Clare, MI

Clare, Michigan
Population:3100

This week marks the start of hunting season, and i just happened to find out that Google has released very recent images of Clare, Michigan, covering most streets. Why do I bring those two topics up together? Because Clare is a popular spot for sportsmen to go hunting and fishing.
With small industrial parks in town, Clare is actually a functioning town all year long in its own right. But mention the name, and most people think of men with rifles or fishing poles going there to catch themselves some food. Located in mid-Michigan, we already can assume that it gets cold in Clare, and snow is abundant in the wintertime.We also can assume that domestic cars reign supreme. We would assume correctly.
Of the several dealerships I noticed in Clare, one was a Chrysler emporium,and two were General Motors establishments. This says that Clare does indeed have a decent-sized market and isn't primarily a "used car" town.
As one may expect, pickup trucks are king in this town.In fact, after I tallied up the car count, I was not surprised by any of the top 5 winners.Take a look and see if you are.

1. Ford F-series
2. Chevrolet Silverado/full-sized pickups
3. Dodge Ram/Ram pickup (most built prior to Ram becoming a seperate brand)
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. GMC Sierra

Belding,Mi

Belding,Mi
Population: 5700

We venture back into a small Michigan city, and I felt like I was analyzing Russian traffic in the 1980s. There seem to be only a handful of models seen in an sizable numbers this town, and all are, as expected, domestics.
Like many small towns in the state, the cars in Belding are quite old by Michigan standards. Countless rust-damaged cars dating back to the 1990s are seen in driveways and parking lots, putting this city clearly in the "used-car market" category. It seems that very few new cars are sold in Belding, and people keep the old ones as long as possible. Sadly, its not like town in Ohio and Indiana where 1970s and 80s cars are still seen out in the open.That means variety is kept to a minimum. Most of Michigans best-selling new models have barely even found their way into Belding. Don't expect to find many Ford Fusions. And while the Chevy Cruze has done well nationally, in Belding, they have not even started to replace the rusted Cavaliers that are still quite common.
If you live in Belding, you will definitely know the following 5 as you absolutely cannot avoid them.

1. Ford F-series
2. Chevrolet full-sized pickups
3. Chrysler Vans
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
    Dodge Ram (too close to call, possible tie)

10 Longest Lasting Cars Of The Past 30 Years

Special Edition

A few weeks ago, we discussed classic cars and which had the best survival rates and brightest futures. Today, we will continue with that general theme, except we will only focus on cars from 1984 to 1994.
Certainly, one does not expect to see roadways filled with 20 and 30 year old cars, but some definitely seem to have lasted longer than others.
I have compiled a list of the 10 cars made in this time period that I have observed more than other cars in recent years.This is strictly based on personal observation, not registration records, etc.

-Lincoln Town Car: During the 1980s, the Town Car was a big-seller in the American luxury market and popular with limosine companies.They also didn't rust as quickly as lower-priced cars. In the past 2 weeks, Ive seen about 5 of them in my county, most still in great shape. Later versions (1990s) suffered from problems with the air-ride suspension, but despite that, it was not unusual for the engines to run past 200,000 miles-no small feat in those days.

-Cadillac Fleetwood/Deville: The last of the really big Caddies, these were the true "bigshot" cars of their day. Many limosines were based off of them, and they were always seen on tv or movies being driven by the well-to-do or their personal drivers. Yes, they are largely impractical today, but many people still view them as a car fit for a king. Thousands still sit in driveways and parking lots across the country, the apple of their owners eyes.

-Mercedes-Benz W123: Even though these were being phased out during the mid-1980s, no list is complete without them. Also known as the 300/300D, this car was virtually immortal. The strong diesel motors and solid bodies have helped these trudge on even in the saltiest, snowiest climates. I live in a small,blue-collar midwestern city of about 17,000. There are few imports and luxury models are rare.Yet, over the past 2 years, Ive seen 5 of these just in my town. Several were in near perfect condition.Need I say more?

