GS69

Top 10 Models for Young Drivers

We’ve all heard the comments: I don’t want to get a Cadillac, that’s my grandfather’s car!

Well, now TrueCar can tell you what the grandkids are driving.

A new study recently completed by TrueCar.com, showed that Mitsubishi, Mazda and Volkswagen have the highest concentration of younger buyers. The study was completed in May 2010 and looked at the last full year of available data. TrueCar also identified the best deals* on models for this demographic based on current actual transactions.

The list, which shows the brands with the highest percentage of buyers that are 18 to 34, is topped by Mitsubishi (18.3%), with its young skewing list of models that includes the Lancer and the Eclipse. Mazda (18%), with the popular Mazda3 and Mazda6, and Volkswagen (17.6%), which features the list topping GTI and Jetta, were next with Nissan (15.6%) and Mini (15%) rounding out the top 5. The industry average was 10.8%.

On the flipside, the brands that have the lowest percentage of buyers in that age range are Detroit mainstays Buick (3.6%), Lincoln (4%) and Cadillac (5.1%). Those three makes manufacture eight of the 10 vehicles with the lowest percentage of buyers under 34 in the study, with the Cadillac DTS (1.1%) at the very bottom of a list that includes two Cadillacs, two Buicks and four Lincolns.

Making this information more valuable for consumers is TrueCar.com’s list of the Top 10 Models for Young Drivers that includes the potential discount from MSRP. Topping the list – which is made up of models with the highest percentage of 18-34 year olds within the make – is the Mitsubishi Lancer which shows a possible discount of 25%†. Both the Nissan Titan and the Jeep Commander are showing potential discounts over 30%.

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Make     Model     Trim     % of 18-34 Year Olds     Discount off MSRP
Mitsubishi     Lancer     Sedan Manual     18.3%     -25%
Mazda     3     4dr Sedan Man     18.0%     -5%
Volkswagen     GTI     2dr HB Man     17.6%     -3%
Nissan     Titan     2WD King Cab     15.6%     -37%
Mini     Cooper     2dr Coupe     15.0%     -3%
Audi     A3     4dr HB MT     14.9%     -3%
Jeep     Commander     RWD 4dr Sport     14.0%     -30%
Honda     Fit     5dr HB Man     13.9%     -1%
Subaru     Impreza     Sedan 4dr Man     13.5%     -5%
Acura     TSX     4dr Sedan I4Auto     13.4%     -6% 


Just as interesting as these great deals is what TrueCar discovered about actual average age of ownership. While it is fairly well known that Buick, Cadillac and Lincoln are mainstays at the bottom of the list, who would have thought that smart and Hyundai would be over 50 and BMW and Audi – traditionally older, more expensive brands – would be under 50. The whole list:

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MAKE     AVERAGE AGE
MAZDA     47.0
MITSUBISHI     47.2
VOLKSWAGEN     47.5
HUMMER     47.5
AUDI     47.5
MINI     48.0
BMW     48.5
JEEP     48.6
ACURA     48.7
NISSAN     48.7
INFINITI     48.9
PORSCHE     49.1
DODGE     49.6
SAAB     49.7
HONDA     49.7
SUZUKI     49.9
VOLVO     50.0
GMC     50.1
KIA     50.2
TOYOTA     51.0
SUBARU     51.0
MERCEDES-BENZ     51.1
FORD     51.9
CHEVROLET     51.9
SMARTCAR     52.3
HYUNDAI     52.3
JAGUAR     53.2
LEXUS     53.6
CHRYSLER     54.6
CADILLAC     57.1
MERCURY     57.3
LINCOLN     58.7
BUICK     61.0 


And, in case you were curious, here are the top 30 youngest and oldest make/models. There may be some surprises on both lists, so enjoy the read, check your age and hit up TrueCar for a pricing report on a Volkswagen GTI, immediately.

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TOP 30 HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF UNDER 34 YEAR OLD OWNERS
Make     Model     Percent
VOLKSWAGEN     GTI     23.4%
VOLKSWAGEN     ROUTAN     23.3%
MITSUBISHI     LANCER     22.4%
NISSAN     TITAN     20.9%
SUBARU     IMPREZA     20.6%
NISSAN     ARMADA     20.5%
AUDI     A3     20.2%
MAZDA     3     20.2%
NISSAN     XTERRA     19.9%
VOLKSWAGEN     TIGUAN     18.8%
NISSAN     PATHFINDER     18.7%
MAZDA     CX-7     18.5%
TOYOTA     YARIS     18.5%
MAZDA     6     18.2%
TOYOTA     SCION     17.9%
VOLKSWAGEN     JETTA     17.9%
MAZDA     RX8     17.9%
MAZDA     5     17.7%
CHEVROLET     TAHOE     17.7%
ACURA     TSX     17.5%
AUDI     A5     17.2%
BMW     M3     17.1%
VOLKSWAGEN     CC     16.8%
DODGE     CHARGER     16.7%
NISSAN     CUBE     16.6%
NISSAN     ROGUE     16.3%
AUDI     S4     16.3%
VOLVO     C30     16.2%
GMC     YUKON     16.2% 


