How the rest of the components are held together, is almost solely decided by the bodywork. This is what is foremost in the eyes of the buyer. There are not many who accept, e.g., a body-form that they don't really like, in favour of a particularly desired motorisation. Although one notices this in oneself, how the preferences, when buying a car, tend to move in a certain direction and how they can change, indeed, afterwards, these preferences must be very well established.

Particularly for those who have never bought a house, the purchasing of a car, is as a rule, one of the most important buying decisions that he/she will make in their lives. It's quite amazing, with which vague or complex ideas some people are tempted into making a purchase decision. E.g., those who demand a roomy interior combined with a compact form. The car sales person needs a great deal of patience.

Perhaps the realisation that, because of the multitude of unattainable demands on the new car, that in the end, one will be without a car at all, will urge the buyers to be more willing to make a compromise. In addition, there are those who are only interested in a particular make of car and exclude other makes from the start. Apparently, some are quite content to make a virtual purchase because really buying, is not possible at that moment.

The whole thing is much more complex for the manufacturers. They have to contrive new options in periods which are getting shorter and shorter. Of course, they can't offend the previous buyers or diminish the value of their present vehicles. It is also a matter of not straying too far from the design-line of the particular make of car. The task appears to be particularly difficult, if the design of the model to be replaced, was very successful.

It's much more interesting for the squad of designers if the previous model was a particularly slow-seller. As a rule, such disasters generally mean that a radical change of design will follow. Then, although the bodywork-artists have to pull up their socks, the staked out limitations are substantially extended. It is nearly always the case, that after the respective success of a daring design, the follow-up is usually somewhat watered-down.

Now, there are of course, various criteria when deciding to buy a car. There are those who are influenced by the bodywork, who would choose a graceful or exiting design, something that they could look at every day and be satisfied. Then there is also the car as a status symbol. In this case, one would choose a larger, more conspicuous model. It is always difficult, to satisfy both types of buyer.

Crazyt the car buyers, the earlier example, spent a lot of money for a Saab, to emphasize that they do not consider their car as a status symbol. Or the people who buy a Golf, but the should be a nostalgic Beetle. Maybe the Ford managers too, which refused to drive a Ford Scorpio and thus risked their position. Quite often the young people who put more money into an older vehicle than a new car would have cost.

What the choice of clothing means for any number of Italians living in Milan or even Rome, through which they identify themselves is, e.g., for a number of Germans, their car. It can be seen as something like a second skin. One can easily climb out of the car wearing tattered jeans, but not out of a battered jalopy. A great deal of mockery threatens those, who once chose the wrong make of car and then can't resell it because no- one's interested.

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