Ladies, sometimes we guys buy pick-ups/ sports cars because well...

[Contrapuntal]

@aruvqan

<evil giggle>
You are typing ot a woman who has THREE pair shoes [brown loafers, black sneakers, black very expensive mary janes that were a gift] but happens to have a car collection - 64 squareback, 58 bug, 71 beetle, 69 IH scout and 79 IH scout, and a way newer jetta for driving for work and shopping…and just unloaded 2 parts beetles, a parts VW westphalia and 2 parts subarus [loyal and GX] and dreams of an abarth scorpioni, a matra simca bagheera and a jensen FF…

Nobody should have two Scouts until everybody has one. I’ll take the '71.

[Green_Bean]

@featherlou

Okay, Mr. SmartyPants OP, explain midlife-crisis-mobiles, then. You know the ones - the guy is about obviously about 45-50, driving something very sporty (usually the poor man’s performance automobile, a Porsche). Do these guys just get the sporty car because they can finally afford it, or is there maybe a little more psychology behind it than that?

I’d guess it’s about getting something different.

Our stereotypical midlife crisis guy has just spent 2 or 3 decades raising a family and building a career. He’s a solid citizen. A reliable family man. His choice in motor vehicles has been dictated by practicality. By the by, he finds himself feeling a little old, and a little like he’s in a rut. Why not get the vroom vroom that he’s always wanted? Of course the fact that he’s better able to afford it plays into his decision, but zoomy cars aren’t necessarily more expensive than family sedans.

My perception that the midlife-crisis-mobile has more to do with being different than in finally being able to afford the fast car comes from my dad. And we did, in fact, refer to it as “the midlife-crisis-mobile.” See, my dad had always had fast cars and big boats. He had never been hurting for horsepower. At all. Dude had torque to spare. Even his snowblower was big. So what did he buy to assuage his midlife crisis? A Honda motor scooter. :smack: With a big white safety helmet. :smack: :smack:

[enipla]

Not only that, but - driving style aside - I think ones choice of vehicle, in and of itself, is often a reflection of ones personality. If I didn’t know that Arnold Schwarzenegger drove a Hummer, and you asked me to guess what kind of car he drove, that would be the obvious choice. Aggressive people drive aggressive cars, and those behemoth vehicles just scream aggression. If you watch ads for Dodge trucks, they don’t even try to disguise that fact. They have deliberately modified the styling of their trucks to look as aggressive as possible. The oversized grill on the front makes them almost look like some sort of monster that’s going to devour you. Let’s be honest, if you see a Toyota Prius in a parking lot, you’re gonna expect a different sort of person to get out of it than if you see a Hummer.

Hrrummph.

I drive a '93 Pathfinder. My Wife has an '03 Jeep Grand. Yep we need two SUV’s. And a plow truck.

Some people are assholes in their SUV’s and Trucks… Some people are assholes in there Prius or Accura. The car does not make the driver.

People in smaller cars really should not project so much hate on vehicles that are bigger than them.

They have deliberately modified the styling of their trucks to look as aggressive as possible. The oversized grill on the front makes them almost look like some sort of monster that’s going to devour you.

It’s not oversized, it’s the right size to cool the vehicle. Bigger vehicle, bigger engine, bigger radiator, bigger grill. No one is trying to eat you.

Sure, the commercials have pushed how tough the vehicle is. They’re supposed to be tough, they’re trucks. They need to have more pulling power, and need better engine cooling (bigger grills) than your average car.

[I_don_t_care_about_your_cat]

@enipla

People in smaller cars really should not project so much hate on vehicles that are bigger than them.

Who said anything about hate? Defensive, much?

It’s not oversized, it’s the right size to cool the vehicle. Bigger vehicle, bigger engine, bigger radiator, bigger grill. No one is trying to eat you.

