Car News Articles

What do you make of the census numbers? Can you judge a suburb by the cars that are parked in its driveways? And do people really buy what their neighbours do?
Richard Blackburn

The census numbers - not all that surprising really. Perhaps interesting that Toyota seems to occupy a ‘classless’ market segment! Reminds me of the history of the mini when it first came out and people of all sorts, from housewives to the super rich chose to drive one!

Judge a suburb by cars on the driveway? - I think you are more likely to make any ‘judgements’ on the streetscape and housing type rather than on the vehicles. When you see grandiose propertys with old/cheaper cars on the drive or cheaper homes with expensive metal on the drive it doesn’t figure so much in your assesment of the neighbourhood.

And do people really buy what their neighbours do? - dunno, I certainly wouldn’t buy a car either because of what others might think or because I want to keep up with the Jonse’s. I remember having a $60,000 V6 406 Pug in the nineties and getting rid of it for a $1,500 Mazda 323 wagon because it suited me at the time!!!!!!!!!At least with a hack you don’t have to worry about where you park the bloody thing in the supermarket car park! One of my fondest car memories is of an old corolla wagon, a little rusty but it simply never let me down, went anywhere and could be parked without worrying about collecting trolley and door dings - a car dealer friend of mine flicked it to me at trade price but then refused to bloody ride in it with me, always insisted on taking his BMW!!!!!!!!

I guess there are folk out there who buy simply to keep up with the Jonse’s but I would rather buy a car that suits my circumstances at the time for it’s combination of practicality and driving satisfaction, of course resale etc come into it but I could never do what my cousin does and buy totally on the basis of fuel consumption and ignore all the other factors.

Anyhow I live in a quiet Gold Coast Cul de Sac, the homes are fairly exxy due to being on the water but the cars in the street are a total smorgasbord:
WRX
Kia Van
Toyota 4WD ute
Land Rover Discovery
BMW 335i Convertible
VS Commodore
Toyota Cressida
Volkswagen Beetle
Toyota Camry (had to be one!!!!!)
Mercedes vito van
Mitsi
Lexus GS 300
Ford Territory
BMW 325i
1980s Mitsi Pajero
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Prado
Audi S4
Toyota Celica
Old Ford Fairlane
1970’s Mercury Cougar