Volkswagen Most Popular Brand with GayWheels.com Readers

Do you want to find the perfect car to express your alternative lifestyle, or alternatively maybe you want to modify your

planned purchase so that friends and colleagues don't make fun of your new wheels.

It's hard to believe in this day and age that homophobia continues to be a problem, but people maintain their prejudices and in so doing base buying decisions on a car's popularity amongst the same-sex persuasion, or not.

So what cars are gays most interested in? The number one most researched car on this year's GayWheels.com Top-10 list is Volkswagen's Rabbit, showing that gays, who visit this site at least, lean more towards European flair than straight-up economy. Proof in point, second on the list is another Volkswagen, but this time the even more stylish Eos hardtop convertible.

Tied for third is a car that's become symbolic of the gay lifestyle, Mazda's fun-loving MX-5 Miata, and the sporty Audi A3 five-door hatchback.

Mazda

and VW are sidled up together again for a fourth place tie, with the Mazda3 and VW Jetta.

The fifth most researched vehicle is Toyota's subcompact Yaris, the least expensive vehicle on the GayWheels.com Top-10 list, while sixth place was split again between the Dodge Caliber compact five-door and sport-luxury oriented Saab 9-3.

Volvo's luxuriously appointed yet compact C30 places well in seventh, while the offbeat little smart fortwo appears destined for the alternative lifestyle in eighth place.

Tied for ninth is Toyota's Matrix five-door hatch and the über-cool Mini Cooper, while for the first time ever an exotic makes the GayWheels.com Top-10 list, Maserati's gorgeous GranTurismo.

The list,

featuring data gathered from July 1 to September 30, 2008, allows for some interesting insights. One: gays, despite enjoying higher average expendable incomes than heterosexuals, trend toward smaller, thriftier cars. Yet, two: they're not willing to give up perceived quality (the premium feel that VW does so well) or style despite going small. A focus on compact models could be due to urban-oriented lifestyles, or possibly because of a greater leaning towards environmental issues, but other than the Jetta, which offers a diesel variant, none of the cars featured on the Top-10 list are powered by alternative fuel or offer a hybrid drivetrain. The smart fortwo, despite being powered by gasoline, falls into the green category due to its thrifty fuel economy, of course.

Another oddity, three: Other than the niche market Maserati, Audi, Saab and Volvo were the only premium brands to achieve Top-10 ranking, with mainstays BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz shut out from the list entirely.

In the end, it appears that Volkswagen is the dominant alternative lifestyle brand with GayWheels.com readers, achieving three Top-10 rankings, with Audi, a VW AG subsidiary, making for a total of four. Mazda and Toyota tie for second with two apiece, while Maserati is making most automotive Top-10 lists this year with the GranTurismo.

Check out the list:

1 VW Rabbit

2 VW Eos

3 Mazda MX-5 Miata and Audi A3 - tie

4 Mazda MAZDA3 and VW Jetta - tie

5 Toyota Yaris

6 Saab 9-3 and Dodge Caliber -tie

7 Volvo C30

8 smart fortwo

9 Toyota Matrix and MINI Cooper - tie

10 Maserati GranTurismo