When he turned 40, José Ortiz bought a car «irrational, totally useless». A two-seater convertible in which “I and three suitcases entered,” he says. Like him, a good handful of Spaniards end up going through the dealership coinciding with what the English call the “mild life crisis”, the midlife crisis.
A somewhat less scrawny pocket than during youth and a perfect emotional storm coincide so that, between forty and fifty, in addition to a subscription to the gym, growing a beard or a change in haircut, we consider adding a second car or a high displacement motorcycle to the garage.
“There is a significant group of aspirational purchases made by this age group,” confirms Ignacio Garcia RojiSumauto analyst, manager of the specialized portals Autocasión, Autoscout24, Unoauto, Mascus and Motocasión, which links it to the increase in purchasing power that usually occurs after two decades of experience in the world of work.
Although brands are reluctant to provide data on their target customers, statistics show that precisely those in their 40s and 50s form by far the largest interest group among those looking for a vehicle. They account for 53% of the demand by age group. And overwhelmingly, 80% of them are men, according to a recent Carwow study.
Many seek it out of necessity, but it also comes into play three factors fundamentally emotional: the search for self-recognition, the identification of consumption with happiness and the desire to imbue ourselves with the values of a certain sporty, refined or luxurious brand, which we would like to also characterize us.
A “successful” guy
“The owner of a Rolls Royce imagines himself a respectable, successful guy, and we would also like to be part of that group of people,” he explains. jose ortiz, psychologist specializing in marketing, advertising and consumption at the Rookie Soul agency. Values such as sportiness, exclusivity and effort are associated with luxury manufacturers such as Maserati, McLaren or Porsche, but also with premium brands such as BMW or Mercedes. “Nobody needs a Ferrari, but we buy it because we like all its values, and by buying them we believe that we have acquired them,” he adds. “That is why manufacturers turn to successful athletes, such as Nadal or Alcaraz, so that they transmit their personality to the product and, from there, to the buyer.”
The phenomenon does not only translate into the purchase of a luxury car. They are also in fashion classic car restorations or restomod, as García Rojí, from Sumauto, points out; and there is also an increase in purchases of high displacement motorcycles in these age groups, as evidenced by the data from the Anesdor motorcyclist employers’ association. Meanwhile, cars with a sporty aura, such as the Mazda MX-5 or the Volkswagen Golf cabrio fly from the second-hand buying and selling portals.
Emotional stimuli hit harder at a time when our perception of the world around us, and of ourselves, is in flux. «Well established in the world of work, with children in full growth, they begin to call us sir, we lose our hair or begin to gain weight, women suffer hormonal changes, later menopause… We are no longer young, but mature adults, and This has enormous implications as consumers”, says the psychologist of Rookie Soul.
It is time to readjust our personal image, our own and the one that others have of us, at a time when self-esteem can also falter. So it’s time to get our chest out of our professional achievements. “If we are able to consume, and especially expensive products, we reinforce the effort we have made and emphasize our professional and personal worth,” sums up Ortiz, who gives as an example “that winning footballer who arrives at training in a supercar.”