Where You Live vs. What You Drive- Mid to East Coast (Part 2)
MSN Autos released some interesting statistic recently, looking at the most popular vehicles driven in various areas. Let’s breakdown these findings, and try to deduce what made these vehicles so popular.
Scarsdale, New York Covets their BMW 328xi Sports Wagon
Interestingly, Scarsdale resident are almost exclusive leasers (85 percent) which means they are not necessarily committed to the 328xi, but rather have deemed it as the most practical and functional for the next three years. The wagon allows the typical family to trudge the daily grind in relative comfort, convenience, and fuel economy (25 mph highway), while also having decent cargo availability, and reasonable winter capability to boot (all-wheel drive).
Grand Blanc, Michigan Cruises the empty Boulevards in a Chevrolet Impala
Michigan has been hit hard by the poor economy. In the relatively small town (9,000 souls) of Grand Blanc, approximately 200 locals are out of work these days due to the layoffs that hit earlier this year. There are a couple of factors which have made the Chevrolet Impala the choice vehicle for 2009. For one, it is affordable ($24,000 and up); two, economical (29 mpg); and three, well, it is made by General Motors. Grand Blanc is home to General Motors’ Weld Tool Center, so they probably figure they might as well support the home team!
West Palm Beach, Florida Sets their Standards at the Lexus RX 350
The luxury oriented Lexus RX350 is the old stand-by in West Palm Beach. The crowd is hip, professional, and well endowed with a beefy yearly income. In the lush concrete jungles of Florida’s West Beach, there is really not much necessity for 4-wheel Drive, yet residents seem quite fond of them. There is a lot of single professionals in the median age of 36.7, which means there is more calling for status vehicles than affordable and practical minivans and family sedans. Not that a Lexus isn’t practical, but with its $40,000 base price, there are lot more practical options out there.
Deluth, Georgia Holds Favors the Honda Civic
The folks of Deluth, prefer Honda Civic’s more than any other vehicle. This finding was a bit surprising considering these suburbs are typically known for their upscale nature. Most folks around here, however, appear more concerned with stretching their dollar than gaining materialistic status. As a former railroad town, Deluth has few options for public transportation, so their vehicles have to be safe, reliable, dependable, and economical. The Honda Civic represents all of these, and for those with a particularly long daily trek, the Civic Hybrid offers up to 45 mpg on the highway.
Source: MSN Autos
[Photos via david.tormey, autodetailer, F1Photography.net, and resedabear]