-Chevrolet Camaro: This one tends to surprise me. Countless teens have bought Camaros over the years, abused them, crashed them, and left them neglected.Yet, in many parts of the country, its almost a guarantee that you'll still see several in any given town. You name the Place-Ohio, Georgia, Florida, etc., and plenty of them can still be found.

-Chevrolet Caprice: One of the latest fads in the car hobby is "donking"- putting really big rims and custom paint on large, older cars. The thing I've noticed most about this movement is just how many old Caprices are still out there. New, unmodified "opportunities" continue to crop up regularly.

-Chevrolet full-sized trucks-Silverado, Scottsdale,etc:  Chevy trucks are the most popular of the older trucks for everything-scrap hauling, lawn care, customizing, and so on. Pretty much everywhere 1980s trucks are found, Chevy and GMC models have the largest presence.

-Chevrolet Corvette: This one almost didn't count, since they often are used as "second" cars and only in good weather, yet it often requires very specific reasons like those for a car to survive in decent quantities. Many 'vettes were kept in garages with low mileage, and the rust-resistant fiberglass was an added bonus to their longevity.

-Buick Lesabre:  You might have heard about the 3800 engine GM used during the 1990s, and how durable it was. That engine is the secret to the popularity of the Lesabre. These cars were boring and dull. Yet, the engines were so reputable that some used car lots that typically wont sell anything for less than $4000 will still offer beaten-up, rusted Lesabres with 3-digit price tags.Especially in Michigan, they are still among the most common cars in some towns.

-Mercury Grand Marquis: Maybe its just that so many were purchased by elderly drivers who put very few miles on them, but the Marquis has always been one of the more common older cars. The only reason you don't see quite as many now is because many were scrapped during "Cash For Clunkers". Even so, there are still more Grand Marquis remaining than most other cars their age.

-Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance:  Seriously? Actually yes. I saw one a few days ago. Then I saw a another one today.They made me realize that I'm aware of about 4 more that are within 1-2 miles of my house.That may not apply to all regions, but around here, they just won't die off.

Mineral wells,TX

Mineral Wells, Tx
Population: 16,700

They often say that trucks dominate in Texas. They mean it.
I always liked the name "Mineral Wells" since it sounded like an old frontier town in a cowboy movie. In a few places downtown, you could probably actually film a western movie. But nobody rides horses there. Instead, people drive pickups.My estimation is that 65% of the vehicles are pickups, but it could actually be more.
Most surprising was the presence of enthusiast cars. Lurking between the pickups were a few Miatas, Mustangs,Camaros and 1 or 2 Datsun Z-cars. as someone who likes automotive variety, it satisfied me to see the pickups counterbalanced (though in far fewer numbers) by something completely opposite.
Country musician Joe Diffie sang that "There's something women love about a pickup man". If thats true, we may have found a vacation spot for single ladies.

Top 5 of Mineral Wells:

1. Ford F-series
2. Chevrolet full-sized pickups.
3. Dodge Ram
4. Ford Explorer
5. Toyota Pickups

Woodward Dream Cruise

Woodward Dream Cruise (Special "Classic" Car Watching entry)

