Yeah, in NYC I think most people would go for it. Here, driving is mostly 40-45 mph off the highway, and filled with pickups. Seriously, the number of men to women in those things around here has got to be a majority men. Now we have this rental program where you can get a smart for a day, or a few hours. Those I see more diversity in because it's obviously more of a tool that anyone might need.

 

I suppose I can call the Si a chick car, my sister decided after driving the fit that she wanted to drive a stick, well doing much of her driving learning on a crotch rocket she bought an Si.

CRV may be a soccer mom's suburban grocery getter, but strap on some snow tires and in the dead of winter you have a stoplight drag queen! lol

I'd have to vote either the HHR or New Beetle as top chick cars. No real man will drive with a tachometer as small as these two have. Seriously, it looks like a stopwatch!

 

as I have mentioned before and on another thread on how SUVs have been marketed and geared for women... well here's what a quick google on statistics women type car... got HEELS on WHEELS and goes to prove my theory
maybe 2008 article but still an on going epidemic
Welcome to Heels on Wheels: Cars for Women
HEELS ON WHEELS: KATRINA'S 2008 TOP 10 VEHICLES FOR FEMALE DRIVERS

and as for the trend I'm seeing, being that I'm in the home health care business (lots of driving)
men = getting into smaller cars
women = getting into bigger cars
and for an added twist... more old people are in a FIT (newer FITs too) and Hyundai accent.

 

considering a girly car, im probably going to get my wife a new black C-series benz next for her when im done with the GE.

 

I'm looking at the car on visual view point (body lines mostly), not by which gender primarily drives them. I will admit that the majority of the Smart cars I've are driven by women, but to me the Smart car looks like a slightly larger go kart with an actual body instead of an exposed exoskeleton/tubing.

A pink paint job, girly/Hello Kitty/Barbie graphics, or having women primary drive the car wouldn't really sway my view point on whether its a man's or woman's car (again, judging by the car's body lines).

For example: The AAR Plymouth 'Cuda can be perceived by many people as a man's car...but how about in Panther Pink?



Sure, it may not be the most macho of colors but (to me) that 'Cuda is still a guy's car deep down regardless of the color.

 

hootie- is that geoffery???

 

As in Geoffrey the Giraffe (Toys R Us)? I don't think so, I just happened to find this avatar when googling something the other day.

 

Pink isn't necessarily girlie, but Hello Kitty certainly is. Would you seriously be okay driving a Hello Kitty Smart Car?

 

I don't know about all these low cars being coined "chick cars"

From "High and Mighty," by Keith Bradsher:
Generally speaking, a low, nimble car just doesn't scream chick to me. It does threaten the male ego with the fear of a car that is not powerful being a threat to virility. Four doors, lots of creature comforts, and a feeling of security, together with a high seat, seem to be the true markers of a Chick car. Actual offroad abilities of SUVs mean nothing - no wonder we've seen so many SUV bodies bolted onto the pedestrian platforms of cars like the Corolla and Civic (RAV4 and CR-V respectively).

Not specifically gender related, but still fascinating from the same book:
The book is a bit outdated, printed in 2002 when gas was cheap and largely analyzing trends from the 90s when gas was practically free, but its still a great read.

 

Sure, I'm secure enough to drive one so long as I don't have to pay for anything for it. I wouldn't be burning gas or putting wear and tear on my Fit.

Like said in my previous post, I'm just voicing my opinion on whether I view *insert car* as a man or woman's car by its body lines. Certain sticker, graphics, decals, paint schemes, etc. won't really sway my view.

 

Jetta a girl car? Yeah, over on that other forum we consider a Mk IV Jetta with the 2.slow and a slushbox to be the "Sorority Edition." My 03 GLI with 24V VR6 and 6MT, not so much. I could see Vanina Ickx driving one, but that's okay.

 

Re: Occam

I'm inclined to agree with that passage you cited about American vs European/Asian drivers.

It reminds me of what I read on tv.com that a "pro racer" said in regards to "Americanizing" Top Gear for the US. He basically said that Europeans don't like big engines (he mentioned V8), where it's an American thing. All I could think of was "has this guy seen Top Gear?" Top Gear UK loves big engines, when they're put to use, not wasted like here in the US. They've riproared on the track with V6s, 8s, 10s, 12s and the production monster Veyron with 16. Oh, they mess with 4 cylinders too, sometimes. The thing I notice about the cars Top Gear UK likes... they aren't just straight line monsters, the like hairpin turns.

 

A good amount of it is geographical, in my view. I visited England several times (about 6 weeks altogether) while I lived in Nebraska. The difference was night and day. In the UK (and I would presume the rest of Europe), you'll rarely find a straight road. Curves have been in existance for hundreds of years, if not a thousand or more. Parking spaces are small, lanes are narrow, corners unforgiving, and fuel expensive. Meanwhile, road surfaces were mostly good, mostly smooth asphalt. Put these all together, and the preference will be toward cars with small footprints, keen handling, and small motors.

In Nebraska, and many midwestern states, the lanes are wide. Even rural county roads can be expected to have 12 foot lanes and wide shoulders. Parking spaces are huge. Garages are huge. Fuel is cheap. Meanwhile, the road surface is often poor - if it's asphalt, it wears away quickly... if it's concrete, it's finished in such a way that you have constant rebounding on expansion joints. There are about 5 curves in the state, and I think four are in one cloverleaf!

Wide-open distances, no real constraint on vehicle size, cheap fuel, and not much excitement to be found in any part of driving other than straight-line acceleration. Expansion joints make a long wheelbase with soft suspension desireable, lots of time spent at highway speeds make a strong engine with tall gears preferable, and the opportunities for even a full size car by 1960's standards to be inconvenient are minimal.

Most of the time I lived there, I had a GMC Sonoma extended cap. It had a 122 inch wheelbase, and was over 200 inches long overall. I never had the slightest inkling of a problem with the size. I never once thought, "Man, I wish this thing could carve corners." There were no corners to carve. I bought the Element while I was there, and thought the handling was great. It's not so much that many Americans, especially in flyover-land don't appreciate Euro style cars with revvy engines and responsive suspension because they are boorish or dumb - they simply have no opportunity to experience them in an environment in which they shine.

Here in Cali, with twisty mountain roads, narrow side-streets, tight parking, parallel parking everywhere, and public-highways that double as driver's fun-land (Big Sur) a funky little hatchback like the Fit is far more enjoyable and engaging.

 

ok, your post has no validity now.

 

I sacrificed myself to an assignment in Nebraska to secure your freedom to mod. A little respect? ;-)

 

Coming from a neighboring state Colorado--I can say this about Nebraska--it had the nicest roadside rest stops of any state on my trip EAST.
Illinois had the worst rest stops mainly since most of them were CLOSED...

 

in illinois you use the corn fields for the ultimate natural experience...open 24/7.