[appuchan]

Does the cars people own/drive denote their character?

I have been trying to do some analysis of the car owners and see if the car they own can help me get an idea of their character.

Here is my initial round of findings. Though it doesnt prove their character yet, I think I am able to 'kind of' slot them into different categories. Request your help in refining and adding to this list.

For example,

Optra owners are characterised by their desire to look "sophisticated", and also want to appear as not "too cost conscious" by making statements like "I have never checked my cars mileage".

Swift owners are generally young themselves or atleast young at mind with a desire to "look different, cool and sporty" (even though the car is as common as HH Splendour in Bangy),

Indica owners are generally very cost conscious and practical and believe that cars are for "saving money", not for showing off. They are generally in the opposite pole of Optra guys.

M800 owners are the ones who are least affected by "peer pressure" at the same time believing that they have the best car in the road.

Scorpio owners are generally aggressive and think they deserve some special position in the road and feels slight towards other 'smaller ones' around.

Innova owners are generally financially very sound but at the same time quite practical by not following the general trend towards other better looking vehicles. They are also claustrophobic, in general.

NHC owners are the ones who is clearly affected by the 'peer pressure' bug and believes that they are a "class above" (courtesy the big 'H') the rest inspite of owning one of the least secure, lowest powered, not so good looking vehicle in 7-10 lacs range.

Santro owners, hmm, need help here....

[theMAG]

Nice topic. Its true that cars reflect their owner's personality. But not the cars alone, but also the color of the car. Combine these 2 and and an even interesting distillation of the owners' personalities arise !

[amitoj]

Maybe its related maybe its not.
But here is something i observed when i drove to Hyderabad some time back and when i drove to Kodai recently.
Somehow, on the way to Hyd, i saw more Ford Escorts than ever in my lifetime.
Same thing on the way to Kodai, except this time it was Fiat Uno!

[appuchan]

Ford Escorts, Lancers, Skodas, all represent people with similar mindset, but over three generations. Kerala is a good example of the popularity of these models, where the neo-rich class, mainly on Gulf money, splurges it on huge bungalows and "foreign looking" cars.

I agree that some people buy the later two models for their 'technical brilliance' also. But thats a minority.

I have lived in Kodambakkam in Chennai for about 3-4 years between 97-00 and have seen quite of lot of the above cars mainly owned by movie personalities like actors, actresses etc. Most of them also fall in the 'neo-rich' class and clearly wants to show off.

Fiat cars, I have not seen many in Bangy roads, so not able to really assess their owners.

Mag, yea the colors also determine personalities. But then I really dont see many colors other than silver, gold/beige or black in roads nowadays. Earlier when Palio was lauched there was a refreshing change. But now there seems to be very few of them left.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Cost is a factor even if you consciously want to express yourself through your car. I may well be very flamboyant and might want to own a Porsche but my pocket permits only an 800 - this is very often the case. Another problem is - most cars in India are made with the corporate executive in mind - either young or old. Therefore even if you want a rough and tough vehicle with high dependability and comfort factor you might be forced to choose the Esteem (like in my case).
I think driving style is also a reflection of your character and your state of mind (we drive faster when we are in a euphoric state of mind and slow when we are sad etc).
And driving style of entire cities varies from city to city. I always try to anticipate in advance what that other driver might do and I find it difficult to do it in other cities - particularly in Delhi. I am sure outsiders in Kolkata find it difficult to anticipate our cabbies and private buses.
Sudipto


Sudipto

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by appuchan

...I have been trying to do some analysis of the car owners and see if the car they own can help me get an idea of their character.

Good start. I doubt whether you can generalize. Most important criteria while buying a car is budget. If I have budget for Optra will I buy Indica?

NHC owners are the ones who is clearly affected by the 'peer pressure' bug and believes that they are a "class above" (courtesy the big 'H') the rest..

Here is why I ended up with NHC: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...bin-noise.html

...inspite of owning one of the least secure, lowest powered, not so good looking vehicle in 7-10 lacs range.

Safety: I dont agree NHC is the least secure. Agreed that airbags/ABS are missing (as of now), but its safe: Honda City: Safety: Overview
Power: Acceleration is not abrupt - its linear. Except this I am never at loss for power
Looks: From side, top, rear NHC is the best looking sporty sedan in its segment. Honda could have done a better looking bonnet. I guess they sacrificed it for aerodynamics & safety.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Good start. I doubt whether you can generalize. Most important criteria while buying a car is budget. If I have budget for Optra will I buy Indica?

I agree. Budget is an important consideration. You can probably do this analsys within each segment (range of budgets).

You might find this thread worth reading:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ar-market.html

[owaiskm]

What do u think abt people who own Ford Ikon's?

