'Women buy midlife-crisis cars too'

Published Apr 22, 2015

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Johannesburg - it's a well-established urban legend that when a man feels middle age closing in on him, he goes out and buys himself some sleek and sexy wheels - a sporty convertible, perhaps, or a brawny motorcycle.

Well, surprise, surprise - a recent Ipsos survey in the United States showed that women want midlife-crisis cars too. According to 1st for Women boss Robyn Farrell, the research found that one in four people were likely to purchase a car as a result of a midlife crisis.

Thirty percent of men (almost one in three) responded that they were “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to buy a midlife-crisis vehicle, while 21 percent (more than one in five) of women said “the same.”

We might think of the red sports car as the classic midlife wheels but 20 percent of respondents chose black, while 19 percent opted for silver or grey. Blue and red tied at 17 percent of the vote each with yellow last, chosen by just 1 in 50 respondents which, if nothing else, proves that by age 50 most of us have learned a modicum of taste.

WOMEN CHOSE RED

“Men and women also have different ideas about what constitute a 'young' colour,” said Farrell. “Among the men, 24 percent preferred a black car, while 21 percent of women chose red.”

Men and women also differed on the types of vehicles they liked best. The top choice among men was the sports car, which got 24 percent of the vote, while the ladies' favourite was the SUV, with 19 percent.

“Reaching middle age should be a time of celebration,” commented Farrell. “You're wiser and better equipped to deal with all that life throws at you - and you can usually leverage that into a better insurance deal once you hit the big five-oh, because you're seen as a more experienced and more responsible driver.”

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