What are the demographics of car buyers by type of car(e.g., compact,
sedan, SUV, vans)?

Hello levycarm-ga,

Thank you for your question.


My search returned the following results for demographics of car
buyers by type of car:

Vehicle Type: 5-passenger SUV-type vehicle (EPA classification:
station wagon)
Buyer Demographics: Young married couples (30-35), median family
income $60,000, over 50% female buyers and/or decision makers.
http://www.womanmotorist.com/review/subaru/bp-forester-1998-01.shtml

Vehicle Type: 4-passenger, front-wheel drive, 2-door coupe
Buyer Demographics: The coupe is targeted for the unmarried buyer and
young couples without children. The median age is 32, with an annual
income of $42,000. Sixty percent of the buyers are expected to be
female, and 38 percent will be college graduates.
http://www.womanmotorist.com/review/ford/bp-escort.shtml

Coupe and Sedan Buyer Demographics
Median age: 18–24 Years
Median household income: $50,000
Purchaser (male/female): 35%/65%
Married: 25%
College graduates: 40%
http://media.gm.com/product/chevrolet/01chevy/cavalier/01overview.htm

Demographic Material - Jeep (Cherokee)
Current Buyer Profile
Age: 41
Annual Household Income $54,000
Female/Male buyers 42/58%
http://www.imajeep.com/vehicle_specifications/1998%20Product%20Information.htm#demom

Van:
Astro Passenger Van Demographics: 
Typical buyers: 34-54 years
Median income: $50,000
Purchaser: Predominantly married college
graduates with children
http://media.gm.com/division/chevrolet/products/trucks/01chevy/01astro/overview.htm

Sedan:
Buyer Demographics:
Median age: 30—40 Years
Median household income: $35,000—$50,000
Purchaser (male/female): 35%/65% 
Married: 55%
Children in household: 40%—60%
College graduates: 35%—50%
http://media.gm.com

Sport Utility:
Buyer Demographics
Median age: 44 Years
Median household income: $90,000
Purchaser (male/female): 55%/45%
Children in household: 50%
College graduates: 47%
http://media.gm.com

Vehicle Type:
Five-passenger, four-door mid-size sedan front-wheel drive 
Buyer Demographics: 
Age 35-45; household income $100,000; 60% male/40% female
http://www.roadtestonline.com/review/acura/jb-acura-tl-9901.shtml


Searching cartalk.car's website I located a number of demographic
charts by type of car:

Sedan Drivers
http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Demographics/General/sedan.html

Sport Utility Drivers
http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Demographics/General/suv.html

Pickup Drivers
http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Demographics/General/pickup.html

Station Wagon Drivers
http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Demographics/General/wagon.html

Minivan Drivers
http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Demographics/General/minivan.html

Convertible Drivers
http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Demographics/General/convertible.html


Additional information that may interest you:

An excerpt from a report by J.D. Power and Associates en relation to
upper midsize car buyers:

“Upper midsize car buyers are the third oldest among the 19 buyer
groups in the J.D. Power and Associates segmentation. Only buyers of
basic large and traditional luxury cars are older, and van, pickup and
SUV buyers all tend to have more children than midsize car buyers.
According to the report, 45 percent of SUV buyers have two or more
children.”
“The average upper midsize car buyer is also less educated today than
just a few years ago. In 1998 and 1999, more than 50 percent of upper
midsize buyers had a college degree, but in 2000, that measure slipped
below 50 percent. In 2000, all SUV buyers, on average, were more
educated that the upper midsize customer. In addition, the average
upper midsize buyer made less money in 2000 than the average new car
buyer.”
J.D. Power and Associates Website
http://www.jdpower.com/global/jdpaawards/releases/042401.asp

In a recent article on the Sun Times Website, published June 24,
commenting on sport compact demographics:

“According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association's Compact
Performance Market Report (2001), Acura and Honda products account for
nearly half of the cars in the sport compact segment. (..)Demographics
for both the RSX and the Type-S are skewed toward young,
college-educated males, with high household incomes. Seventy-seven
percent of Type S buyers are male, with annual income in the
mid-$70,000s, and a median age of 31.Close to 60 percent of the buyers
are single.”
Sun Times Website
http://www.suntimes.com/output/padgett/car-news-nina24.html

A study on SUV buyers can be found here:
http://www.dohring.com/studies/96auto/s96aspt.html#buyer


Search terms used: 
demographics “car buyers” 
SUV buyer demographics
sedan buyer demographics
jeep buyer demographics


I hope this provides you with the information you are seeking.

Best regards,

Bobbie7-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by levycarm-ga on 06 Aug 2002 08:35 PDT

My request is not so much for clarification, but for elaboration.  Is
it possible to find out what the demographics for Dodge car buyers are
versus for other types of domestic cars?

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Clarification of Answer by bobbie7-ga on 06 Aug 2002 09:57 PDT

Hi, 

I did a search for demographics on brand specific car buyers and this
is what I found:

 “Brand loyalty, one of the hallmarks of car buying in the 1950s and
'60s, is virtually nonexistent now. Families were once defined by
their car make -- Olds, Cadillac or Dodge -- in the same way that they
were labeled by their political party. Now car buyers shop around in
the same way that they roam the mall, looking for exactly what they
want at the most affordable price.”
RIT  Website
http://www.rit.edu/~umagwww/spring99/autoInd.html

Perhaps if you post this as a new question another researcher may have
better luck than I in finding more information.

Regards,
Bobbie7-ga

This is my first experience with Google Answers.  I am pleased with
the answer.  Thank you.