Teens and Their Cars

According to Forbes, the ten cars that teens want most are Ford Motor, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota. The most desired cars are the Ford Focus because of its Euro-Style and the Nissan GT-R.

According to marketing data collected by surveys conducted by TRU a youth marketing and research firm based in Chicago, “Teens tend to pick small sedans and coupes that get good gas mileage, have room for several friends, cost no more than $23,000 and most importantly, are made by brands identified as socially acceptable in the rarified air of high school hallways and cafeterias.”

The Honda Accord at $20,900 and Toyota Camry at $19,400 both have seating for five and combined fuel efficiencies of 24 mpg and 27 mpg and are the two top favorites.They are both affordable, reliable, and the most wanted cars by teens according to TRU.  

What makes the teenage mind want to have a certain type of car? Experts like Rob Callender at TRU say, “the primary forces shaping teenagers’ brand preferences are the Internet and peers, and they are hypersensitive to each. However, “teens, for all their love of fun and freedom, they’re also pragmatists.”

Honda, Scion, Subaru, and Nissan, among others, have used good marketing tactics and a range of inexpensive options to reach teens.They each offer several small, but practical cars such as the Subaru Impreza which starts at $17,500 and Scion’s xB at $16,500.

A survey of 10 Arrowhead high school students found that local preferences matched closely to TRU’s national survey results.

Harry Smith, a sophomore at Arrowhead High School says, “The Subaru WRX STI was my first prefered car. It looks good and had good gas mileage. It’s somewhat affordable depending on what year I get and I have a big range of modifications I can do to my car.”

Kaylea Van Lare, a freshman from Arrowhead, says, “I don’t know too much about cars, but I would like to have something small that has good gas mileage, and it has to fit my friends and me.”