First Impressions...

[maleficent]

Dating in cars: Things people notice

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Men and women agree that cars play an important role in dating, but they don't always agree on what should happen once things get rolling.

Eighty-nine percent of males and 95 percent of females said they were extremely or somewhat likely to notice their date's car, according to a survey conducted by Ford Motor Co. The survey was conducted as part of a program, including "speed dating" events in various cities, to promote the company's new Fusion sedan. The survey polled 400 single men and women.

It's not just the make and model of a car that's getting noticed, according to the survey. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed said the condition of their date's car would at least somewhat impact their attraction to the person.

Women felt more strongly about their date's car condition than men with 69 percent saying it would at least somewhat effect their attraction to their date compared to 47 percent of men.

"You often get one chance to make a right impression and, many times, your car is one of the first personal things your date sees about you. Similar to your clothes, your car says something about you and your style," said Ellen Fein, dating expert and co-author of The Rules.

About 20 percent of respondents said they had been "asked to chip in for car-related expenses by their date." Of those that had been asked to chip in, 15 percent said they were asked to spring for gas followed by parking (9 percent) and tolls (6 percent).

When asked to recall their "most embarrassing car date moment," 22 percent of respondents said it was being told by their date that they were a bad driver. Far more women suffered this insult than men. Second overall was suffering an "upset stomach," followed by being pulled over for speeding, and getting in to a fender bender. Just barely making the list was "getting caught fooling around."

Sixteen percent of those surveyed ranked kissing as their "favorite car date activity." But, only 8 percent of females surveyed chose kissing versus 24 percent of males.

So... does the car matter?

[Glory's Sun]

I couldn't care less about the car. Sure it's nice to have a nice car and all that but as long as it's reliable.. I'm not going to put it ahead of the person I'm interested in. I'm looking at a girl for who she is.. not what she drives.

[BigBen]

If the person has a POS car that is neglected, and has bad driver maintenance, I really judge a person about that.

You can't remember to get an oil change? What else will you forget?

You haven't washed the car in a decade? What else don't you clean?

Yes, it may be foolish, but I do notice, and I do judge.

If it is an old car in GOOD shape, I take that into consideration as well, on the positive side.

The money thing (expensive car/cheap car) makes no difference. Just how someone takes care of their things.

[cellophanedeity]

My love and I drive around in his parents beat up rust bucket of a car.

But, it was so awesome when we started dating to have a boyfriend who could drive me around, that I didn't care what it looked like!

Cars don't really matter too much to me... but to be honest, I'd be wary of dating someone who has a big fat classy SUV. Yuck to bankers and accountants and digital designers who drive sports utility vehicles.

[lurkette]

Meh. I suspect I'd be a reverse snob about cars. Someone who drives an SUV would likely strike me as a less attractive prospect than someone who drove a sedan, and someone who drove an extremely expensive car would probably make me roll my eyes. A car wouldn't be a deal breaker, but it would certainly make an impression. I would be much more favorably disposed to a person for whom a car is a practical tool for transportation than someone for whom a car is an extension of their ego.

[raincity]

I have a Saturn, but it's never stopped me from meeting women. I guess it all comes down to what type of women you want to meet. The kind I'm attracted to wouldn't think twice about it. I think a guy who buys $80,000 a car tp attract women is going to get exactly what he asks for.

[snowy]

Well, some people around these parts just don't have cars (I live in a compact college town, lots of people walk, bike, or take the bus to get around). I recall on our first real date I asked my SO if he had a car (simply because I was curious) and he revealed that yes, he had a 1990 Toyota Camry but the starter was busted. He managed to get it fixed the next weekend and I finally saw it a few days later--but by then I was already sold on him, so the car didn't matter at all.

Besides, I have the better ride (in my opinion).

[Willravel]

Drive around in a Pinto, then in a Vette. This is an obvious thing, though it's pointing out a depressing sense of shallowness in our society. I'd pretend not to care, but as a car guy, I'd at least take notice of the condition. Shame on me.

[ngdawg]

I admit it. I was shallow. Spouse, when I met him, had a brand new fully loaded Cordoba, complete with 'corinthian leather bucket seats' and a 400 4bbl that kicked ass.
Still like cars, still have a tendency to judge people by what they drive. And, with few exceptions, the ride seems to reflect the personality of the driver. Except(unmodded) Honda owners, their cars just get'em from point A to point B

[Seeker]

I look at condition and maintenance... that will tell me about their attitude and personality. I think a car can reflect lifestyle too.
I've seen overly expensive cars meticulously maintained, not my cup of tea...
I've seen modest cars kept clean and uncluttered, or quite messy due to daily schedules of kids or work requirements, that's life...
Then I've seen cars kept like garbage tips or just generally full of stuff that has no real reason for being there except laziness, and that's not for me.

