[benajnim]

Having worked in deep in the marketing machinery on behalf of big car companies, my take-away is automobile buying decisions are one of the most irrational decisions a person can make. So often, people will purchase a car to address "edge use cases" (e.g. pulling a boat) and most of the time a more economical car combined with renting a vehicle for those edge cases is cheaper.

Oh and each model of vehicle has a target demographic, and you may notice the marketing of any given model targets the lifestyle of the buyer. Young, hip and urban? Hard-working man's man? Eco-concious? A car for every lifestyle.

[nobodysfool]

I hear you. I pointed out a nissan leaf to my wife and she was like 'what if we want to go on a vacation?' 'what if we have two more kids?' we wouldn't be able to fit our luggage or go farther than 100 miles away from home! I did mention that in those times which would be rare, we could rent a vehicle with enough space, but she was not having it.

[nawitus]

Cars are often used to increase social status, and that's not exactly irrational.