Like many people, I was out on Woodward Avenue, just north of Detroit, MI this past weekend, for the Dream Cruise and pre-cruise days. I was not just watching the cars, but also who was driving them.
The collector hobby is changing, and in many ways, things aren't looking up. Many of the greatest, most historically important cars are not appealing to future generations. Ford Model A's and Model T's are seen in small numbers, all driven by senior citizens.As they die off or simply get out of the hobby, there doesn't look to be enough people currently interested in preserving such cars. Cars older than a certain decade simply are unrelateable to newer generations, and they neither admire or appreciate anything beyond a certain decade. We are at risk of losing entire generations of cars and makes due to lack of interest.
Todays enthusiasts overwhelmingly buy newer cars-Late model Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers and Jeeps. The older vehicles they buy tend to be sports cars, often foreign brands. They are more likely to drive an Acura NSX, Toyota Supra or Porsche 944. A few were seen in 1980s-era Corvettes.
African-American collectors are more visible and growing. Large GM cars are quite popular in the black community, with Oldsmobile and Buick gaining favor and Cadillac remaining a staple.Large Chevrolets are immensely popular as well, with blacks buying up Caprices as quickly as they enter the used car market. One trend prevalent in this community, that the majority of black enthusiasts partake in, is the use of large rims.Many find these tasteless and believe they spoil the looks of the car. But another school of thought is that they should be commended for their continuing interest in the cars, which keeps them out of scrapyards and the hobby continuing.
Hispanic cruisers are out there, too and the future of the hobby needs them. Hispanics are often associated or stereotyped with the lowrider movement. There is an element of truth to that. Many of the large, older cars used for lowriding are purchased by hispanics. They also buy smaller Japanese trucks that would otherwise be disposed of. Hispanics have customized many of the few remaining Toyotas and Mazdas from the 1970s. There are a handful of Toyota Starlets in the US, usually race cars owned by Puerto Ricans. They also buy Dodge Colts,Toyota Corollas and 1970s Mazdas. The Hispanics have single-handedly saved these cars from complete extinction in this country, and lowriders are often bringing rusting old cars back from the dead.
The Asian community is also growing strongly and are very inactive in the hobby. Most come from forward-thinking cultures where the focus is on improving and advancing current technology, not thinking about the past. In China, cars can not be legally registered after 10-15 years.That means, basically, that they are banned from the roads. Japan is very aggressive with inspections, and few cars last more than 10 years.South Korea has specialized in ordinary, disposable cars so they never had anything that people admired. As a result, most Koreans see cars as something that must be replaced every few years.People from India rarely have interest in the car hobby and tend to be quite conservative in their purchases.Understandably, people from these countries can't quite understand our love of old cars, having had so little exposure to the hobby in their birthplaces.
People of Middle-Eastern descent like cars, but won't consider classics. That community likes current Mercedes-Benzes, Range Rovers, Mustangs and exotics (Ferraris, Porsches, etc). Cool cars, but not helpful to the collector hobby.
Another threat to the hobby is environmentalism. Many younger people prefer public transit or mopeds, often for reasons pertaining to "saving resources" or "Clean energy". Trust me, people in this camp won't be buying muscle cars.
So, now that we have discussed why the market is dwindling and what cars todays Americans would rather have, lets discuss what has survived the best.We will only discuss cars made before 1980, since thats where the generational divide seems to really be.
Obviously, muscle cars were stored and preserved, with owners knowing the future collectibility of them. There are a lot of Camaros,GTOS and Chevelles still smoking their tires.For a smaller, modest car, the Chevy II can still be seen in good numbers. Of course, tens of thousands of old Mustangs are alive and well. As an overall brand, Cadillacs have a good survival rate.And, being made of rust-resistant fiberglass, Corvettes are abundant. VW Beetles and several styles of Mercedes-Benzes have the best survival rate of the imports, and convertibles far outlast their hardtop brothers. I saw 3 Cavalier Z24 convertibles but not 1 hardtop. I saw a very rare 1984 Pontiac Sunbird convertible this week, but its been quite a few years since I saw a hardtop version. The large Pontiac and Oldsmobile coupes sold in much larger numbers as hardtops, but now may be outnumbered by surviving convertible editions.
A final trend that we continue to see is the explosion in popularity of old pickup trucks. And strangely, its often younger cruisers buying them.Interesting "Fuel" for thought.