I think it does matter when you are trying to ascertain what sort of people you want to spend time with.

[Psycho Dad]

/me puts on flameproof suit.

I have to wonder if it is more important to women what car the guy drives than the other way around. It just seems to me that I've never gave two shits as to what car anyone I know owns. Be a friend or potential girlfriend. My wife on the other hand seems to be the one that is ready to go car shopping when it is time. I tend to buy a car and keep it a minimum of 7 years. However I will admit that when the boys are all through with college and whatnot I'll be looking for some midlife crisis type vehicle.

[Siege]

To me, cars are just tools to get me from point a to point b. I don't need a fast car. I don't need a luxury car. I need a reliable car that won't cause me grief.

I don't judge anyone based on their car (unless it's absolutely filthy and/or poorly maintained). And hopefully, no one will judge me on the car I drive.

Actually, I have been judged by someone on the car I drive. I just remembered it. But it wasn't major. Just a "my gosh, don't (insert some make/model) driver's drive like shit?!"

[katie_ann1031]

I can not tell a lie. Yes, the car does matter to an extent. If I get in a guy's car and it smells or there is trash all over the place, I don't care if he's George friggin' Clooney, I'm suddenly turned off. Also, pay attention to the way a man treats his car, it might be the way he treats you later on down the line.

Now, I'm not into brand names when it comes to cars, but there is something sexy about a man that drives a truck. At three bucks a gallon it means he's rich!!! Ha ha ha, but seriously, I like a truck. Call me easy, but to me a hot date is in the bed of a pick up truck.

[Min]

I buy the car I can afford and they car I like, which consistently is a Toyota of the early to mid 80s. It's not the prettiest vehicle but she runs and is kept clean. No need for immaculate when one owns a beater.

Judging external criteria is one way to evaluate the interior, however, all must be considered.

[StanT]

Originally Posted by ngdawg

Except(unmodded) Honda owners, their cars just get'em from point A to point B

That's funny, I drive a Honda CRV for that reason. I just wanted something to get me home when the weather was bad. It seemed the most practical choice.

If you want to pass judgement on my ride, I'll show up on my motorcycle.

[billege]

Originally Posted by StanT

That's funny, I drive a Honda CRV for that reason. I just wanted something to get me home when the weather was bad. It seemed the most practical choice.

If you want to pass judgement on my ride, I'll show up on my motorcycle.

That's funny as all get out to me!

My wife owns a pretty black CRV, with all these extras she let me buy, on it.
Side cladding, mudguards, tailpipe "finisher," nice wheels, dark windows all 'round....and she just sees it as "A to B that looks cute."

Like you, also, I have my car (Mitsu Lancer), and my baby: 1986 Yamaha Maxim-X. ::coooes::

(In case the "we hate SUV" dudes see this, I should mention she averages 24mpg, and it's a LEV, so unless you top that: shut it.)

So does the car matter?

Hecks yes.

I fall in love with all different sorts of cars, for all the different personalities they have.

My car isn't quite an extension of my ego, per se. Rather, it's an expression of it. Should someone not like my car, I'd be fine with it. I don't ask people to like me for my car. But, I like it if I can share the love of the auto with them.

I love cars. I love minivans, I love jeeps, I love sedans, I love anything on wheels. Just let me drive it once!

When my wife met me, I drove a 1992 (this was in 2001, I think) Lincoln Mark VII. That bad boy had open exausts (it *did* have all the original, functional, cats) that exited on the sides. That car sounded amazing.

She thought I was a bit nuts, and I think the car clued her in. She drove the white 90-somthing Dodge Shadow her parents gave her to go to college with. I didn't much care what it was, but to answer the post's question, it mattered to me if it was at least maintained to some degree, and kept to my own cleanliness standards.

If your car's a pigsty, that's your business. However, I'll draw conclusions about you based on it. I'm open to them being disproved, but one has to start making decisions about how a person is, based on how they act. How they care for what they own is a pretty good inidcator of a lot of things. As the car is a very expensive purchase for most people, it's worth at least taking a gander at condition-wise.

The car is certainly not a totally great predictor of who they are, of course, but it's a peek into a person. Nothing more, nothing less.

[billege]

I have to put my "cute girl’s car" theory out there at this time.

I have this theory, and it's not foolproof, but it is amazing how often it works, that you can predict a hot girl driving a car based on several factors, as often visible from your car, in traffic.
This means you’re behind the car of which you’re predicting driver hotness levels.

They are:

Make of car
Color of car
Year of car
Girl's hair color
Girl's hair style

Here’s an example, then I’ll try breaking it down:

A 2003, white, civic coupe. Driver hair: blonde, popular style.
The driver will be hot. HOT, I tell you.

