VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE
Statistically, the Volkswagen Beetle is the most popular car for women, with 57 percent of all buyers of Beetles since July having been women, according to JD Power and Associates. The starting price $16,400 and its uniqueness seem to be the feminine appeal of the car.
Volkswagen brand manager Rachael Yos said the color on the Beetle helps boost its appeal. "There's unique colors on the Beetle that you can't get on any other vehicle. I think the Beetle is a more feminine car to begin with, it's a real rounded shape," she said.
Style is very important when young women select an automobile -- something the Beetle definitely has.
"Females, they have a much better sense of styling than men," said Tom Lisle, General Manager of Denny Hecker Volkswagen Dealership in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. "I think they like being different."
VOLKSWAGEN JETTA
The Volkswagen Jetta continues to be one of the most popular automobiles for young women, according to Kelly Blue Book senior editor Jack Nerad,. The reason is the overall price (around $16,500), its style and performance.
"(The Jetta) is especially popular with college students," Yos said. "It's a fun, very affordable car. It's safe, sporty, and we have a great college graduate program."
Tina, who is in her early 30s and has lived in Los Angeles for 11 years working in the film industry, bought a Jetta as her first car, but didn't realize just how popular it was.
"It was 1998 when I bought it and at that time it seemed like there was an abundance of black Jettas on the road in LA and most of the drivers were blond, 20-something, females," Tina said. "Sadly, I didn't realize this until after I bought the car."
Tina said that the style, combined with the affordable price, was a top reason she chose the Jetta. Plus, it helps project a certain level of success and independence for a young woman.
"I originally chose the Jetta because it was a nice sedan at a price that I could afford and it had a European look to it that lent more sophistication than other cars," said Tina. "…The only image I was trying to project was that I no longer had to drive an '84 Honda Prelude with a rusted-out sunroof that leaked on my head and shoulders from Hermosa Beach to Hollywood."
MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER
While it has fallen in popularity in the last two years, the Eclipse Spyder was the most popular car for women in 2005, according to JDPA, with 65 percent of all buyers being female.
With its sleek, sporty style, $25,398 price tag, convertible top, 650-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system and V6 engine, one can guess that many of the owners are younger, single women, not soccer moms and housewives.
"It's a very stylish car, much better for a single person than a person with a family," said Nerad. "Even with one child it would be kind of difficult. It's a car that gets attention. It's reasonably economical, especially in a four-cylinder form."
VOLKSWAGEN EOS
Starting at around $28,000, the Eos is definitely not for the straight-out-of college woman like the Jetta, but more for a just-got-my first-big-promotion woman.
According to JDPA, the Eos is one of the most popular brands for females, with 52 percent of all owners being female. Yos, however, views the car as appealing to an almost solely female clientele, mostly in their 30s.
"I think I've only sold one male an Eos so far. It's definitely a female-driven car," said Yos. "I think it definitely has an elegant feel to it, just a really sleek line."
BMW Z4
For the successful young, single woman, nothing beats the Z4, which starts at around $36,000. It's the kind of car a Bond girl would drive. James Bond even drove the earlier version, the Z3, himself in the 1995 film "Goldeneye."
But for some women, especially in urban areas like Los Angeles, even if they can't afford it, a high-class auto like the Z4 is an option, if they are willing to make exceptions in other areas.
"The thing about cars in L.A. is that people, not just women, tend to over extend on their cars…Did you ever notice the very nice, expensive cars sitting out in front of apartments on Franklin (Avenue)?" said Tina. "People in L.A. see their cars as an extension of themselves and they want to project that high-class L.A. image, even if they can't afford it."
TOYOTA RAV-4
According to JDPA, the Rav-4 is the fifth most popular car for women. The unique design of the Rav-4, which is an SUV but with a smaller, cute, sleek design, has an appeal to young women.
"It has a sporty feel, but you're still high enough up so you feel like you have the security of an SUV, but with great gas mileage," Yos said. "It's very inexpensive. You can get Rav-4's for as little as $20,000. They're real great starter cars."
HONDA CR-V
Like the Rav-4, the Honda CR-V is popular with young women because it is a smaller-sized SUV that comes with an affordable price tag of $20,700.
"Some single women want to get into the SUV thing," said Nerad. "The versatility of (the CR-V) is appealing, and at the same time they want a package that's easy to handle, easy to park, and economical."
PONTIAC SOLSTICE
Starting at $22,293, the Pontiac Solstice is one of most stylish cars on the market for under $25,000. With its sculpted curves but small, roadster body, it is the opposite of the boxy, similarly priced, testosterone-laden Mustang. It is one of the reasons that Pontiac is the third most popular brand for women, according to JDPA.
MINI COOPER
Starting at around $18,000, the Mini has a price that young women can afford, and, like the Beetle, has a unique, different style. There is simply nothing else out on the road that looks like the Mini.
MAZDA MX5 MIATA
The Miata MX5, which starts at around $20,500, is another car that has a very feminine appeal and image, being small and sleek, yet like most other cars has a crossover appeal with men.
"The Eclipse Spyder, the Miata, the MX5 these days, is often times thought of as female oriented and yet there are a lot of males that are enthusiastic about those cars," said Nerad. "Car manufacturers have never really gone there and I don't know exactly what they would design that would appeal as strongly to women as those high-performance sports cars appeal to men."
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