Dubuque, IA

Dubuque, IA
Population: 58,000

Some family members of mine went to Dubuque about a decade ago and reported that about 1 in 3 cars were a Chevy Cavalier. Its been quite awhile since Cavaliers were made and the car that replaced it in Chevys lineup, the Cobalt, has also been discontinued, carried on by the Cruze. Now that rust and old age have sent Cavaliers riding off into the sunset, I decided to look at more recent sources to find out what has replaced them on virtually every street corner. There is a two-part answer. Part 1, its not the car that replaced the Cavalier in the lineup, and part 2, its actually two larger models that have taken over.Impalas and Malibus are everywhere, and as both remain in production, they likely will be on every block for awhile.
Pickups and vans are almost too numerous to count, in typical midwestern fashion. Ford has done very well with pickups and SUVs, Toyota gets good sales with the Camry, and Chryslers family of vans and Jeeps are very well represented. But this is a GM town. Older Pontiacs remain in good supply, the Equinox is catching on, and full-sized Chevy pickups outnumber everything. Add to that the countless stream of Impalas and Malibus and we can put this city in the General Motors column.
There is a sizable University contingency, so many cars come and go. Many are brought from elsewhere, and return after their owners graduate.But the most common cars are so abundant, the top 5 list isn't likely to change anytime soon.

1. Chevrolet full-size pickup
2. Chevrolet Impala
3. Chevrolet Malibu
4. Chrysler vans
5. Ford F-series

Muscatine, IA

Muscatine, Ia
Population: 22,900

Just across the border from Illinois, in eastern Iowa, lies Muscatine. Food processing is the big industry in this town, where middle-class neighborhoods branch off from the downtown area. The surprises were not in what people drive, but in what they DON'T.
Ford and Chevrolet trucks do very well in Muscatine, no big surprise for a midwestern manufacturing town. What surprised me was how few Ram pickups I noticed. Dakotas were more numerous but even if I combined both, they would fall far short of the numbers the Chevrolet and Ford trucks were seen in.In such a strong pickup market, I expected a lot more Dodges.
Another vehicle that was noticeably absent was the Mercury Grand Marquis.In the city of my previous entry, Marion, Indiana, these were in good supply and quite popular. I don't think I even saw 5 in Muscatine.
Pretty much all of the Dodge Chargers I observed were law-enforcement cars. I'm sure I could start a separate page just on police car models used by individual departments, but thats even more boring and would amount to about 3 lines per entry.However, I will probably include those findings in future posts on this site just as an additional bit of trivia.
Unlike the previous 2 towns, which were also smaller midwestern cities surrounded by farmland, Muscatine actually has a healthy import market.The Toyota Camry almost made it into the top 5. Corollas and Accords outnumbered all Ford passenger car models and only the Focus outnumbered the Civics that I saw....and not by much.This puts Muscatine a bit closer to the national market than other midwestern cities.
The top 5 of Muscatine:

1. Ford F-series
2.Chevrolet full-size pickups
3.Chrysler Vans
4.Chevrolet Malibu
5.Ford Explorer/Expedition.

Marion, IN

Marion, IN
Population: 29,900

Recently, I took an updated look at a midwestern town that I remembered mostly for its presence of old cars. I discovered that they were gone, for the most part. Well, today, I looked at a small city 1 state over and found different results.
Marion, Indiana is a rustic city out in farm country. One thing that is painfully noticeable is poverty, which 17% of the population suffer from. Very old, run-down homes dot the landscape of the city, and if you want to see new cars, focus your attention to the downtown area only. Cars die slowly here. Old pickups from the 1990s and earlier aren't an unusual sight, despite the fact that Indiana is a "high-rust" state. Old Buick Lesabres, Pontiac Grand Ams ,Chevrolet Blazers and Mercury Grand Marquis are regularly observed in this town, and there are cars from the 1950s-1970s still sitting in driveways.I spotted a few old Corvettes, a Fiero, a rare 1970s BMW 5-series, a late-1970s Buick, an immaculate early-70s Ford Convertible with rims, and some oldies from the 50s.This puts Marion in the running for most unpredictable and interesting city I've examined so far (just wait until I start looking out west, though).
While Ford trucks are the most common vehicle, their SUVs and passenger cars aren't as popular.Escapes and Focuses don't appear too often, and Fusions are just catching on. The older Tauruses and discontinued Grand Marquis are more common than the current models.
Even though Subarus are built in Indiana, they are a rarity in Marion, as are any overseas brand.I will go on record to say that the Honda Civic is the likely sales leader for non-US models.
Marion is best-known for being near the childhood homes of actor James Dean and "Garfield" cartoonist Jim Davis. If those 2 celebrities were born much later and still growing up today, which cars would most likely be in their households? I have the answers.