It’s possible the hair will fool you, so don’t tell you I didn’t warn you.

Take any later model “cute” Civic (not so much Corollas) and if it’s white, or black, the driver will be hot. Accords can work, and so can Camry’s, but more Accord than Camry, and it needs to be a white one.

The hair almost universally has to be blonde, and in a good style. The option is black hair; it doesn’t seem to work for brunettes or redheads.

This used to work with Grand Ams, but as they fade away the formula only finds formerly hot, or “trashy hot” girls. Grand Ams, it works for almost any color, but primarily red. The more beat up the Grand Am, the less this works.

I’m newly finding the theory holds for Alero drivers.


Test it out. I swear it works.

[theguyondacouch]

What someone drives has very little influence on how I think of them, except in some circumstances. I think it is more how they drive, how they take care of their vehicle. As has been said, if their car is a pile of shit, covered in bird crap and hasn't had an oil change in the past 100,000 then I am going to think to myself about how responsible a person is.

[Ace_O_Spades]

I don't drive a car because quite frankly it makes so much more sense for me to bus. It's cheaper, easier to get around during rush hour (especially skytrain), and it at least makes me do my part in helping reduce emissions.

If someone didn't like me because I didn't drive a car, then FUCK her... yes, I capitalized that... emphasis for how much I wouldn't want to be with that person.

[maleficent]

Originally Posted by billege

A 2003, white, civic coupe. Driver hair: blonde, popular style.
The driver will be hot. HOT, I tell you..

/me goes off to buy a 2003 white civic coupe... do I have to dye my hair blonde though? I really like my red hair... though I do need to find a new colorist so maybe blonde.. I'd kill to be thought of as hot!!!

I'd also completely blow your theory were I do to this... that'd be kind of mean wouldn't it...

[stingc]

It wouldn't bother me if a girl drove a junky car, but having something interesting is attractive. By 'interesting,' I mean something that isn't just an appliance. I like cars, so it's not that surprising that I'd prefer someone who did the same.

[Bill O'Rights]

Originally Posted by maleficent

do I have to dye my hair blonde though?

Nooooooo!!!

[Bill O'Rights]

Originally Posted by katie_ann1031

Now, I'm not into brand names when it comes to cars, but there is something sexy about a man that drives a truck. At three bucks a gallon it means he's rich!!! Ha ha ha, but seriously, I like a truck. Call me easy, but to me a hot date is in the bed of a pick up truck.

I'll bring my truck, you bring your cheerleader uniform.
I'll have to clean out the bed first, though. It is, after all, a truck, and I do use it for its intended purpose.

[MSD]

Originally Posted by billege

I have to put my "cute girl’s car" theory out there at this time.

I have this theory, and it's not foolproof, but it is amazing how often it works, that you can predict a hot girl driving a car based on several factors, as often visible from your car, in traffic.

I'd say that well over 50%, probably over 80% of girls driving Jettas are in the "moderately to very attractive" category. Only once have I seen a female driving a Jeep Wrangler who I wouldn't put in the "very attractive category, and that's probably just because she was 30 years older than me, and judging by her appearance had been smoking and boozing since she was younger than I am.

[katie_ann1031]

Help me out billege, you have to be blonde to be hot???

[Poppinjay]

I agree that Grand Ams (as well as mustangs and firebirds) seem to be the choice for trashy hot. Camaros are the choice for trashy hots named Deborah. I used to get turned on by trashy hots, but they turn into mom butts at the slightest presence of sperm.

Most of the women I've seen in Jeeps have been trustafarians, who can be hot in their own way.

Here's an oddball combo - the last time I was hit on was by two trashy hots, more hot than trashy, who arrived in a HUGE 1986 Ford 4X4 pickup. The brunette was the hotter of the two. I would have been flattered, but I think they pretty much hit on every guy.

I drive a 1997 Saturn SL1 with a cracked windshield and a rigged up antenna under the dash (the real one broke off). So damn hot I cool the south in the summer.

My wife drives "my" car, the 2002 Malibu in immaculate shape.

[maleficent]

Originally Posted by Poppinjay

I agree that Grand Ams (as well as mustangs and firebirds) seem to be the choice for trashy hot. Camaros are the choice for trashy hots named Deborah. .

you need to spend time in north jersey or some areas of long island... ya know the lands that time forgot......
trans ams, grand ams, and camaros are the car of choice for the italian stallions named guiseppi or guido... you must have the obligatory 5 gold chains around your neck, douse yourself in hi karate or drakkar noir cologne, and wear sunglasses at all hours and you also must listen to bad 80s pop ( there is good 80s pop -- guidos in camaros don't listen to it...