[appuchan]

[quote=msdivy;475900]Good start. I doubt whether you can generalize. Most important criteria while buying a car is budget. If I have budget for Optra will I buy Indica?[quote]

Thanks msd. I am not trying to generalize to a large level. Its only an attempt. In fact, based on the above, I could correctly guess what car some of my colleagues owned.

Yes budget decides your car. But budget itself need not be related your financial capability or for that matter character/attitude etc. I know many people who can afford a Corolla/Optra still buying Santro/Indica. So the first criteria is need, then comes the money part.

Here is why I ended up with NHC: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...bin-noise.html Safety: I dont agree NHC is the least secure. Agreed that airbags/ABS are missing (as of now), but its safe: Honda City: Safety: Overview
Power: Acceleration is not abrupt - its linear. Except this I am never at loss for power
Looks: From side, top, rear NHC is the best looking sporty sedan in its segment. Honda could have done a better looking bonnet. I guess they sacrificed it for aerodynamics & safety.

Let me inform you that the characteristics I mentioned above may not apply to enthusiasts like we tbhpians. Here we threadbare all available options and take an informed decision based on needs, wants, budget, opinions, TD, looks, technicalities etc. That is more relevant to the 'general public' who do not do such deep research and probably are not even aware of many of the differences between models. I have seen people who discuss in their home about which car to buy and then straight go to the showroom and order. They may not have even TDed that car before. In many cases the one and only criteria for people is FE. Nothing else matters.

[appuchan]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

Cost is a factor even if you consciously want to express yourself through your car. I may well be very flamboyant and might want to own a Porsche but my pocket permits only an 800 - this is very often the case. Another problem is - most cars in India are made with the corporate executive in mind - either young or old. Therefore even if you want a rough and tough vehicle with high dependability and comfort factor you might be forced to choose the Esteem (like in my case).
I think driving style is also a reflection of your character and your state of mind (we drive faster when we are in a euphoric state of mind and slow when we are sad etc).
And driving style of entire cities varies from city to city. I always try to anticipate in advance what that other driver might do and I find it difficult to do it in other cities - particularly in Delhi. I am sure outsiders in Kolkata find it difficult to anticipate our cabbies and private buses.
Sudipto


Sudipto

I agree to you about driving style part. But then thats a whole new topic to discuss.

Regarding budget, I agree to some extend. But in most cases, people stretch beyond their ability to get nearest to the one they wished. My classification is not on budget or cost basis. Thats why I can say Swift,SX4 and Civic owners could be compared. Again they represent similar mind sets, only restricted by budgets.

First time car owners are a bit difficult to slot in, I agree. But again either they will soon change their car when they can, or atleast make it look/sound/feel like their dream car.

[RishiSuri]

What about people having hyundai accent and viva

[spadival]

appuchan.. I also have a similar stereotyped image of a "typical" NHC and Scorpio owner.. But I guess u cant really judge an owner by the car or vice versa...It would be a big mistake to do so!!

But while I am at it... .. my stereotype of NHC owners - Middle managers (mostly IT project managers) who think they have reached the climax of their careers, and now need to buy/get all the desirable things that have some snob value.

Scorpio owners - Somebody who has a serious problem in the.. erm.. trousers department. They tend to be aggressive as soon as they get out of bed and on the road

[appuchan]

Some more obsrevations

Corolla - Ones who are in their late 30s or early 40s, who think that they have 'arrived' and settled in their life, brand-conscious and loyal, travelled a lot, dont mind being a bit outdated but neatly dressed (formal/semi-formal) and well groomed. However they could be occasionally seen in casuals and doing some revving on weekends or holidays with their family.

Safari - these are generally the ones who believe 'size does matter'. They are not very brand conscious, but they 'think big'. They enjoy comfort and mostly their cars will be fitted with exotic stuff and mods. Will go to any end to justify their purchase.

[sbasak]

Actually we have not yet reached that situation in India where people buy cars to suit their personality. We are still mostly driven by cost factor. For example, we still don't have 2-door cars and convertibles in India.

We still don't have enough data to analyze this in India. Remember, in overseas, often a family has different cars for husband, wife, son and daughters. In India, same car is often driven by parent and children. So, how do you judge personality then?

PS: There are many cars which are driven by chauffers. I'm sure if the owners had to drive them, they would have chosen different cars!

[appuchan]

Originally Posted by spadival

appuchan.. I also have a similar stereotyped image of a "typical" NHC and Scorpio owner.. But I guess u cant really judge an owner by the car or vice versa...It would be a big mistake to do so!!

No judging business here. Its just pure fun. I am actually surprised myself that I could correctly guess the cars owned by many of my colleagues correctly. In fact these dont indicate anything really deep about the people themselves. Its just their current attitude. Also most of these will change over time. For example a highly modded Swift owner may end up having a stock Corolla later.