The Cars That Made Us Fans

Ask enthusiasts which car first won them over, and the answers cluster around a handful of names.

The Mustang Stands Alone

• The Ford Mustang is in a class of its own as a gateway car. It was named more than 3 times as often as the next most common pick, the Chevrolet Camaro.

Every Generation Has Its Own Gateway

• Detroit's grip loosens with each generation. Domestic cars were the gateway for 62% of Gen X, but just 31% of Gen Z, the only generation to favor imports and European models over American ones.
• Millennials came of age in the 1990s, and 30% of their gateway cars came from that decade. The Toyota Supra and Honda Civic were their most-named imports.
• More than half of Gen X (55%) are still passionate about classic or vintage cars, and about 2 in 5 (39%) are about American muscle cars.
• Gen Z leaned European like no generation before. Nearly 1 in 3 of their gateway cars (32%) were European marques such as BMW, well above Gen X (18%).

Dreams Outrun the Driveway

• The dream lives longest for the young. Nearly half of Gen Z enthusiasts (48%) have never owned their gateway car but hope to someday, compared with 1 in 4 of Gen X (25%).
• Enthusiasts dream far bigger than their driveways. About 1 in 5 (21%) call themselves Porsche fans, while just 1% own one. The cars they actually drive most are everyday Toyotas, Hondas, and Fords.

Where the Spark Comes From

How someone first meets their gateway car, and who points them toward it, tends to track with the kind of enthusiast they become. Those paths have changed from one generation to the next.

That First Car Sticks

• That first car leaves a permanent mark. More than 4 in 5 enthusiasts (81%) say it still affects what excites them today.
• Nostalgia hardens with age: 4 in 5 Gen X enthusiasts (80%) say they don't make cars like the one that first hooked them anymore, compared with 55% of Gen Z.
• Looks matter even more to women. Nearly 3 in 4 female enthusiasts (74%) say a car's appearance is what hooked them, compared with about 3 in 5 of the men (63%).

How the Spark Catches

• Gen Z is the screen generation. About 1 in 3 (32%) first encountered their car in a game, a movie, or online, while more than 1 in 4 of Gen X (28%) met theirs in a car they rode in or owned, a route taken by just 6% of Gen Z.
• A fictional character can spark it, too. Nearly 1 in 5 Gen Z enthusiasts (18%) credit a movie, TV, or game character as their biggest influence, compared with 1 in 10 among millennials and fewer among Gen X.
• Car love is often homegrown: 15% of enthusiasts inherited all or most of their taste from family, rising to about 1 in 5 of Gen X (19%).
• When the car passion came from a parent or grandparent, the gateway car was domestic 60% of the time, with Ford and Chevrolet alone making up 40%.
• Among self-taught car enthusiasts, domestic gateway cars fall to 40%, and imports are nearly as common.

Doubts About What's Next

• Pessimism grows with every year behind the wheel: 3 in 5 Gen X (60%) and more than half of millennials (54%) doubt the next generation will love cars as much as theirs, a worry shared by more than 2 in 5 of Gen Z (43%).
• Enthusiasts aren't too excited about electric cars. Nearly 3 in 5 (59%) say no EV will ever inspire them the way older cars did.

How Far Enthusiasts Will Go
For most enthusiasts, the passion doesn't stay in the garage. They name their cars, stretch their budgets, learn to wrench, and bolt on upgrades like a new set of wheels and tires to make a gateway car their own.

Almost Everyone Acts on It

• Nearly all enthusiasts act on their passion: 9 in 10 (90%) have engaged in at least one of the behaviors we asked about, such as naming a car, attending a show, modifying a vehicle, or going into debt to buy or build one.

Where Men and Women Differ

• Naming is widespread, and women lead. More than 2 in 5 enthusiasts (42%) have given a car a name, including more than half of women (53%) and about 1 in 3 men (37%).
• Men go furthest on the hands-on side. About half (51%) have learned to do their own repairs, and more than 2 in 5 (43%) have modified a car, compared with 32% and 24% of women.

How Far the Wallet Goes

• Some go to extremes. More than 1 in 10 (11%) have chosen a car over a home, a wedding, or a vacation, and more than 1 in 5 (22%) admit to spending more on one than was practical.
• Collecting comes with age. About 1 in 4 millennials (23%) and nearly 1 in 5 Gen X (18%) have owned more vehicles than they needed, compared with just 6% of Gen Z.
• Younger enthusiasts take on a little more risk: 13% of millennials and 12% of Gen Z have gone into debt to buy a car, but that drops to 9% among Gen X.

Methodology

American Muscle surveyed 508 Americans who consider themselves car enthusiasts about the single vehicle that first turned them from a driver into a fan, when and where they encountered it, what hooked them, who shaped their passion, and how far they have gone for the cars they love. The average age of respondents was 40. Among respondents, 8% were baby boomers, 21% were Gen X, 50% were millennials, and 21% were Gen Z. By gender, 62% were men, and 38% were women.

About American Muscle

American Muscle is a leading performance parts and accessories retailer dedicated to helping enthusiasts upgrade iconic muscle cars. From classic builds to modern platforms, American Muscle offers aftermarket wheels and tires for muscle cars designed to enhance traction, improve stance, and boost overall road presence.

Fair Use Statement

The data and findings in this article are available for noncommercial use. If you share or reference this content, please include a link to this page with proper attribution to American Muscle.