The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

The 'Midlife Crisis Car': Less Crisis, More Celebration


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

Sedans and SUVs challenge sports cars for midlife purchase of choice, new CarMax survey reveals

RICHMOND, VA -- February 4, 2015: For many, the words “midlife crisis car” immediately bring to mind “flashy, red and sporty.” CarMax, Inc. today published a survey on midlife crisis car trends, and the results may be surprising: sedans and SUVs are gaining in popularity. While one in five potential buyers (20 percent) would still go for a sports car first, 17 percent would purchase an SUV and 15 percent would pick a sedan. When asked about a specific make and model, the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette were the favorites.

“It’s wonderful that people envision marking this new stage of their lives by buying the type of vehicle they’ve always wanted”

Perceptions of “Middle Age” Get a Makeover

This survey comes at a time when the concept of “midlife” and middle age are evolving in America. Increasingly, this life stage represents an exciting new chapter of possibility and freedom. According to the recent CarMax survey, one in four American adults (25 percent) consider it likely they would buy a car associated with a midlife crisis.

“It’s wonderful that people envision marking this new stage of their lives by buying the type of vehicle they’ve always wanted,” said Cliff Wood, CarMax executive vice president of stores. “No matter your dream car, CarMax is the perfect place to start your car buying experience. We offer a wide range of makes and models to match the next adventure anyone has in mind.”

Red Isn’t the Only Show-Stopper

No matter what 80s movies told us, today’s midlife crisis car doesn’t have to be red. The most popular color for respondents’ hypothetical midlife crisis car was black (20 percent), with silver/gray (19 percent), blue (17 percent) and, yes, red (17 percent) close behind. Yellow came in at the very bottom of the list with just 2 percent.

Sports Car for Him, SUV for Her

Thirty percent of men said that they would be very or somewhat likely to buy a car associated with a midlife crisis, while 21 percent of women said the same. But the type of car each gender would buy could not be more different. For men, sports cars still reign supreme, and black is the color of choice, both coming in at 24 percent. Women went with SUVs (19 percent), and red won out as the preferred color (21 percent).

The South Most Likely To Buy Midlife Car

According to the survey, residents of the South are most likely to purchase a midlife crisis car, with more than 30 percent of respondents indicating that they were very or somewhat likely to buy one. Midwesterners were the least likely to spring for a midlife crisis car overall, with almost 80 percent of respondents saying that they were not very likely or not at all likely to buy one. Of the 18 percent of Midwesterners who would purchase a midlife crisis car, the most popular make was an SUV – the only region where the sports car did not come out on top.

The Ipsos survey was conducted on behalf of CarMax from October 20 to October 21, 2014. For the survey, a national sample of 1,005 adults from Ipsos’ U.S. online panel was interviewed online. For the full survey results, email pr@carmax.com.