What Made You Pick THAT Car?

I drive a Hyundai Elantra. This morning as I was parking my car, I saw L-Train’s car in the parking lot and noted it was a Mazda 626 sedan. Knowing L-Train, I just don’t envision her going to a used car lot and decided that she wanted a Mazda 626 sedan. So what made her pick that car?

This morning on the way to work I pulled up behind a brand new BMW X3. It had the “new car” temporary tags on it. I thought, “Who would be buying such a luxury SUV in this economy?” When I drove past him moments later, I saw it was a very ordinary middle-aged man. Not the type I’d see in a luxury SUV like that.

I’m not a car junkie (although I do love “Top Gear” on BBC), but I dream of the day when I can buy the car I want (a Mini Cooper) versus driving the car I can afford right now (Hyundai Elantra). I feel more like a Mini Cooper person than I do a Hyundai Elantra person. So in a number of years, when I no longer require car seats for the kiddies, I may pull into a dealership that sell used cars and ask for a nice sporty used Cooper (I rarely buy brand new cars – in fact, this Elantra is the first brand new car I ever bought). I’ll do all my research and find out which year is best for the Cooper and aim to get that specific one.

Auto123.com is a good website for car reviews and articles. Kind of like the Canadian version of “Car and Driver” magazine online. They are even running a promotion right now where you can evaluate your car to help grow the website and in turn be entered into a contest to win a vacation to Daytona for the Daytona 500. Nice prize for the true car lovers out there!

Anyway, I just find it interesting to see what kind of people drive certain cars. I don’t picture soccer moms in Smart Fortwos, and I don’t picture young urban lawyers in Volvo Sportswagons. But you never know – there may be some of those types out there. Do you feel you “match” your car? If not, what kind of car do you envision yourself having if you could have any car you want? And don’t go crazy and say, “Oh, I’d get a fire engine red Maybach!” I’m talking REAL LIFE cars here. As in you wouldn’t mind parking it in your driveway, and you’d drive it to and from work or the local mall.