Z4M demographics poll

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by BTM

I think that was an article in Evo. In the end, calling a car girly or manly is really a ridiculous proposition. I see pretty equal amounts of male/female ratio in 911s, Caymans Range Rovers, Escalades, Vipers, as well as the more "common" ranges of BMW (3,5,7) and Mercedes (C,E,S) as well as their SUVs...as far as "drivers" cars go, well, it's a male dominated market...



It amuses me that the one car you are absolutely guaranteed to see at an AutoX is what's known as a very girly car to these philistines who like to differentiate between a man's and a girl's car - the Miata. In talking with people about cars, you can really infer a lot about the complexity of their thought process and overall attitude towards cars when they start to say certain cars are girly. The enjoyment they get from cars is more of a function of making them feel good by how a car looks, drives, how much it costs, it's more of an extrinsic motivation - the opinion is influenced by outside considerations, in this case, how they view themselves in the car, or how they think others view themselves driving the car. This is of course opposed to an intrinsic mindset, where how it drives is the main consideration. Of course a car's styling is important, but more so in a sense of "does the driver like it" rather than "what image does the driver think it portrays." Of course I'm generalizing, and rambling at this point, so apologies if none of that makes sense to anyone but myself

+1

Great post. The Miata is also seen a lot at the track, and it's probably the perfect case-study in the extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation.

Zpost members are as a group overwhelmingly enthusiasts at the core and what matters is how the car drives and how capable it is (Z4 variant or fixed or movable roof notwithstanding).

If a lot of the female driving public buys/likes the a varient of the car (but for different reasons than the enthusiast buyer) that doesn't "make" a car "girly". It just means we have two very different demongraphics buying the car for very different reasons and for very different purposes. It simply means the probability of running into a male/female driver might be higher with one varient or the other. I wouldn't draw any other conclusions from that though other than being able to guess, at a distance, which gender is probably driving.

As for Si vs. M vs. whatever--at one of my recent track days I met a forum member in an Si Vert and we traded places back and forth (me passing him, him passing me) on the track and had a great time. The Z4 in any form is a pretty potent weapon and a very capable machine.

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

+1

Great post. The Miata is also seen a lot at the track, and it's probably the perfect case-study in the extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation.

Zpost members are as a group overwhelmingly enthusiasts at the core and what matters is how the car drives and how capable it is (Z4 variant or fixed or movable roof notwithstanding).

If a lot of the female driving public buys/likes the a varient of the car (but for different reasons than the enthusiast buyer) that doesn't "make" a car "girly". It just means we have two very different demongraphics buying the car for very different reasons and for very different purposes. It simply means the probability of running into a male/female driver might be higher with one varient or the other. I wouldn't draw any other conclusions from that though other than being able to guess, at a distance, which gender is probably driving.

As for Si vs. M vs. whatever--at one of my recent track days I met a forum member in an Si Vert and we traded places back and forth (me passing him, him passing me) on the track and had a great time. The Z4 in any form is a pretty potent weapon and a very capable machine.

Well said!!!

[zgood4u]

How would I vote if my wife wants to drive my Z4M sometimes instead of her M3? I'm at the crossroads of a dilemma wrapped in an enigma burrito.

[steveayd]

The vote results are sort of the reason I ended up with my m coupe; its a very masculine vehicle. When I was shopping for my ride, it was either the m coupe or a tts? When women's day magazine named the tt as their car of the year, the choice was made clear.

And for the women driving an m coupe, respect

[ZStig]

Originally Posted by zgood4u

How would I vote if my wife wants to drive my Z4M sometimes instead of her M3? I'm at the crossroads of a dilemma wrapped in an enigma burrito.

if she bought the z4m for herself, then you'd vote "female"

[ZStig]

bump. lots of votes are in. wow

[StickMon]

Previous owner of my car was a woman. Well, probably still is.
Surprised me, though. I was afraid the //M was possibly too much of a "thingy" extender. Particularly being in the 50+ set.