1. Ford F-series
2. Chevrolet Impala
3. Chrysler Vans
4. Chevroilet full-size pickups
5. Dodge Ram

Bryan, OH

Bryan, Ohio
Population: 8500

I remember sometime in the mid-nineties, my family took a Sunday trip to Bryan, Ohio from our home in S/E Michigan. I think we were intrigued by this town because its where the Etch-A-Sketch is made. However, what I remember most were the cars. I saw about 3 Corvairs, a few Elcaminos, and a US-version of the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda (one of the last times I ever saw one of those ultra-rare creatures in the wild).
Well, those have gone on to the big highway in the sky, and it was time to take a more current look at Bryan's cars.
Foreign brands are not strong sellers here, but since it is Ohio, Hondas are seen most often. The Accord looks to be the favorite, with the Civic a close second.
There are a lot of older Ford Tauruses and Rangers in town, and they almost made the top 5. Its interesting, because I associated this town with old Chevys, yet Ford seems to have a slight edge in popularity.
Bryan may not be the Corvair Capital of the midwest anymore, but we now know what has replaced Ralph Naders least favorite car:

1.Chevrolet full-size pickups
2. Ford F-series
3. Chrysler Minivans
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. Ford Escape

Toledo,Oh

Toledo, Ohio
Population: 287,000

An hour south of Detroit sits Toledo. An old industrial town, it was known as the "Glass City" for its glass production, and is famous for its Jeep assembly plant. Industry hasn't been doing so well here over the last few decades, though.
Toledo holds the dishonor of being one of the US cities with the highest population loss. Many areas suffer from blight, crime and poverty. This city really is more of a "used car" market, where people simply buy whatever they can afford.
As expected, there are Jeeps. But those can only make the top 5 if you combine all models together, as each individual model or body style itself isnt dominant. (The Grand Cherokee DID come in at #5, so don't worry).
The Chrysler Vans show their normal popularity, but many are older models dating back to the 1990s. These seem especially abundant in the poorer areas. Older Ford and GM pickups are also common sights in the struggling areas.
Though not among the top 5, Honda's are still pretty popular, as to be expected in the state where they are built. However, this being a Union stronghold and Jeep territory, the Honda presence is toned down a little more and Toledo residents definitely gravitate towards domestic brands.
If you happen to pass through Toledo, these are the 5 cars you're going to see the most:

1. Chrysler Vans
2. Ford F-series
3. Ford Taurus
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee

Pensacola, Fl

Pensacola,Fl
Population: 56,000

The name Pensacola always makes me thirsty. It sounds like an off-brand soda company. I don't know what peoples beverage preferences are in this coastal town, but I'm getting a good idea of their automotive tastes.
Pensacola is located on the western fringe of the panhandle, bordering Alabama. Culturally, it is likely to have more in common with southern cities than places like Orlando, Tampa or Miami, which are uniquely "Floridian", for lack of a better description.
I've noticed more Ford Explorers in Pensacola than I have in snowier cities. This did not carry over to other SUVs, though. It also doesn't indicate a brand preference, either. While Ford pickups were the most common vehicle, Chevrolet trucks were not far behind, and cars such as Fusions and Focuses were not seen in substantial numbers.
Luxury cars do pretty well in Pensacola, with BMW sightings as frequent as Toyota corollas and Mercedes-Benzes seen as often as Honda CRVs.
If people in the rest of the south buy as many Nissan Altimas as people in Pensacola do, then I can finally understand where that models high sales numbers come from.
When all is said and done, Pensacolas automotive scene seems to mirror the nations rankings more closely than any other city  I've observed so far. Take a look at the top 5 most-seen cars in Pensacola to see what I mean:

