It’s a foregone conclusion for most that certain automotive brands attract the oldest of customers, and will continue to do so well into the future, until all the millennials reach retirement age and they also find themselves compelled by their elderly sensibilities to buy muted, cream-colored sedans that inspire nothing in the driver except perhaps the inclination to go home, eat some prunes, and take a nap.
IHS Automotive collected data, later analyzed by 24/7 Wall Street, to compile a list of the top ten “oldest” automakers, based on the average age of ownership. As mentioned, many of those topping the list are no surprise. Others might shock you.
Like Bugatti. True, the unfathomably hefty price tag of the Bugatti Veyron puts this car well outside the reach of the young and unestablished, but it also pushes the car beyond the price range of 90 percent of the established. With only about 400 examples produced to-date (including all examples of the Super Sport and Grand Sport Vitesse), it would take only a few people to push the mean age of ownership in either direction, and given the youthfully high performance envelopes of the car, one would assume that it would appeal more to younger, newer money.
Also surprising is Jaguar, which ranks No. 6 on the list in age of ownership. That is, it’s surprising if you look only at the performance, youthfulness and sleekness of the current line of Jaguar models, which ought to attract a young-urban-professional crowd. But when you consider the current age of those who were raised in a world wherein Jaguar was the automotive brand that best exemplified luxury and performance – back when cars like the XJ-S and E-Type still roamed the streets in triple- and quadruple-digit numbers – Jaguar’s high age of ownership becomes less of a surprise.
You can see the whole list of ten at The Car Connection. Spoiler: Lincoln is No. 1.
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