Flashy Cars Help Land Dates, Not Wives

Women are more attracted to men who engage in frivolous spending — like buying exclusive supercars — but only briefly, according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

I’m sure it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out, though from the looks of it, some Ph.D.’s were involved. You think James Bond "dated" so many women just because he’s dashing, handsome, well-dressed and speaks with a British accent? No, it had to be the Aston Martin.

Men who engage in “splashy” spending are sending signals to women that suggests they’re looking to date and that they are “interesting,” Jill Sundie, a marketing professor the University of Texas at San Antonio, told Reuters.

Researchers surveyed nearly 1,000 men and women in four different studies to determine the findings.

The results show that while wasteful spending improves the chances for a fling, it also has the side effect of keeping one single, compared with more frugal-minded suitors who end up in more long-term relationships, Sundie said.

Researchers say that’s because slapdash spending is a turn-off for women seeking “marriage material.” If you want to put a ring on it, you have to buy a Honda Civic?

Of course, these are just correlations. Not all men drive-to-impress just to gain women’s attention, and not all women are attracted to such opulence.

Study: Women Dig Dudes Driving Hot Cars (Reuters)

Comments

My first wife was attracted to me, at least in a small part, because I had a new Jeep Wrangler. Within less than 6 months of marriage, she insisted I sell it.
Fast forward a decade and a half, and my new wife was impressed when she met me because I had a Prius. Go figure.

I have a green Mercedes E320 and all the time i get compliments about it from women. I think its just the badge.

my grandmother who was born in 1886 said she chased the guys with the fancist buggies. Lookss like women (and men) have not evolved that much.

Why does driving a stolen car (AKA "Hot") make one attractive???

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

I wonder if this study suffers from a directionality problem - it's a simple correlation and it may be that men who drive flashy cars are less likely to settle down.

A car is the last thing that makes me interested in someone. My husband had a ten year old cavalier when I met him (I'm a software developer though and not someone just looking for a provider so that may play a huge role).

Hmmmmm.....my ex-husband was driving a red Chevy Vega GT with a smashed in front grill (he didn't know how to drive on ice apparently).

I married a man who had one headlight attached to his car by duct tape. :) We've never owned a new car yet... and we're carrying zero debt.

My "flashy" and slightly rusty 1979 Dodge Magnum 8cylinder 350 oil burning engine must have been the reason I got a date with my future wife in '98 even when she already had a boyfriend. (score!) Correlation = causation, right? I sold for $700 and married without a vehicle at all. It had to be the car!