1. Ford F-series
2. Chevrolet full-size pickups
3. Honda Accord
4. Toyota Camry
5. Nissan Altima

Erie,PA

Erie,PA
Population: 104,000

Until now, I've been looking at small cities.This time, I decided to study a larger one. Erie was my most challenging city yet. Since its a factory town where industry is declining (think Flint,MI  or Toledo, OH), some areas are struggling a bit. Many of the cars were likely purchased used.
The family of Chrysler Vans are far and away the most common vehicle on the road.Again, many are older models, including a few from the axed Plymouth brand. For single-model vehicles, its the Honda Accord. You'll see 3 or 4 of them at a time in some parking lots. I expected more Nissans, and the Honda CRV, one of the best-selling cars in Pennsylvania, wasn't seen in the quantity predicted either.
As I said, used cars are likely to be a big market here and coming up with a reliable list was ore challenging, but I wasn't going to rest until I logged enough findings to develop a solid top 5 list. So, as promised, the 5 most common autos in Erie:

1. Chrysler vans (by a huge margin)
2. Honda Accord
3. Honda Civic
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. Chevrolet full-size vans

Norwich, CT

Norwich, CT.
Population: 40,000

Norwich is built among the hills and rivers, creating many small, scattered neighborhoods that branch off of winding roads. Houses are often close together in typical New England fashion, unlike the small towns in the Midwest where yards are usually wider and theres more room to park. Does this mean small cars are the most popular here? Or, do the steep hills and cold New England winters mean that you need a big vehicle for the twisting icy roads? I was curious, so I tried to find answers.
You will notice a few glaring differences between Norwich and the Michigan towns I've logged until now. The Chevrolet full-sized trucks are nicely outnumbered by Fords and a few imports show up in numbers unheard of in the Great Lakes state.Were there surprises? Yes. For one, the hot-selling Honda CRV, which counts Eastern states among its best markets, was seen in unexpectedly small numbers. Hyundai's were very common, with some older, rarer models still holding on (including a very rare Scoupe).
See for yourself how this eastern city differs from the previous towns we have examined. The 5 most likely common cars in Norwich are:

1. Ford F-series (including municipal trucks and work trucks with commercial writing on them).
2. Jeep Grand Cherokee
3. Toyota Camry
4. Honda Civic
5. Toyota Corolla

Flushing,MI

Flushing,MI
Population: 8400

I absolutely could not resist looking at a suburb of Flint. Flint lived and died by General Motors and even today, after the plants closed and jobs left, it's still a GM stronghold. The greater Flint area may have the highest concentration of General Motors products in the world.Instead of counting individual models, it almost makes more sense to count all cars that are not GM cars. Some of the best selling cars in the US are from Japanese companies, but if you lived in any city near Flint and didn't leave the area much, you'd never know it.
Fortunately, many areas haven't suffered as badly as Flint. Take Flushing, for example. This is a middle-class community with quite a few newer housing developments. Many residents are still associated with GM, many of whom are pensioned retirees.General Motors loyalty is still very strong and the results were not surprising.
I ran into an interesting situation, which resulted in a new "strategy". Two models were pretty much tied in a dead heat for the number 2 spot and I wasn't able to decide how to rank them accordingly.I found a solution. Give the number 2 spot to the car that has been in production for a shorter period of time. If a car has been built longer and another is seen in equal amounts, I will factor in that the older model had a few years head start, so the newer model is probably more popular if it has caught up evenly in quantity.
Imports here are a rarity, enough so where deciding which is most popular doesn't really matter.The most-often seen Ford was the F-series, which didn't make the top 5 because it was tied with a much more recent model.The most popular Chryslers are the minivan family and, to a much smaller extent, the Ram.
My advice to anyone going on a roadtrip to Flushing? Make sure you're driving a GM car if you want to "fit in".
The 5 cars believed to be the 5 most common in Flushing are:

1 .Chevrolet full-sized pickup (by an extraordinary margin)
2. Chevrolet Impala
3. Chevrolet Malibu
4. Buick Lesabre
5. Chevrolet Equinox

