Audi and Mercedes Effect
I moved to Bismarck, North Dakota in June of 2000 from the Twin Cities. One of the contrasts that struck me was the lack of high end cars like Mercedes, Audi, Lexus and BMW. In the past seven years that number has grown to a point where it is hard to avoid seeing several on any given day. What is to account for this?
These are expensive machines that require a great deal of disposable income to even get into a dealership. On my salary, they would'nt even let me drop my disposable income in the coin holder in these dealerships.
Is it a factor of the population growth of Bismarck/Mandan or a widening of the wealth gap? A spreadsheet of incomes in the metro area from the past seven years would answer the question. The Census data on median and per capita income for 1999 and 2004 shows no change, which really means nothing in this regard.
If there was a viable way to measure this, it might become as an interesting indicator of economic conditions like the famous Big Mac Index
Imagine gauging economic and social conditions in cities across the country just by counting new status cars and SUV's on the roads?
NPR had a story (that I can' find) that talked about how Subaru caters to a very the socially conscious, upper middle class demographic=NPR listeners. If cars say alot about who we are, who are all these ostentatious Audi and Beemer drivers? Are they tree huggers or shameless capitalists? Does a car say alot about who you are...or what you are?
Right now I'm sitting at the Bozeman Montana Co-op cafe, a place with a lot of Subaru's parked out front. Surprisingly, I didn't count one of the big four status cars in the lot outside. Bozeman has become a gentrified quaint faux village in the few years since I've been here. Every year it looks a little more like a plastic model that you could set on the table at Christmas. There is a brand new Audi dealership down the street. I'm itcing to drive an Audi A6. Think they’ll let me take a test drive?
These are expensive machines that require a great deal of disposable income to even get into a dealership. On my salary, they would'nt even let me drop my disposable income in the coin holder in these dealerships.
Is it a factor of the population growth of Bismarck/Mandan or a widening of the wealth gap? A spreadsheet of incomes in the metro area from the past seven years would answer the question. The Census data on median and per capita income for 1999 and 2004 shows no change, which really means nothing in this regard.
If there was a viable way to measure this, it might become as an interesting indicator of economic conditions like the famous Big Mac Index
Imagine gauging economic and social conditions in cities across the country just by counting new status cars and SUV's on the roads?
NPR had a story (that I can' find) that talked about how Subaru caters to a very the socially conscious, upper middle class demographic=NPR listeners. If cars say alot about who we are, who are all these ostentatious Audi and Beemer drivers? Are they tree huggers or shameless capitalists? Does a car say alot about who you are...or what you are?
Right now I'm sitting at the Bozeman Montana Co-op cafe, a place with a lot of Subaru's parked out front. Surprisingly, I didn't count one of the big four status cars in the lot outside. Bozeman has become a gentrified quaint faux village in the few years since I've been here. Every year it looks a little more like a plastic model that you could set on the table at Christmas. There is a brand new Audi dealership down the street. I'm itcing to drive an Audi A6. Think they’ll let me take a test drive?
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