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TOP 30 LOWEST CONCENTRATION OF UNDER 34 YEAR OLD OWNERS
Make     Model     Percent
CADILLAC     DTS     1.1%
BUICK     LUCERNE     1.2%
MERCURY     GRAND MARQUIS     1.4%
TOYOTA     AVALON     1.9%
CADILLAC     STS     2.0%
LINCOLN     TOWN CAR     2.1%
BUICK     LACROSSE     2.2%
LINCOLN     MKS     2.9%
LINCOLN     MKT     3.1%
LINCOLN     MKZ     3.2%
LEXUS     LS     3.2%
ACURA     RL     3.6%
HYUNDAI     AZERA     3.7%
CHEVROLET     IMPALA     4.1%
PORSCHE     PANAMERA     4.1%
FORD     TAURUS     4.2%
AUDI     A8     4.4%
LEXUS     ES     4.6%
CADILLAC     CTS     4.6%
CADILLAC     SRX     4.8%
VOLVO     S80     4.9%
VOLVO     C70     4.9%
MERCEDES-BENZ     S-CLASS     4.9%
LINCOLN     MKX     5.1%
MAZDA     MX5     5.3%
VOLVO     XC70     5.5%
MERCEDES-BENZ     E-CLASS     5.7%
INFINITI     M35     5.8%
MERCURY     MILAN     5.9%
JAGUAR     XK     6.0% 


LexFather

Some good data (not sure how big the sample size was) and many of these are pretty obvious. I'll just list my surprises...

Young
Routan-Young with lots of kids? skeet skeet!
Titan/Armada-young people don't care about interiors?
Audi A5-good show!
BMW M3-solid showing for an expensive car
GMC Yukon-surprised the heck outta me

Old
Hyundai Azera-didn't think buyers were that old
Chevy Impala-must be elsewhere but nothing but kids buy it here
Porsche Panamera-Clearly they have money but didn't expect to see it there
Caddy CTS- I have always said old people buy it, not young ones.
Infiniti M35-fanboys have you believe only 16-24 year olds drive it
Jaguar XK-surprising as well

mmarshall

I don't see a single minivan on the bottom list, which is exceedingly strange. Young people often shun traditional minivans.

Something else strange is why the Scion tC is not on the list either. It, traditionally, has had one of the youngest buyer ages of any car in the U.S. market.....much more so than its xA, xB, and xD siblings.

LexBob2

It looks like the LaCrosse isn't having much effect on lowering the age of Buick buyers. I thought it might attract younger buyers, but apparantly not yet, if the list is accurate.

mmarshall

This statement is incorrect. BMWs are not traditionally older person's cars. Long ago, back in the 1980s, they became the classic 'in" cars and status symbols for the so-called Baby-Boomer "Yuppies". These were the young, urban, professional class (mostly in their late 20s and 30s) who were emerging in big numbers, had high-paying, high-tech jobs, had money to spend, and increasingly chose the blue-and-white propeller. Later on, BMW's popularity increased even more as the classic "Ultimate Driving Machine" started attracting even more younger buyers with their stand-alone steering/road manners. Audi, of course (which WAS an older person's car some years ago), has recently attracted a much younger class of buyers, as it is now a credible alternative to BMW in the fun-to-drive department.

LexFather

Yup!

Well I said it from the jump (and the CTS) that the internetz would have people think only young people buy them and want them but the reality is older people continue to buy them more than ever. Buick is attempting to attract younger buyers but I think all its doing is keeping older people happy with relevant products. Nothing wrong with that at all, the elderly market is exploding and if they saved right, that is a lot of money that is ready to be spent.

mmarshall

Would you believe, Mike, that I had two used Buicks before age 20, and liked both of them?....and no, not Buick GS muscle-cars either (for that, I had a Plymouth Barracuda). Of course, I've had a lot of other cars since then, too.


I think the reason that more younger people are not buying the new LaCrosse is simple peer pressure....or that they are afraid of their friends/colleagues making fun of them driving an "Old-Man's" car. Many probably (in secret) like the new LaCrosse but are allowing image and stereotypes to get in their way. I'd guess it's the same thing, to a lesser extent, with the Cadillac CTS....but fewer young people, of course, could afford a CTS, as it costs more than the LaCrosse.

Let's see what happens to LaCrosse sales, though, now that 4-cylinder FWD and V6 AWD versons are available.

IS-SV

I suspect Buick's average age is creeping towards a more lucrative middle age point gradually.

IS350jet

I believe the list is incomplete. I was certain that Scion would have taken top honors as the youngest manufacturer. Low and behold, it's nowhere on the list!

LexBob2

Scion is on the list in the 15th spot at 17.9%.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

LOL!!!!!
I would have to whole-heartedly disagree with that. Younger people don't buy the LaCrosse because:

1) It's a Buick
2) While better looking than previous Buick's, it is still rather "mature" in overall appearance
3) It weighs 4,000lbs
4) It drives like it weighs 4,000lbs
5) It's not cheap
6) It's not fast
7) It's not particularly fuel efficient
8) The interior is definitely more Q-Tip-friendly than it is cool or interesting.
9) It has enough ground clearance to be mistaken for a crossover
10) It's a Buick

LexBob2

Your assessment is accurate. There are a variety of reasons that certain cars (other items too) appeal to consumers of different ages.

The new issue of C&D has a comparo of cars that appeal to buyers of a certain age group (Genesis 3.6, ES350, LaCrosse CXS & Taurus Limited)

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

Don't forget Tiger Woods likes it

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

The majority of Mitsubishi sales are to fleets & people that can't get financed elsewhere.

mmarshall

I can't agree. Just look at our own CL family, for instance. How many threads, for example, were done on the old LaCrosse?.......and how much interest did the old model generate here? I did a review on both the old 2009 and new 2010 LaCrosse....but only because a couple of members asked me to compare the old one to the new one, otherwise I probably wouldn't have wasted time with it. And the first CL thread posted on the new LaCrosse some time ago (not my review, which came later), generated intense interest and hundreds of responses, many from younger CL members who couldn't have cared 2 cents about the old car. So, it is clear that the new model is generating a lot of interest, even if that interest has not always generated into direct sales.