Photo: TheZebra.com
You know the saying “give one’s right arm for something.” Well, Americans wouldn’t actually give a limb for their dream car, because they’d need both to drive it – but they would still sacrifice quite a lot for one.
In light of a recent study showing Americans dreamed of Teslas, Mustangs and Jeeps more than of any other car, The Zebra conducted its own last month. The goal was to find whether people believed they could ever own their dream car and what they were willing to give up for it.
Of the 2,000 Americans polled, almost half admitted they might never get to own the car of their dreams. Hypothetically speaking, though, they would give up stuff they liked a lot just so they could get it, including alcohol, social media and coffee. In fact, most respondents would give up booze, with women more willing to do so.
Almost 40 percent of respondents said they would also give up Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for their dream car. This is perhaps the most startling revelation of the poll, knowing how much time we all spend on social media.
Other things Americans would sacrifice for their dream car, as per the findings of the survey: caffeine (30 percent), voting rights (8 percent), vacation days (5 percent) and health insurance (5 percent).
As impressive as all this may sound, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really amount to much. If you compare the annual cost of owning an expensive car and the amount of money spent on all these things, the balance doesn’t tip in favor of the latter. Put differently, even if Americans would sacrifice all these things at the same time, they would probably still not afford their dream car.
“Let’s take a look at the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. With a starting price of $123,090, these cars are nothing short of luxury. Unfortunately, that luxury comes with a steep monthly price tag,” The Zebra writes of the findings.
“Using the average interest rate for an auto loan and taking out a loan for the full price of the ‘Vette, car payments come out to a whopping $2,279 every month, or $27,348 annually for five years. That’s nearly half of the average American’s salary in just one year,” the publication adds.
In comparison, the average American spends $1,100 on coffee, $970 on alcohol, almost $2,000 on vacations and over $10,000 on healthcare.
Of the 2,000 Americans polled, almost half admitted they might never get to own the car of their dreams. Hypothetically speaking, though, they would give up stuff they liked a lot just so they could get it, including alcohol, social media and coffee. In fact, most respondents would give up booze, with women more willing to do so.
Almost 40 percent of respondents said they would also give up Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for their dream car. This is perhaps the most startling revelation of the poll, knowing how much time we all spend on social media.
Other things Americans would sacrifice for their dream car, as per the findings of the survey: caffeine (30 percent), voting rights (8 percent), vacation days (5 percent) and health insurance (5 percent).
As impressive as all this may sound, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really amount to much. If you compare the annual cost of owning an expensive car and the amount of money spent on all these things, the balance doesn’t tip in favor of the latter. Put differently, even if Americans would sacrifice all these things at the same time, they would probably still not afford their dream car.
“Let’s take a look at the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. With a starting price of $123,090, these cars are nothing short of luxury. Unfortunately, that luxury comes with a steep monthly price tag,” The Zebra writes of the findings.
“Using the average interest rate for an auto loan and taking out a loan for the full price of the ‘Vette, car payments come out to a whopping $2,279 every month, or $27,348 annually for five years. That’s nearly half of the average American’s salary in just one year,” the publication adds.
In comparison, the average American spends $1,100 on coffee, $970 on alcohol, almost $2,000 on vacations and over $10,000 on healthcare.
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