Originally posted by TomcoPDR


yes yes we all know ur a true baller :bigpimp:

+25. Damn you Sam.. DAMN YOU! haha!

[B4tMan]

Can you tell a lot about a person by their car? Not at all.

[Spoons]

Originally posted by B4tMan
Can you tell a lot about a person by their car? Not at all.

Exactly.

I drive a 91 88... My taste in cars? Not really. Would I drive something else? Fuck no.

That car is the most comfortable thing I have ever driven, and has low KMs. Cars tell nothing about a person, it is simply a lot of the time what is convenient for them at the time.

If everyone drove their dream cars, maybe, but we don't live in a society that allows for that.