Uh, nice try, but no. It’s a well known fact that Dodge is styling their trucks specifically for an aggressive look. It’s not because they all of a sudden had a problem with overheating. :rolleyes:

Sure, the commercials have pushed how tough the vehicle is. They’re supposed to be tough, they’re trucks. They need to have more pulling power, and need better engine cooling (bigger grills) than your average car.

If you don’t think they are touting aggression, you haven’t seen the ads I’m talking about.

Look, I don’t think everyone who buys a truck is trying to prove something, o.k.? So don’t take it too personally and get all bent out of shape. Take a chill pill, friend.

[Grrr]

@I don't care about your cat

Look, I don’t think everyone who buys a truck is trying to prove something, o.k.? So don’t take it too personally and get all bent out of shape. Take a chill pill, friend.

Dude, Guys buys trucks so we can run over shit and pull tree stumps out of the ground. You say it aggressive. Well hell yeah, it’s aggressive, that’s (part of) what makes them so cool. But that is in NO way trying to prove anything to anybody.

[enipla]

It’s not because they all of a sudden had a problem with overheating.

Trucks have always had larger grills. :rolleyes: Yourself.

Shit, the grill on my '76 Chevy is bigger than the grills on the new Dodges.

[Cat_Whisperer]

But the grill on your '76 Chevy wasn’t at my eye level when I’m sitting in my Sundance. In my opinion, today’s large vehicles are aggressive-looking, driven by aggressive people, with intent to intimidate other drivers. I can give cites for this if you like.

We’ve gone around on this before, enipla. Your Rocky Mountain situation in no way compares to the commuters I drive with every day in urban Calgary who never have and never will take their Canyonero anywhere except to work and Safeway.

[enipla]

But the grill on your '76 Chevy wasn’t at my eye level when I’m sitting in my Sundance.

Sure it is. That’s a '76 Chevy 4x4 truck. I’m trying to compare apples to apples here.

[tdn]

@I don't care about your cat

It’s a well known fact that Dodge is styling their trucks specifically for an aggressive look.

Not that I disbelieve you, but do you have a cite for that? I’m interested in learning more about this.

[THespos]

If my goal were intimidation, I’d be driving something akin to the Delta Tau Chi “Deathmobile” from Animal House. Believe you me, it would be far easier to weld some spikes onto one of my dad’s old work trucks than go out and drop several tens of thousands on a new Dodge Truck with an “aggressive” looking grille.

I should point out that my first car was a yellow 1971 Super Beetle with a convertible roof and that I cried when I had to sell it.

So there.

[Hunter_Hawk]

@enipla

People in smaller cars really should not project so much hate on vehicles that are bigger than them.

On the other hand, many SUV owners really may be compensating for something.

@Malcom Gladwell

S.U.V. buyers said they liked the elevated driving position. But when, in focus groups, industry marketers probed further, they heard things that left them rolling their eyes. As Keith Bradsher writes in “High and Mighty”–perhaps the most important book about Detroit since Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed”–what consumers said was “If the vehicle is up high, it’s easier to see if something is hiding underneath or lurking behind it.” Bradsher brilliantly captures the mixture of bafflement and contempt that many auto executives feel toward the customers who buy their S.U.V.s. Fred J. Schaafsma, a top engineer for General Motors, says, “Sport-utility owners tend to be more like ‘I wonder how people view me,’ and are more willing to trade off flexibility or functionality to get that.” According to Bradsher, internal industry market research concluded that S.U.V.s tend to be bought by people who are insecure, vain, self-centered, and self-absorbed, who are frequently nervous about their marriages, and who lack confidence in their driving skills. Ford’s S.U.V. designers took their cues from seeing “fashionably dressed women wearing hiking boots or even work boots while walking through expensive malls.” Toyota’s top marketing executive in the United States, Bradsher writes, loves to tell the story of how at a focus group in Los Angeles “an elegant woman in the group said that she needed her full-sized Lexus LX 470 to drive up over the curb and onto lawns to park at large parties in Beverly Hills.” One of Ford’s senior marketing executives was even blunter: “The only time those S.U.V.s are going to be off-road is when they miss the driveway at 3 a.m.”

