oboeguy

Auto-Matic Attraction: Ford Fusion 'Life in Drive' Survey Finds a Car 'Key' to Impressing a First Date

"Your car offers a very visual view of the person you are dating before a
single word is ever spoken."

cs1

What exactly is wrong with that? All the article states is the results of a survey. You might like it but it's probably true. We are judged by our outward appearance first. Like it or not that's life.

Tim

royalflash

right on- you need to make sure they have got a car otherwise you might end up dating a fit, slim, healthy person with lots of stamina

oboeguy

So if you don't have a car or choose to spend your dough on other stuff (or <gasp> have savings) you're a worthless loser? Sorry, if I were in the dating world (happily married, thank you), I wouldn't be interested in someone who really gave more than two hoots about "my car" (never had one, but you get the the idea).

Some more choice quotes:

"A person's car is most definitely an extension of the person."

Same goes for bikes?

"Similar to your clothes, your car says something about you and your style."

Who cares if you're boring and annoying? You drive a hot car, yeah!

Bike_UK

"58 percent saying that the condition of their date's vehicle would at least somewhat impact their attraction to the person. Females felt more strongly about their date's car
condition than males with 69 percent saying it would at least somewhat effect
their attraction to their date compared to 47 percent of males."



What?! How shallow is that?

How can the degree of attraction to a PERSON in anyway be affected by the car they drive?

lol @ royalflash

smurfy

I hate car culture!

However I do agree with the condition of the car is a reflection of the person, to some degree. If it's wrecked (like mine) or excessively dirty and unkept that is somewhat of an indication that the person is a slob or whatever, I'm not sure.

Anyway, maybe in NYC you could get away with saying to a date you're car-free, but where I live if I said I was car-free I might as well say I'm a child molester with the reaction I would get!

Disclaimer: my wife was raised in NYC and never learned to drive.

oboeguy

I have to agree that if a car is a mess it reflects poory on the driver. That says something about one's personality and how one lives more than hot spinners hub caps.

Your wife should learn to drive, smurfy, it's a useful skill. Even I know how and have had a license for a few years!

smurfy

Yes, you are right. She had some lessons here in Ohio but with her taking the bus and NOT behind the wheel of a car that's one less thing I have to worry about! I know, that probably sounds selfish.

budster

This has everything to do with financial status, which women especially are very interested in for logical evolutionary reasons.

In a social world, high financial status usually equals a high level of fitness; that is, the ability to handle what life throws at you. Driving a nice car is a popular way to display financial status. Beyond financial status, choice of car reveals a lot about one's personality, aesthetic taste, et cet.

Like Lauren implied, all our buying decisions say something about us (including our bicycle buying decisions). It's different for men than for women, as historically (in an evolutionary context) women are much more interested in a potential mate's ability to provide than men are.

(BTW, Lauren, if you showed up for a date on a motorcyle, I'd think you were tres chaud! What a great way to see right away if the guy has a solid pair. )

And while I tend to agree with those who say it's shallow, I tend to agree more with those who say "that's life." There are other ways to display fitness, like wit, charm, intelligence -- and well, physical fitness -- but in a material culture, it's easier for people who have money just to advertise that with their possessions.

Of course this totally ignores the fact that many people with lots of nice stuff aren't that well off, but instead are in debt up to their asses; and that many highly fit people choose to live simply. But if you pay attention, the first group give themselves away fairly easily, and the second group become good at finding each other.

Sometimes I think that's what the Internet was made for....

budster

Oh, and car culture makes me want to hurl, too.

timmhaan

i'm so glad that none of that applies to me. happily car free and will never turn back.

Cromulent

Uh... that highly scientific study was sponsored by the kind folks at Ford Motors. I may be going out on a limb here, but my guess is that they have some sort of financial motive for promoting expensive cars.

I had a Geo Metro once, and I can't tell you what a chick magnet that thing was. Oh wait. Nevermind. Maybe because it wasn't a Ford. That was it, I'm sure.

kurremkarm

Check out this latest yahoo news link. The whole article-- like many these days-- talks about getting more oil. Not one word about consumers using less.
https://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/20...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl
I live in a lower income part of town so all the time im hearing about how people with no money must get their car working-- no money for gas, repairs, whatever, people even ask me for handouts for gas.

Carfree is outside the box.

Also, i haven't had a relationship since i have been car free, just pointing that out to sort of follow up on the first poster. Being car free is some sort of stigma here in good ol Kansas.

Maybe i should move.

turtlendog

I was an auto tech for years. Like it or not your car, and how you keep it, says something about you. People might misunderstand what it says, but it says something. I'd venture to say that I could make at least a few accurate assumptions about a driver based on inspection of thier car.

The decision to go without a car also says something about a person. I'd be willing to bet that most who see me on my commuter think I'm on my third DUI. I'm sure the average person isn't progressive enough themselves to realize that some are finding solutions to the oil problem.

Funny thing a guy I worked with observed: A persons sanity is inversely proportional to the size of their key chain (key chain decorations, not keys). If not true, close enough to be really funny. Keep your eye out for those key chains...

77Univega

--- It is a fact of life in these United States that an automobile facilitates the pursuit of romance. We go on dates in the car and go... parking in the car and smooch in the car and ______ in the car too. I think that the pursuit of romance will prove to be one of the stumbling blocks of going car-free for most young Americans. It may be shallow but that's the way it is for now.

SteveFox

Well, I own a nice bike. I keep it clean and well oiled, running smooth. so becuase i have just a bike, am i slob, or am i poor? no...well....im in school, so ya im poor, but im not a slob haha. If anything bikes should be considered sexy and cool, cause it takes more effort and motivation to ride a bike everyday, rain or shine, wind or snow. So if anythying, bikers have better personalities than drivers because they can set goals for themselves about thier biking and achive things which can be a reflection of thier financial situation. a motivated person will do well, whereas an unmotivated person will just drift along. just my opinion. i dont really like car culture either.
viva la velo

steve

heckflosse

Unfortunitly it's true.
I commute to work by bike and I've had a few occasions were girls look down on me because of it. Yet when they see me in my car they suddenly start flirting. It doesn't bother me too much because I find if a girls only interested in me for my car then they're usually shallow and I find them boring. I prefer women who are idependent if not a little fiery.

tahoegramps

huh? I think he is showing his disgust with how our society puts a high value on possessions and stupid things like cars, Neil Young says...in "Days that used to be"

But possessions and concessions
are not often what they seem
They drag you down
and load you down
in disguise of security.

tahoegramps

You are just asking for trouble if you go for a girl that is interested in a car more than she is you. There are women who think like we do-you just have to find them, they are the ones that are worth it.

tahoegramps

cerewa

A couple times I've had girls compliment me or comment on my "nice a**" while commuting. But hey, I'm still just a young student; I have lots of opportunities to become a fat, weak, poor, car owner. All I have to do is make the effort.

budster

To be fair, it is different for the 20-year-old guy whose car was bought with Daddy's money than for the 35-year-old guy who earned it himself. To earn good money usually requires good social skills.

slvoid

As long as you keep the helmet on and the tinted visor down...

slvoid

State in plain english on your first date that a) you don't have a car b) you don't want to pay a lot for dinner c) you usually ride a bicycle (don't say bike, bicycle sounds more pathetic) to work or take mass transit if you really have to and d) only drive the lamborghini on weekends.

humancongereel

i think your choice in regard to cars says something about you, and that includes the choice of not having one. naturally, that can be read differently be different people, however, i know there are people who see it the way we do--financially efficient, environmentally efficient, good exercise, a mild political statement (oil, war, etc etc) and fun.