If you find yourself searching dealerships in Fort Worth, Texas you might have the image of a particular make or model very clearly formed in your mind. And if you’ve made a recent vehicle purchase we hope that it has lived up to every expectation that you had. Why? Sure, the purchase of a vehicle is significant enough where it’s second only to the purchase of a home, but it’s more than that. It’s about finding the perfect vehicle, tailored to your personal tastes and the unique demands of your lifestyle.
But if we’re honest, how personal do you think your tastes are, and how unique are the demands of your lifestyle? The simple truth is that there are always geographic trends run in terms of car buying, and that perfect vehicle (while perfect for you) might be the perfect vehicles for countless other Texans, as well.
That said, let’s take a look at recent trends in Texan car-buying, to see if your vehicle (or dream vehicle) rank among the favorites.
Texans Choose: Trucks
Would anyone really be surprised if we shared that one-out-of-six pickup trucks purchased in the United States were bought within the state of Texas? Probably not. In fact, a quick Google search beginning with the unfinished question “Why do Texas love…” will result in autofill options that places “trucks” right below “Texas” itself.
As far as self-fulfilling stereotypes go, Texas’s affinity for trucks is fairly easy to appreciate, especially now with $100K pricetags becoming surprisingly more palatable (ensuring that higher-priced and hi-po’d Texas-edition pickups following suit by default).
And while this might mean that you’re behind the wheel of a Chevy Silverado 1500 Texas, a Ford King Ranch a RAM 1500 Lone Star or even the Toyota Tundra 1794, it’s more likely that your pickup is a tad more traditional in terms of trim levels. Here’s a look at some of the trucks that have been making their way into Texan’s minds, over the past year, thanks to the Fast Lane Truck:
That said, how do Lone Star truck purchases compare against national rankings? Well, there aren’t really any surprises, with Ford’s F-150 earning the top spot followed (in order) by the Chevy Silverado, Dodge Ram, GMC Sierra and Toyota Tundra. Basically, it’s a microcosm of the national rankings. But stepping outside of stereotypes, the full breakdown of vehicles purchased in Texas is surprising in its versatility
Texans Choose: Cars
While it may be a well-known fact inside of state lines, the Toyota Camry ranks as the most popular vehicle in all of Texas. The fact that it bumps the F-150 down to the second spot is telling in itself, but the fact that it’s followed by the Nissan Altima, Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord and Honda Civic paints a far-less ‘domestic’ picture than one’s mind might paint when discussing Texas.
Even when we pan down to view the rest of the Top 10 cars, the Ford Focus, Fusion and Chevy Malibu are still surrounded by the Nissan Sentra, Versa, and Hyundai Sonata. It certainly wasn’t what I expected prior to pulling up the statistics.
Texans Choose(?): Crossovers & SUVs
Another interesting factor that presents itself when looking at Texan car-buying trends is the low-ranking held by crossover and SUV offerings (at least in comparison to the rest of the country). In fact, you have to get close to the bottom of the Top 20 list to find any SUV offerings in the Texas rankings. And once you do, the inclusion of the Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue feel rather lackluster, like relative tack-ons to the landscape of automotive preferences.
The Choice is Yours
If you prefer a truck, then there’s really no limit as to how big you can go. And for those with a mind to sustainability, there are countless size groupings of economical hatchbacks, coupes, and sedans worth considering. And if you want to be in the minority, well, there’s no shortage of progressively compelling crossover and SUV offerings to choose from.