(emphasis mine)

[I_don_t_care_about_your_cat]

@enipla

Trucks have always had larger grills. :rolleyes: Yourself.

Shit, the grill on my '76 Chevy is bigger than the grills on the new Dodges.

You’re just not getting it. I’m not saying that the size of the grill proves how aggressive the styling is. I’m telling you that Dodge has, in recent years, changed their styling to look more aggressive. It’s a fact that has been commented on by many people in the automotive industry. I’m not here to prove to you that such is the case; I’m simply repeating a well-known fact in the automobile business. They changed a number of things - height, placement of headlights, etc. to make it look aggressive. I mentioned the oversized grill because that’s one element of the styling changes that were made. It wasn’t intended to prove anything. Unlike you, I’ve got nothing to prove.

You are speaking from ignorance. You are unaware of this well-known fact, so you are just assuming it’s false.

[I_don_t_care_about_your_cat]

And in the spirit of fighting ignorance:

Dodge gives Ram Heavy Duty trucks an even more aggressive look

the aggressive styling of these Dodge trucks isn’t for everyone

Bold, aggressive, in-your-face Dodge styling

Ooooh, truth hurts, huh?

[enipla]

Well, this is pointless. I doubt I’ll change your mind, and I base my opinion on my experiences and what I see every day. I just can’t imagine being intimidated by, or intimidating someone else with a pick-up truck. I just don’t see it (even when I drive a small car).

Our experiences, and the people we know are very, very different. I know a LOT of people with SUV’s or trucks. And not just in the mountains. Every one of them has good reason to own it.

[Madd_Maxx]

@Malcom Gladwell

<snip>S.U.V. buyers said they liked the elevated driving position. But when, in focus groups, industry marketers probed further, they heard things that left them rolling their eyes. As Keith Bradsher writes in “High and Mighty”–perhaps the most important book about Detroit since Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed”–what consumers said was “If the vehicle is up high, it’s easier to see if something is hiding underneath or lurking behind it.” Bradsher brilliantly captures the mixture of bafflement and contempt that many auto executives feel toward the customers who buy their S.U.V.s. Fred J. Schaafsma, a top engineer for General Motors, says, “Sport-utility owners tend to be more like ‘I wonder how people view me,’ and are more willing to trade off flexibility or functionality to get that.” According to Bradsher, internal industry market research concluded that S.U.V.s tend to be bought by people who are insecure, vain, self-centered, and self-absorbed, who are frequently nervous about their marriages, and who lack confidence in their driving skills. Ford’s S.U.V. designers took their cues from seeing “fashionably dressed women wearing hiking boots or even work boots while walking through expensive malls.” Toyota’s top marketing executive in the United States, Bradsher writes, loves to tell the story of how at a focus group in Los Angeles “an elegant woman in the group said that she needed her full-sized Lexus LX 470 to drive up over the curb and onto lawns to park at large parties in Beverly Hills.” One of Ford’s senior marketing executives was even blunter: “The only time those S.U.V.s are going to be off-road is when they miss the driveway at 3 a.m.”

Right, because market research is the know-all-end-all of human behavior. :rolleyes: It is impossible to group all SUV owners into a nice tight defination like that just like it would be impossible to group all vegetarians into one group. I drive an SUV and not a single one of his assumptions about SUV owners are accurate about me. I will agree that a majority of my miles are highway miles but that is only because my SUV is my primary vehicle, however I do take my vehicle offroad frequently camping, fishing, hunting, or just plain old offroading. A stereotypes is a stereotype, while they might be true occasionally, in no way are they representitive of all situations.