[Sultana]

I certainly don't care what kind of vehicle a person drives (even if it's *gasp* an SUV). But I do care about the maintenance and cleanliness. Cannot stand a stinky car, don't care for messy/untidy.
Just like clothing, I guess. I don't care if someone shops at Nordstroms or the Goodwill, as long what they wear is clean and well-fitting.

[Bill O'Rights]

Originally Posted by katie_ann1031

Help me out billege, you have to be blonde to be hot???

I'll help you out there, katie_ann. The answer, to your question, is an emphatic...no. Blondes are no "hotter" than any other haircolor.

Now, redheads? That's another matter, altogether. The redheads is hot.

[billege]

Originally Posted by maleficent

/me goes off to buy a 2003 white civic coupe... do I have to dye my hair blonde though? I really like my red hair... though I do need to find a new colorist so maybe blonde.. I'd kill to be thought of as hot!!!

I'd also completely blow your theory were I do to this... that'd be kind of mean wouldn't it...

Originally Posted by katie_ann1031

Help me out billege, you have to be blonde to be hot???

Heck no!

The theory just seems to fall apart with other hair colors. I'm not sure why though.

Red heads are almost always hot, that's just a general rule. However, since redheads don't seem to overwhelmingly drive a type of car I can put my finger on, the theory can't predict "hot" given red hair, in a Civic. Although, it's extreemely likely that any girl with good hair, in a white civic, will be hot.

It's a theory I've been fine tuning for years now. Throw out any make, model, hair color, car color, and I'll try to tell you if she'd be hot. Better yet, put your digital camera in the car and start taking pictures of ones you want me to evaluate.

[veruca]

I am definatly a car girl...and nothing gets me going faster then a built muscle car..I really am not a fan of anything after the 70's..lol.
Too, be truely honest, I wouldn't date a guy who didn't have an old car at least in the garage waiting to be worked on, but that is something I look for in a man. (My husband had just started work on his '78 firebird when we met :drool: )

When I think about if I would look at cars...I don't like SUV's...so I guess I judge people that way. I think cleanliness of the car is an issue as well, but not so much age. If your dream car was an '88 camero, and that's what you have and it's immaculate, then that's awesome. but, if the car is all rusty and gross...I might have a problem with that.

[5757]

Hmm. Yes and No. I do pay attention to what a man is driving. I have to, and this is why. I met a guy. He was a pretty nice guy. He decided to drop by one fine sunny day. I noticed his BMW sitting out in the road. "Wow, what a nice car." I thought. That is uh, until I noticed that he had
(((((((((((rented)))))))))
the car to try an impress me.
What the hell.

Okay, so yeah. I have a good example as to why you shouldn't judge people by what type of car they drive. A couple of friends of mine have a crap car. They are a couple of really intelligent, sweet,. . . just the most considerate people you will ever meet! They started out at UVSC, then hopped over to BYU. A couple years at the Y and they came out to Stanford (this is where I met them). Now, they're off to Columbia. Do you think that they can afford a "nice" car with all of this schooling under their belts? uh, no. . .

I understand it's different with single people. I'm single. If you judged me by my car, it would take you 2 seconds to figure out just how irresponsible I am. (I've been in 4 wrecks so far this year) So, please don't do that

Does the car matter? Oh I guess it just depends.

* Red heads are pretty hot, aren't they!

[katie_ann1031]

+

Is she hot?

[Bill O'Rights]

Oooo...a test...
[jeopardy theme]
/me ponders a moment
[/jeopardy theme]
Hmmm...I smell a setup, so I'm gonna go with...no. NOWAIT! Yes...I'll go with yes. Uhh...no, I better stick with no. Yep...nope it is.

HEY MAL! I just checked my personal stash, in my medicine cabinet. It's Hai Karate...with an "A".

[katie_ann1031]

LOL, I love evyone here....everybody has such a whacky sense of humor!

[ngdawg]

Damn, I can't do that test. Most know what I look like and/or what I drive
But I do think my car fits me to a T. Now Billege has me thinking, as I am always catching guys taking longer than necessary to check out the car

[Grasshopper Green]

I don't care a lick about cars. Hubby drove his mom's POS when I first met him, then moved up to a late 70's Buick Skylark, and I drove an ugly as sin Subaru back then. Neither of us are really into them. We now drive a Honda Civic, which is perfect, as it gets us where we need to go

[SERPENT7]

I think it is interesting to note WHO did the survey. How does the way they phrased the questions influence the responses?
Were responses guided in other ways?
If everyone said the car didn't matter at all, would they have released those results?

[billege]

katie_ann1031,

The Theory Says:

The hair is saying "hot" the car is saying "not."

I have a dreadful suspicion you're setting me up by posting you, and your car, too.

[h.n. cheerios]

id like to say that a car that runs is better than no car at all. ...it would just be a whole lot better if the car was a really cool, kick-ass type of car.