This is a counterpart to the other thread, asking whether men care about a woman’s hair, nails, etc.
The premise for starting that thread was my belief that, while many women care deeply about keeping up their appearance with hair products, bath products, nail products, makeup, shoes, etc, men do not really care about all of that.
Here’s a similar question for women: do you notice a man’s car?
Men often care deeply about their cars. They often put a lot of stock in the ability of a car (or truck!) to impress other people, including women. For a lot of men, a car is part and parcel of his clothing, hairstyle, etc. For others, it’s just a way to get from point A to point B. Some guys are content to drive around totally boring Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas, Ford Focus, etc. Others place great value on having the newest and hottest sports coupe or luxury car; still others are deeply into vintage cars with unique character.
I notice the car but not so solely whether it’s a sedan or coupe or 4WD or whatever. What I notice is the state of it - beat up or well-maintained, junk in the back or clean, that sort of thing. I’m not going to think more of someone because they drive an expensive car, but I will think better of someone who looks after their car instead of running it into the ground.
Honestly? Whilst I can appreciate a nice car as much as the next person (and am currently mourning the sale of my mini convertible sob), I do regard someone who has an overly flashy ‘look at me and how much money I have’ car as a bit of a nob. It would do the opposite of impress me.
I do notice anybody’s car. Color, make, size; are there toys, stickers; if I see the trunk open are there tools, snow chains; where are the reflective vests (required by law). There are some cars I consider douchish, but it’s very specific ones: I do think that my neighbor in the garage is a douche, but I don’t know whether it’s a man or a woman… the car is a BMW 4x4. The only car douchier than that is the Porsche 4x4, seriously. On the other hand, the guy whose Toyota 4x4 pickup (often dirty from offroading) is a few spots down? No problem: that guy has a 4x4 because he gets offroad, which is the reason one ought’a get a 4x4. The person of unkown gender who parks a Porsche in the open air lot at work (so (s)he’s not high enough in the company’s totem pole for a spot in the garage, perhaps a contractor)? It’s a real Porsche, if you have the money and don’t need a bigger car/can afford two, knock yourself out.
My car says a lot of things about me: for starters, it says I have short legs. I’ve had to reject rental upgrades because I couldn’t reach the damn pedals without banging my knees against the wheel’s shaft (I’m looking at you, Volkswagen group).
I’m rather ignorant when it comes to cars, but I do notice them. And yes, I do judge men by their car. Once a guy pulled over while I was waiting at a bus stop and asked me out, but his pimped-out car put me off so much that I already had a negative impression of him before he stepped out of it.
I also once dated a guy with a Porsche. I liked the car but he drove it like a maniac.
I notice whether it seems reliable, and whether it seems like a prudent choice. I don’t mean every guy must drive a Prius, but if he drives an Escalade, and is always broke, I"m drawing some conclusions about his impulse control.
Most of all though, I notice how he drives. Angry competitive drivers are insecure jerks to live with, and I ain’t playing. The man I’m looking for is a courteous driver. I’m not saying pushover who has trouble merging into traffic, but he always stops for pedestrians. And I don’t care how nice a sports car he has, if my neck hurts when I step out of the thing, then he obviously is more concerned with showing off than he is with my well being.
I said no because I’m so useless at identifying different cars that generally the best I can do is offer a guess at the colour (What can I say? I’m car-blind). Then I realised that I’m judgmental about people who drive loud cars (V8s), so I guess the answer should have been “No, unless it’s noisy enough to catch even my attention”.
Yes, I do notice a guy’s car. Hummers and huge pickups rub me the wrong way. I was happy and touched when I found out that my then-to-be husband drove the same model of used Volvo that I used to drive.
I’m the exact same way. I’ve been laughed at for referring to my parents’ cars as “the red car” and “the blue car” before, rather than their make and model (which is kind of a weird thing to laugh at someone for, but whatever), because that’s all I used to distinguish them.
The only real impression a man’s car would have on me is if it were really flashy and designed to call attention to itself, and he made a big deal over how expensive it was. And then my impression would be negative.
I can identify only a few cars, like the old VW bugs, Corvettes, and PT Cruisers. Other than that, I can usually tell you the color and how many doors it has or if it’s a truck/SUV, if I’m pressed. Generally, though, I don’t even notice what sort of vehicle a person drives, and I usually won’t recognize someone by their car, even if I’ve known them for a while and I’ve seen their vehicle frequently.
If I can hear the sound system from outside the vehicle, I hate it. And I despise most trucks/SUVs, especially when they park in the compact parking spaces. Other
Anecdote which pretty much sums up my opinion: I was on my way to visit a friend who lives in Wapping in London – Wapping is an area of smart converted warehouse apartments sandwiched between the two financial districts of London, so much beloved of bankers…
Anyway, a car screeches past, stops in the middle of the road and honks its horn. It was a brand new BMW Z4, and my knee jerk reaction was ‘wanker’. I even said so to my partner. Turns out the driver was my friend’s boyfriend, honking his horn to say hello. Ooops.
I grew up in the Detroit area, so yeah, I kind of can’t help but notice cars. And from an aesthetic standpoint, I do appreciate a beautiful, beautifully designed, well-maintained automobile. I prefer classics, though; most modern luxury and sports cars don’t do anything for me.
That said, I’m pretty practical and utilitarian when it comes to my own cars, and try to choose the safest, longest-lasting car I can get for the least amount of money, with little to no regard for the looks. If I’m going to be driving it every day, I don’t want a showpiece, I want a workhorse. So I tend to consider ultra-high-performance engines and real wood inlay dashboards a waste of money, and I’d be decidedly unimpressed with someone who went for all that unnecessary fooferaw. They probably bought the dealer floormats, too.
Now, if someone really loves their car, and is treating it like a fine piece of art as well as a vehicle, I can certainly understand the sentiment, even though it’s not where I’d invest my money. But if it seems like they’re just trying to show how much they can afford, that’s a huge turnoff.
Too late to edit. I want to say, of course I notice on some level if a vehicle is a tiny sports car or an SUV or sedan, but I don’t make any value judgments about the owner. A car never impresses me or makes me admire the owner, because I just don’t care about that kind of thing.
I notice cars, period, and I don’t attach as much identity to a person’s cars as guys probably think I, as a woman, do. I’ve known women who barely know a Corvette from a Corolla, though, so probably trying to impress them is going to be wasted energy.
I do enjoy talking about cars, though, so if a guy is knowledgeable about them, I’d be impressed with his car knowledge, but not how it relates to the size of his dick, etc.
Yes. I like calm, competent drivers. I don’t want to be lurched around, or for someone to be playing games or driving unsafely. My late husband was a terrible driver and I hated riding in the car with him.
I actually love sporty fast cars, but don’t like many American ones. That is, I don’t like Corvettes, Mustangs, or most of the other so-called American muscle cars. So I hardly pay attention to most cars here. I’ve often joked that if I witnessed an accident and the cops asked for a statement I might be able to tell them the car was…green? Maybe.
I did once see a Lotus Elise driving by and was besieged with curioisity. I didn’t know they sold those on this side of the puddle! I wanted to know how he got it.
I remember a guy once hitting on me telling me he had bought his new car, some kind of Honda, for $30,000. Well, he told me the exact price, but I forgot it four seconds after. The condition of the car is more notable to me, and also the presence of bumper stickers. And if you have an (illegal) Calvin poster peeing, I will attempt to never talk to you again.