The trends in car buying have changed considerably over the last 30 years as people’s needs and wants alter. During the 80s, there was a high demand for family saloons, but now larger Ford cars like the Mondeo have decreased considerably in popularity. People are opting for smaller models or more specialist vehicles which have enhanced features suitable for the whole family.
In the past it was common for households to own two cars – the man would drive the larger car while the woman would use the smaller ‘runaround’. On driveways today you will still potentially see two cars parked but research suggests that these are more likely to be two VW Golfs or newer hybrid/SUV models.
Women’s lifestyles have changed quite dramatically since the 1980s. For a start during this time the office environment was male dominated whereas by 2005 there was definitely more of an equal split. An increase in part-time employment opportunities was partly responsible for this change and recruitment methods have in addition developed dramatically with improved technologies and varied methods of finding work and employees. Families today also have more choice since there has been a rise in the number of car models on the market.
In a large proportion of households in 2012 both parents will be working and while cost and fuel efficiency are important considerations, mums additionally consider the balance of juggling both work and the kids. It is now common to find dads driving smaller cars like the Ford Fiesta rather than the larger models they would have driven in the past. Volkswagen Golf, the Mini and the Peugeot 207 are on the list of top 10 cars owned by families currently.
The state of the economy today means that many will be looking at ways in which they can reduce their monthly expenditure on factors such as insurance and fuel. With cars divided on a scale of 1 to 50 depending on elements such as how expensive they were to buy and how attractive they might be to thieves, insurance costs can be an influential when it comes to choosing a car.
Environmental concerns are also considered by car buyers today so for example hybrids have increased fuel efficiency, cutting emissions and saving money on filling up the tank. Petrol engines are often supplemented by an electric motor which takes over when the car is idling.
It will be interesting to see how all the aformentioned changes alter the buing habits of the future.
