When choosing a new car to purchase it’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are too many cars, most of which have similar features. To make the decision easier and more streamlined it might be worth thinking about your own personal characteristics and how you want your choice of car to reflect those characteristics. So it is necessary to examine (in a tongue-in-cheek way) what different automobile choices represent in the driver.

• Convertible: Exhibitionists love this car because they want to be on display and admired just as much as the car is. The fact that ‘the sun is out’ somewhat conceals their real motive for winding the top down!

• Mercedes Benz. This oozes effortless sophistication in tandem with high status. You want people to see and be impressed by your presence but you don’t want your eagerness for this to be so evident and obvious. People that own a Mercedes Benz tend to be dark-horses with a slightly aloof demeanour.

• 4 x 4: This sends the message that the driver likes to conquer in any given situation. The sturdy 4 x 4 vehicle resembles a tank and can easily run over other cars on the road. The driver of a 4 x 4 may conduct him/herself socially in a way that bulldozes conversation between friends and acquaintances and tries to position the spotlight on him or herself.

• Honda. This car, though compromised on image, is renowned for being reliable and trustworthy. Folk that invest in this model are potentially good friends that aren’t shallow-minded.

• Reliant-Robin. A quirky and eccentric little number, akin to a wheel barrow with a roof. The car has often been the butt of jokes in popular culture. The Trotter brothers in Only Fools and Horses drove one that was the same colour as bile; and Jasper Carrots routine often included jokes about them but this car being a retro icon, it states your reverence to counter-culture.

• VW Camper-van: New-age hippie. Most folk in possession of one of these have hippie ideals to varying degrees. From those that hold down a full-time job during the week and reward themselves with the freedom to go to whichever rural destination they want at the weekend with a tent; to the full-time red-eyed hippies that reside in a commune. This vehicle represents an escape from the rat race.

Of course, there are a lot of us that aren’t preoccupied with finding a car that represents our identity, as it is seen as a functional item. As long as it ‘does what it says on the tin’ and it’s cheap then it is a good buy!

I want to sell my car so I can invest in a car that truly represents my character. What traits occupy you, and which type of car reflects those traits?

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