Re: Two door vs. Four door

Posted by packardsix1939 On 2022/6/13 12:38:49
It all comes down to styling. In the 1950's and 60's, styling was one of the top considerations for auto buyers in making a purchase decision. I recall reading an auto marketing survey taken at some point in the 1950's which listed styling as the second most important consideration for consumers with previous experience with the brand being the top consideration. Face it, a two-door hardtop or a convertible is just more desirable than a four door. We still see this today in the collector car hobby. Hardtops and convertibles get eagerly snapped up while four doors in the same model largely get ignored, even if they are in top condition.

Today, people's attitudes towards automotive styling have changed considerably. It is just no longer something that has any significant importance. The vast majority of buyers see a car as a functional appliance, nothing more. So, two door cars and convertibles are virtually extinct in the marketplace and all brands look very similar to one another. I work for a used car auction as a driver I often can't even tell what make or model I am behind the wheel of unless I look at the logo on the steering wheel or glance at the information on the key tag.

The recent SUV craze has accelerated the trend towards bland and boring automotive styling. Actual cars are rapidly disappearing and are being replaced by homely boxes on wheels whose main attraction is the ability to haul around a lot of stuff. It is indeed a sad time if you care about and appreciate good styling in an automobile. And I don't see this ever changing, even with the emergence of electric vehicles. Most of them look just like contemporary gasoline powered automobiles, the basic exterior design of which has not changed in about 25 years. Tesla's designs are at now least 10 years old, yet they continue to enjoy increased sales every year. When I first saw pictures of the new highly touted Lucid electric car, I thought that it bore an uncanny resemblance to my late mom's 1998 Olds Intrigue. As the era when styling mattered retreats further and further in the past, I believe that far fewer people will be interested in cars as a collector's item, something that does not bode well for the future of our hobby.

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