Eccentricities like that are very indicative of white upper class — the person will buy a high grade car new, but drive it until the wheels fall off, it’s wrecked or they hand it down to younger drivers. Even the brands of car are class based. SAAB and Volvo are often upper class cars, Mercedes and BMW are middle to upper and upper wannabes. Generally, European imports are middle to upper class white cars.

I’m odd. I get midrange used cars, seldom from a dealer (often from family, friends or employer fleets), and drive them until they die. For a while I drove the family camper van that my parents bought new in 1969, until it died and I couldn’t afford to fix it in an economic downturn. I have never bought a new car. Most middle class whites replace their cars every five to ten years.