Most men like nice cars because they want to show them off (to their friends or to women, or both). I don’t think it’s any help in getting laid though - I would know.
**What about you women? **How do you look at guys with nice cars? Is there any difference, in your estimation, between a guy with a nice clean Celica and a guy with a Ferrari? If you see a guy driving a Porsche, do you automatically think he must be a self-centered, superficial asshat to spend so much money on a car?
I’m asking because I want to buy a Porsche Boxter within a couple of years, but I don’t want to look like “that guy” that’s just trying to score with the chicks.
I am, by the way, definitely trying to score. But the car isn’t a big part of that. I just make sure it’s always clean in case a girl happens to get in one day.
A nice car with a good engine and a tight gearbox can be a lot of fun. I’ve never assumed anyone who bought themselves something like that did it for any reason other than their own pleasure. I’d wonder whether I’d enjoy the company of someone who attributed all sorts of motives to me for buying such a thing before I’d let it dissuade me from such a purchase.
I also enjoy being a passenger in a fast car with a guy who is a really competent driver, but of course that’s not really because of the car. A fellow in college once told me his fancy BMW was a real “babe magnet,” which made me giggle and them made me a little sad. But you’re clearly not that guy.
I have a Celica. I like it a lot, but I’d rather have a Porsche.
I love cars and driving. I’d rather date a guy who also loves cars, and if you can afford a Porsche you probably have your shit at least reasonably together. I know there are plenty of exceptions to this, but it’s a good sign.
Just don’t get an automatic. Major loss of points, there. (Or hair plugs. Ever. Nothing looks more pathetic and desperate than hair plugs.)
Ralphie on The Sopranos said it best: “It’s a Porsche with panties.”
They scream “midlife crisis” and are totally unoriginal. They’re the Porsche for the boring yuppie who wants easy, pre-packaged individuality. Fuck a Boxster, go vintage or obscure and get something with a little more character.
I’m a bit envious of the man in the Ferrari, but I have no other opinion. I drive a Corvette. I’ve always had powerful cars, but I could care less about what anyone else drives. I like the feel and the thrill of driving a fast, responsive car.
I’ve always laughed at guys who bragged about what they drove, as though it made them more desirable. It’s just stuff. Someone will always make more stuff.
There are plenty of guys that have nice cars…and not much else. A girl I knew once knew a guy that drived a brand new Dodge Viper, which I think are like 80k…he lived in a trailer. There is a really ghetto area I drive by sometimes and I see people who have cars that are probably worth more than their house.
I’d lean toward this interpretation, though I might not express it in such strong words. Cars are just transportation to me. If they’re in good condition to get you from here to there, that’s about all that matters as far as I’m concerned. It’s always puzzled me that guys try to impress women through their cars…don’t women care more about clothes?* Maybe y’all are going for a certain type of woman about which I know nothing.
In my town, all the young girls wear dresses and sexy shoes while the guys slouch around in T-shirts, baggy shorts, and flip-flops. If I were a guy trying to get female attention, I’d dress better.
I don’t really notice cars, unless I’m forced to – either because they break down, or because the guy keeps talking about his car. The first one is merely a minor misfortune, the second a major turn-off. (It’s a turn-off in part because of some personal baggage with a previous boyfriend, so obviously it didn’t bother me as much when I met him, but still, I’d rather be with someone who can find something interesting to talk about.)
If we’re talking about a long-term relationship rather than a quick fling, I’d want to be with a guy whose attitudes about money are compatible with mine, which would mean the flashy cars are definitely out.
Some cars are just “hairdressers’ cars”, you can just have a chuckle at the sort of bloke who drives one of those. Then there’s the Porsche/Ferrari owner, well he’s just a bloke with very empty trousers who needs the car to compensate.
I totally have to disagree. I don’t think a nice car will make up for the obvious skills being lacking, ex. a total inability to talk to women. But all other things being functional, I know plenty of places where pulling up in a sweet ride will get you a number just by walking up and saying hi and making chitchat for two seconds. Granted, these aren’t the sort of girls you actually take seriously, but they’re numbers. I don’t even call them anymore. Usually.
But don’t go with the Boxster, for reasons already stated. My rule is whatever the entry level vehicle is for your particular sportscar, go up to the next one.
I couldn’t care less about cars. I’m a guy. What really impress me are the things that people make themselves, with their own hands: furniture, art, novels, music, gardens, houses, etc. A car? If you built it yourself, I’d find that interesting, and I’d want to know how you did it. But a car you bought? Big deal. I can buy a Porsche because I sat in front of a computer long enough and invested my pay wisely enough. Seems to me that’s something anyone can do.
Because they handle very nicely at a wide range of speeds–far better than “vintage” competitors like offerings from Triumph and MG, and offering better performance than the rice speedsters, save perhaps for the MR2 Spyder–and they’re pretty reliable. Appearancewise, I don’t think they’re the best thing Porsche has ever built, but they’re far from the worst. And just because German sports cars and sedans have unfortunately been marketed as the domain of self-absorbed pricks doesn’t mean they can’t be appreciated for the fine-handling vehicles they are.
Regarding “vintage or obscure” and “more character”, anyone who has owned and had to maintain such will recognize this as being a euphemism for “big pain in the ass”. If you really get your rocks off driving a model of car for which there are only a few hundred in the world, good on you, but it’s going to cost you in time spent tracking down parts, finding a quality mechanic experienced in such or doing the work yourself, and likely several incidents of standing on the roadside waiting for the tow truck to arrive. For most people, this sense of “style” or whatever you care to call it just isn’t worth the bother. This is why I drive a Japanese sedan of a marquee known for robust, reliable design, which incidently can outperform just about any “vintage” German sports car through the mid-Eighties.
With regard to women and cars, with a few expections, it’s my perception that most women don’t give a crap about cars, save that one is clean and reliable, although a few car about the price tag associated with such as an indicator of how much a bloke is worth. (This is usually a strategic miscalculation, as many guys with expensive cars will primarily devote their income to the car.) Driving a Porsche might get you laid, but it’s not going to attract long-term relationship material.
While I don’t like Boxters myself - I prefer cars where you tell which end is the front - the idea that having an older or more obscure car makes you cooler is a cliche in itself. It is missing the point that no car can make you cool because, you know, it’s just a car.
Cars are for men, what clothes are for women. Women don’t dress for men, they dress for other women. Men don’t care what a woman is wearing. Men don’t get cars for women, they get them for other men. Women don’t care what a man drives.
But the car isn’t a big part of that. I just make sure it’s always clean in case a girl happens to get in one day.