Midland,MI

Midland, MI
Population: 41,000

I really wanted to conduct some studies on Midland. This city in mid-Michigan is surrounded by woods and countryside, with no major suburbs.There are many newer subdivisions farther out, most of which are still located within the city limits, and there are well-maintained older neighborhoods close to downtown. It is small enough to get a good picture of the market without too much effort, but still a significant city economically.
What really makes Midland interesting is that it was put on the map by Dow Chemicals. The whole city is pretty much centered around the one company. In most cases, it's an auto company that a Michigan city is built around.Not so in Midland. This means people aren't beholden to one car company and have a little more freedom in terms of their purchasing decisions.
Midland is also "Middle America". Middle class, conservative, and modest.Family and faith are the big values here. Flashiness is not widespread.
One thing I noticed about Midland is that it vastly differs from the Detroit area when it comes to certain cars. Dodge chargers are pretty common in the Detroit region. In Midland, Chargers seem very elusive. Ford Fusions also seem to be pretty slow to catch on.
Another interesting observation is the large presence of older vehicles. 1990s-era Blazers and Jimmys still serve drivers everyday.Older Buicks are plentiful as well. My guess is that these are short-distance commuters that don't leave the city much, so the mileage is lower.
The trend continues of Chrysler vans (all models and generations lumped together) and Chevrolet full-sized pickups (excluding those with clearly visible GMC badging) being most common, but that is to be expected with this towns more traditional lifestyle.And, it IS Michigan, so imports are not the biggest hits here. The Camry or Accord look like the 2 top imports, but both are about as common as each other so I can't declare 1 the winner.
We are getting a picture of the most common cars in Midland and at this point I can make an unofficial list of the "Likely" top 5.

1. Chrysler vans
2. Chevrolet full-sized pickups.
3. Ford F-series
4. Chevrolet Impala
5. Buick Lesabre

I will be looking at a few other locations in Michigan just to see how some of the observed cars differ from 1 city to the next, but I will be looking outside of the state soon, too. I expect some noticeably different findings once I study the traffic/scenery in other states. Thats the whole point of this site.

Saline,Mi

Saline,Mi
Population: 8000

Saline is a historical town that has grown rapidly over the last few decades. An old village is surrounded by newer homes on curving, winding roads. It is also located near the large college town of Ann Arbor, a bastion of imports. However, Visteon, who's biggest customer is Ford, has a building in Saline.So who has the bigger influence?
Keeping with the trend I have been seeing everywhere, Chrysler vans outnumber everything, followed by full-sized Chevrolet trucks.This will be a constant result until we start examining suburbs and urban areas.
But after that, it's Ford who has claimed the roads here.Not only do the final Tauruses from the original production run (up to 2006) seem to be one of the 5 most common cars here, but there are still a few Escorts in use as well.You will actually see two Focuses or two Fusions parked in front of the same house, or an F150 parked next to an Explorer in a driveway.Yet,strangely, they cannot stop the Chrysler vans and Chevy trucks from being the most prominent parts of the landscape.
Of course, some of the Ann Arbor tastes are evident. There are a decent amount of Honda Civics considering the fact that this is a small Michigan town with under 10,000 people.It also has more Honda CRVs than I have witnessed in any other small town yet. Toyotas don't show up as often, so I'll go ahead and crown Honda as the favored Asian brand in Saline.
One question still begs to be answered. When the older Tauruses and Escorts rust away, what will replace them? Put my bet on Fusions and Fiestas.