[Anaamika]

@featherlou

Okay, Mr. SmartyPants OP, explain midlife-crisis-mobiles, then. You know the ones - the guy is about obviously about 45-50, driving something very sporty (usually the poor man’s performance automobile, a Porsche). Do these guys just get the sporty car because they can finally afford it, or is there maybe a little more psychology behind it than that?

“Youth is watsed on the young.” I’ve thought this manyatime because, damnit, I couldn’t afford any of the really nice stuff, and still can’t, in my late 20’s. It’s when you’re 45-50, have money put away, that you can afford this stuff. So, why not? Buy what you like, what you can afford, and enjoy it!

[I_don_t_care_about_your_cat]

@enipla

Well, this is pointless. I doubt I’ll change your mind, and I base my opinion on my experiences and what I see every day. I just can’t imagine being intimidated by, or intimidating someone else with a pick-up truck. I just don’t see it (even when I drive a small car).

I never said anything about being intimidated. I said that often ones choice if vehicle is a reflection of ones personality. I said nothing about others’ reaction to that.

You’re trying to change the argument. I correctly pointed out that Dodge trucks are styled to look aggressive, and you took issue with that. NOW, you’re talking about whether people are intimidated, which is not what we were discussing. C’mon, just have the gonads to admit you were wrong.

Our experiences, and the people we know are very, very different. I know a LOT of people with SUV’s or trucks. And not just in the mountains. Every one of them has good reason to own it.

I know a lot of people who have no reason to own a gargantuan vehicle. Again, I stated my belief that in many cases, it’s a display of dominance. I did not say it was in every case, so you have no cause for your defensiveness.

[Hunter_Hawk]

@Madd Maxx

It is impossible to group all SUV owners into a nice tight defination like that…A stereotypes is a stereotype, while they might be true occasionally, in no way are they representitive of all situations.

Did you, like, not read the words “tend to” in the quote? Of course it would be ridiculous to try to group all members of a population into a single group. One major purpose of market research is to identify different segments of the population so you can target your products more effectively.

[enipla]

@I don't care about your cat

I never said anything about being intimidated.

I was responding to –

@featherlou

In my opinion, today’s large vehicles are aggressive-looking, driven by aggressive people, with intent to intimidate other drivers. I can give cites for this if you like.

As far as the aggressive design goes. Sure, it looks like Dodge is trying to make them look aggressive (to each his own). I was responding to your post that seemed to make the claim that the big grill made it look aggressive. At the very least you said that

@I don't care about your cat

The oversized grill on the front makes them almost look like some sort of monster that’s going to devour you.

My response to that is that there is a reason for the large grill.

Here -

@enipla

It’s not oversized, it’s the right size to cool the vehicle. Bigger vehicle, bigger engine, bigger radiator, bigger grill. No one is trying to eat you.

And I compared it to my old truck.

@enipla

Trucks have always had larger grills. :rolleyes: Yourself.

Shit, the grill on my '76 Chevy is bigger than the grills on the new Dodges.

And here -

@enipla

Sure it is. That’s a '76 Chevy 4x4 truck. I’m trying to compare apples to apples here.

[I_don_t_care_about_your_cat]

@enipla

I was responding to –

Oh - in the future, you might want to quote the person to whom you are responding. Otherwise, the natural assumption would be that you were responding to me, since your post appeared directly after mine.

As far as the aggressive design goes. Sure, it looks like Dodge is trying to make them look aggressive (to each his own). I was responding to your post that seemed to make the claim that the big grill made it look aggressive.

It’s not just the big grill, it’s the placement of the grill as well, and other factors. But yes, the big grill does contribute to the aggressive look. You’re trying to split hairs, and missing the bigger point, which is that yes, Dodge trucks are styled to look aggressive.

My response to that is that there is a reason for the large grill.

Again, you miss the point. The grill does not have to look the way it does. Dodge did that on purpose to make it look aggressive. But you are mistakenly interpreting what I said as “The fact that the grill is large proves that the styling is aggressive.” That is not what I said.