Basically the article needed to say nothing more than "Owning a convertible makes your life better. Go buy one now."frapjap wrote:From what I can gather, the point of this article is that owning a convertible will make you prosper.
There was an article about convertible owners being happier than most other traditional car owners, but I can't find it for the life of me.Kompresshun wrote:Basically the article needed to say nothing more than "Owning a convertible makes your life better. Go buy one now."frapjap wrote:From what I can gather, the point of this article is that owning a convertible will make you prosper.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelan ... rvey-says/In what might be a case of convoluted logic, data suggests it takes an above-average income and education to drive what, by all measures, is one of the least practical cars on the road. That would be a convertible, most of which are plagued by cramped passenger cabins with virtually no back seat room (if there is one in the first place) and a dearth of cargo space, and are fully enjoyed under only what would be considered ideal climactic conditions.
According to a recent analysis conducted by Experian Automotive in Schaumburg, Ill., more than half of all convertible owners have at least a bachelor’s degree (compared with 38.2 percent of the general population), with nearly 19 percent having a household income of over $175,000 and 11.7 percent owning a home that’s worth over $1 million (versus an average 10.7 and 4.4 percent, respectively).
While they’re far from being rational choices, ragtops convey a sense of freedom and emotion that no other vehicle type can offer, and there’s no better automotive experience than racing the sun and clouds overhead with the wind rushing through one’s hair.
Back in the “Mad Men” era, ragtops might have been favored primarily by young “swinging singles,” but today they’re typically purchased by empty nesters as a “reward car,” often as the third model in a family’s fleet. For the record, the Double-Tongued Dictionary defines a reward car as “an (extravagant, frivolous, or impractical) automobile purchased as a gift to oneself when financial or personal goals have been achieved.”
To that end, Experian says more than 72 percent of convertible buyers are 45 years old or older, with nearly 52 percent either never having or no longer having a child living at home.
As one might imagine, more open-air autos are sold in sunnier regions of the U.S. than in the Snow Belt, with 23 percent of them being registered in either California (at 13.4 percent) or Florida (9.6 percent). However, the top five ragtop markets in the nation include New York City and Chicago, where the schizophrenic weather tends to relegate even the most affordable of the lot to true luxury status (the other top cities being Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta). The growing popularity of so-called hardtop convertibles, with power-retractable steel roofs that afford greater sound insulation and protection from the elements than a standard cloth top, has no doubt helped make them four-season cars for many cold-climate aficionados.
Not surprisingly, the metropolitan area having the lowest volume of convertibles according to the company’s research is Glendive, Mont., where one would assume a Ford F-150 pickup truck in its posh King Ranch trim level is the reward car of choice.
“The one long-standing perception of convertible vehicles is that they are driven predominately by consumers who live in sunny, coastal areas,” says Brad Smith, director for Experian Automotive. “While that notion certainly rings true, it’s not the only difference. Our research shows that convertible drivers also tend to be more affluent than the average new car buyer. One explanation to this could be that more luxury brands tend to have a convertible option.”
Of course it also helps that a typical convertible costs several thousand dollars more than a closed cabin counterpart.
Still, with 4.5 million of them on the road as of the first quarter of 2014, convertibles make up just 1.8 percent of the U.S. vehicle market, according to Experian. The most popular convertible in the U.S. remains the Ford Mustang, with the remainder of the top five ragtops on the road including the Chrysler Sebring/200, Mazda Miata/MX-5, BMW 3 Series and the Chevrolet Corvette. Hot fun!
These numbers make a lot of sense and don't seem out of whack for new Convertible owners.nissangirl74 wrote:almost 20% of vert owners make >$175K
almost 12% of vert owners have a home worth > $1 million
+50% of vert owners have a bachelor's degree or higher
the majority of vert owners live in CA and FL
The most popular verts sold in the US are The Mustang
The Sebring
The Miata
72% of vert owners are over 45 years old
52% of all vert owners don't have kids
So when I owned my vert,nissangirl74 wrote:So, those of you that are owners, how many of these stats apply to you?