Likely top 5 cars in Saline:

1. Chrysler Vans
2. Chevrolet full-sized pickups
3. Ford F-Series
4. Ford Focus
5. Ford Taurus

Imlay City, MI

Imlay City, Michigan
Population: 3600

Imlay City is a small town located in Lapeer County. This is one county away from the Flint metropolitan area, so we can already assume that General Motors products are king of the road. But they aren't. Yes, Chevrolet full-sized pickups seem to be everywhere, but the Chrysler vans are an apparent tie for the #1 spot.Both are neck-and-neck in a town assumed to be a GM stronghold.In fact, the Ford Focus and Ford Explorer could very well outnumber all GM cars except for MAYBE the Malibu based on my observations.
And the F-150 looks to be the 3rd most popular, behind our first-place tie.Are the GM employees moving out of the area? Or is the loyalty just dying off? Regardless, Chevy doesn't really win since the trucks arent exactly the most popular by any margin, and more Fords than than Chevrolets look to be the top models here. Perhaps it is simply because Imlay City has a Ford dealership and people shop there because it is the most convenient?
UPDATE: I realized that the Ford test track in Romeo is not very far away, so there are probably people affiliated with Ford living here in significant numbers.
Suspected top 5 in Imlay City:
1.Chrysler Vans
   Chevrolet full-sized pickups (too close to put one over the other in the lead)
2. Ford F-series
3. Chevrolet Malibu
4. Ford Explorer
5. Ford Focus

Introduction

Well, I guess this is the part where I explain what I'm doing here.
For over 4 years now, I have been involved in a job that entails parking enforcement and lot patrols.To pass the time away and stay alert, I wrote lists of the best-selling cars in the US, then added the cars I see most often while on lot watch.I noticed that the Metro Detroit region differs a bit from the rest of the country.Not surprisingly, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler products that don't even appear in the top 10 are more common here than the Toyotas and Hondas that appear on every years national sales list.
Eventually, I noticed that peoples automotive choices differ by city. It isn't just different in different states. 90% of the cars in 1 suburb might be domestics, but in a neighboring community, foreign brands are strong enough to ruin the domestics lead.I became fascinated at the differences and decided to make my workplace "entertainment" an actual study. This is where I will log my "findings" and analyze them.
Here's how it works.
I make a list of the most popular cars nationwide and add a few known favorites for the region. Then, I watch and observe passing traffic or cars parked in driveways.Each time a listed vehicle is seen, I put a hatch mark next to it and when done, I just tally them up. This is an unscientific "poll" that can help understand marketing and demographics, and it all started from parking lot patrols.
A few things to understand:
-Some vehicles cannot be differentiated unless seen very closely.Chrysler Town and Countrys, Dodge Caravans, and the aging Plymouth Voyagers often can't be told apart without seeing the small name badging.I did not want to include them because I want to include only specific models, not lump similar vehicles together. That seems too flawed and less precise. However, I noticed how absurdly common these vans are and decided to include them for comparison purposes. Excluding them would leave these findings way too incomplete.
-Most lower-production "sisters" are not included due to their lack of popularity. I do not lump them together. Official sales figures do not combine models and neither will I EXCEPT for the aforementioned Chrysler minivan family. I include Ford Tauruses but don't bother with Mercury Sables. I also do not include General Motors trucks if I cannot tell from badging whether it is a Chevrolet  or GMC. Both are so common on their own terms that they really need to be counted separately.
-Tauruses made until the brief 2006 discontinuation and those built since 2010 are combined since the length of time between the two wasn't long enough.The 500 rebadged as the Taurus and the Taurus X crossover are not considered Tauruses in my mind so have been excluded.Imperfect, yes, but I reserve the right to make this decision. The pre-2006 Tauruses are so common that they need to be included,since they still outnumber most current models, so by default the current Taurus is included, though not quite the same car.
-Older versions of popular models are still included. The Chevrolet Malibu name was reintroduced in 1997 and has been hugely popular ever since. The current Impala started with the 2000 model, and evolved from there. Since both have been in uninterrupted production, I decided those, too, must be included.              Due to too long of a time gap between name use, vintage Malibus and Impalas are NOT included. Also, the late-90s Impala SS won't be included, as it is a limited-edition rear-drive car completely unrelated to the 4-door front-driver currently in production.

Keep in mind, people will replace these older vehicles with newer, similar ones, often the same model, so they can still reveal a lot about peoples buying habits in terms of classification (sedan, SUV, etc) or even brand loyalty.
Soon, I will start posting these unscientific finds, and discussing what they might mean.