Fair or not, we all know that our car is considered part of our personality. If you're meeting with an important bigwig, and they see the inside of your vehicle is a pile of papers and a possible fire hazard, suddenly that client may lose confidence in you. If you're driving a more expensive car than your employer, he or she may start thinking that you don't need that Christmas bonus, after all. And so it goes. As Los Angeles image consultant
Farrah Parker puts it, "A car is more than just a mode of transportation. Instead, automobiles have become personality extensions that send powerful messages."
But, of course, what we're all wondering is -- what does a car say about our favorite TV characters?
OK, actually you probably haven't been wondering that at all, but if you need a break from the weighty issues of the world, then take a gander at this completely unscientific, random list of some television characters and their cars -- and let's forget for a moment that television producers and advertisers make these product placement decisions.
As far as we're concerned, these characters are real, and, yes, they bought these cars with their hard earned money.
TV characters: Michael Scott and Jim Halpert on NBC's
The Office
The car: Jim drives a
Toyota Corolla, and Michael, a
Chrysler Sebring
What the car says about them: "I'd have to character both Scott and the Sebring as 'wanna-be's,'" says Kim Long, a style and wardrobe consultant based out of Northborough, Massachusetts. "Both the car and the character at first look appear to be what you might think -- solid, polished, put-together and leaders in their class. However, dig a bit deeper and you find that compared to their competition both fall quite short of the image they try to project. The car, like the character, is much criticized, outdone, lowbrow and gimmicky; showy but without substance. Doesn't the 'MyGig multimedia
infotainment system' sound like a label Michael would make up? Then there is the whole notion of the Sebring being the kind of car a family man might drive."
All interesting points, especially that last one. Michael aches to be a husband and father. Why wouldn't he drive a car that seems like one tailor made for a family?
As for Jim, Long says that the Toyota Corolla seems like a perfect car, given his personality. "The car is bland but in demand. It's reliable, classic, pragmatic, economic and could use some pizzazz."
Tito Melega, an advertising director in Los Angeles, echoes the same sentiment: "The car is an appliance. It's not a status symbol."
TV character: Don Draper on
Mad Men
The car: 1962 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
What the vehicle says about him: Plenty of die-hard fans of the show will have their own opinions, of course, but the consensus seems to be that Draper made the purchase because he wanted to make his boss, Roger Sterling, happy, and because the luxury car fit the message that a typical advertising man in the 1960s would have wanted to send. And just what message did they want to send? Well, as Doug Sokolosky, CFO of
Valerie & Company, a personal branding and executive coaching company in Dallas, explains: "The Coupe de Ville was considered a pretty edgy car back then. You would have wanted to have suggested to your clients that your commercials wouldn't be stodgy, and would have some edge to them."
But it's understandable why Draper agonized before buying his Cadillac. "When you buy a car in America, it's the second largest purchase we make," says Melega. "You put a lot of thought into it, a lot of feeling. It's like buying a suit that you're going to wear every day, and people are going to immediately make assumptions about you." Draper was all too keenly aware of that.
TV character: Patrick Jane, the private investigator on CBS's
The Mentalist
The car: a
Citroen DS21
What the car says about him: The car itself is a classic, produced between 1955 and 1975, and Melega says that Jane bought the car because Jane is obviously a car connoisseur. "Nobody would buy that car, unless they knew something about it," says Melega. "Choosing that car also says that he's different than everyone else, and he knows it."
TV character: Special Agent Gibbs on
NCIS; Special Agent Hanna on
NCIS LA, both shows on CBS
The cars: Mark Harmon's Special Agent Gibbs on
NCIS drives a
Charger; LL Cool J's Special Agent Sam Hanna on
NCIS LA drives a
Challenger
What the cars says about them: These are very powerful cars, befitting both the agents' jobs and persona, says Melega. However, if you want to read anything into Sam's character and tastes, "the Challenger is more of a muscle car, a very
guy car and kind of a throwback to the 1960s and 1970s," says Melega. "But both cars say: Don't mess with me." Yet at the same time, particularly with Gibbs' car, Sokolosky notes that the Dodge Charger "isn't so ostentatious that it would say 'look at me.'" In other words, it's the perfect car for not just a leader, but a team player, which aptly describes Gibbs.
TV character: Fred Flintstone from
The Flintstones
The car: OK, we're not exactly sure what model this was...
What his vehicle says about him: Although Fred didn't seem the type, he may have been an environmentalist, long before being pro-environment was considered trendy. After all, Fred often drove Barney to work before heading to the quarry, and sometimes vice versa, so carpooling was a big thing for our favorite caveman. And while Fred may have often been accused of being a gasbag, his own car didn't require gas -- it was completely foot-powered.
TV character: Jill Munroe, played by Farrah Fawcett in
Charlie's Angels
The car: A Mustang, a white Cobra II
What the vehicle said about her: You don't really need to be a car buff or image consultant to come up with any conclusions here. Fawcett would play more serious, dramatic roles later, but when you're a glamorous detective, you need glamorous wheels -- and a car that can get you out of any problematic situation (see:
Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I., Miami Vice and numerous other detective-adventure series).
TV character: Lieutenant Columbo, who was featured in the NBC, and later ABC, TV movie series
Columbo, which is mostly associated with the 1970s, although Peter Falk played the character in movies running from 1968 to 2003
The car: a
Peugeot 403, manufactured in 1959 or 1960, depending on the source
What the car says about him: Melega says that the car -- a dilapidated wreck of a car in the series -- was a perfect purchase for Columbo's character. Columbo couldn't be bothered with the upkeep one would expect with a modern car. "His brain power was better spent somewhere else," says Melega. "He was so incredibly focused on his thing, solving crimes, that everything else doesn't matter -- even his appearance."
Long also points out that Columbo's car sent the message to criminals that he was a bit of a loser, which was hardly the case. "Columbo used his Peugeot 403 to his advantage. It was a perfect reflection of his character appearing battered, out-of-shape, in need of a coat of paint; however, quite capable, considering its age."
TV character: Dr. Gregory House on FOX's
House, M.D.
The car: Actually, Dr. House doesn't appear to own a car. He rides a
Repsol Honda motorcycle.
What his vehicle says about him: "House impresses me as someone who pushes the edge and harbors some sort of death wish," observes Long. "His Repsol Honda, much in line with his character, is in an elite class by itself. It's considered a 'super bike,' colorful, unconventional, superior and a highly intellectual creation. House compared to his colleagues regards himself as a medical genius. One might consider the Repsol as condescending to all other bikes as a mechanical genius. Both come across as super skilled and quite pleased with themselves and their attention-getting tactics."
But there's another practical reason that House bought his motorcycle, and it has little to do with his image. "Think of the parking and congestion," says Sokolosky. "A motorcycle would allow him to get to and fro very easily, which is important when you're on call to a hospital 24 hours a day."
