The age range of enthusiasts from our study coincides with the slight shift we have seen at events. The segment is often labeled the youth market, but such a title is no longer a precise fit, as the average age hovers around 25?27 years old. Older enthusiasts have embraced this segment, younger ones have been attracted like the ones before them and the original base has retained interest while growing older. The spectrum has stretched to incorporate a broader range of people. We are seeing groups in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s who are just as motivated to customize their compacts as the younger crowd, but the majority of consumers have been spread to fit the 18?30 range. Also, the ?youth-market? application can be misapplied. For one reason in particular?some young enthusiasts also like musclecars, off-road vehicles, light trucks and hot rods?the title misrepresents the youth market as a whole. "
Link sent from our good friends at Modified.
This SEMA news article shows the break down of both gender but more importantly age of the Sport Compact Car Market. The article talks about how the average age of the Sport Compact Car Enthusiast has steadily increased over the years. In general increased age comes with an increased amount of education and therefore an increased amount of disposable income.
Most of the car enthusiasts I know fall into this "slightly older" segment, between the ages of 19 and 28, but most of these people that I am friends with have been enthusiasts since even before we could drive.
So does this mean that more people are in fact getting into the Sport Compact Car Scene at an older age or is it that there are less and less younger people getting into the scene and all the kids who were into the scene back in the day now classify as the "slightly older" enthusiast segment?