Vroom Vroom!

Our current car lease is shortly coming to an end, so Gene and I spent the last few weekends trying to figure out which car we want to drive for the next three years.  The search for the perfect car really made me realize the power of marketing.  Automotive companies spend more than 20 Billion dollars per year to lure the consumer into loving their brand.  Sometimes their brand message is so strong that with every car, you can almost envision exactly who should be driving it.  Here are my associations to some of the bigger, more known brands:


1. Honda/Toyota/Nissan - Everyone.  Anyone. This is the best bang for your buck. period. The Japanese get kudos for this one.  Ninety Eight percent* of cars on the roads are Accords, Altimas and Camrys.
2. Acura/Infinity - a Honda/Nissan with a few extra bells and whistles and a more luxurious name.  If I had a gun to my head and was forced to get a mini-van (or as they now call them SUVs) I have to admit, I really like the Acura MDX.
3. Ford - Anyone living in the middle of the country and/or has less than 18 teeth.
4. BMW - (my personal favorite) Cool, hip, 20s or 30s.  Basically...ME! If the residual value of these bad boys wasn't so shitty, this would be the winner - hands down.
5. Audi - (another top choice) Similar to BMW, possibly skews a bit younger.  It says cool and hip without trying too hard.
6. Buick - Those who have not gotten a new car in 25 years or those unwilling to part with the '80s.
7. Lexus (glorified Toyota) - Chick car. Either a spoiled 16 year old girl who just received a car for Christmas from mommy and daddy or a middle aged woman who mostly drives it to her manicure appointments.
8. Mercedes - The prerequisite here is that you are male (40-50 years of age) and must enjoy a fine cigar and play golf on the weekends.
9. Saab/Volvo - Safe.  Typically driven by families or hippies. The brand that always make me think, "they still make these?" Also, known as 'that car with the ugly body style'.


I know this will probably piss off some people as they will see their car on the list and disagree with my association and that is why I am adding the disclaimer** at the bottom of this blog entry.


Even though I don't know much about cars, I love the process of getting a new car.  Or as Gene puts it, "you just love buying anything that is expensive."  From inhaling the new car smell to negotiating with the sales people, I love it all!  I was pretty open minded and was willing to consider: BMW, Audi, Infinity and Acura. Gene however, wanted to drive a 'smooth' car so his top choice was a Lexus (the one car I was pretty set against).  I am sad to report, that this time around, Gene got his way and we are the quasi-proud owners of a Lexus HS250 h.  The best part - it's a HYBRID.  This adds to our list of 'green' things we have been doing (recycling, energy efficient light bulbs, reusable shopping bags) and getting 34 miles to the gallon isn't so bad either.  


Gene's Corner:
Anna: Sometimes I forget that I have a belly and I bump it into things around me
Gene: Umm, we'll just have to make sure that I will be the one to wear the Baby Bjorn Carrier

* This is a made up statistic
**The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of any auto maker. Examples within this blog are only examples. They are based on my very limited knowledge of the auto industry as well as some heavy commercial watching.