A few weeks ago, TCWC visited the large, prosperous suburb of Southfield and I compiled a log of luxury and enthusiast cars I observed. This week, we will do the same, but in a much different suburb.
Madison Heights is a working class community that is only about half the size of Southfield. Home to just under 30,000 people, Madison Heights is largely residential and consists mostly of small businesses.There are some industrial areas but they contain smaller factories, not large-scale plants.There are a number of small, independent businesses and specialty shops. Particularly notable is the large number of Asian stores. Many Chinese and Vietnamese-owned restaurants, grocers and hair salons can be found here.There are entire shopping plazas consisting entirely of Asian stores.These business owners often drive cars like Carmys and Accords, not Benzes and Bmws.Those cars are more likely to be driven by doctors,who tend to operate out of smaller, more modest buildings. There are Arabic-owned businesses as well, particularly gas stations, party stores and cell phone stores.These owners also often drive the real nice brands.The largest stores are places like Meijer and Costco.
The median income is reportedly 42,000.Whites make up 89% of the population, with Asians making up about 5%. blacks make up almost 2% of the population.There are also at least 2 Mosques in the city, indicating a growing Islamic population.
There are quite a few motorcycles to be seen, and a lot of classic car collectors.
I sat at a favorite coffee shop for about an hour in the late afternoon overlooking a main thoroughfare, driven by people often living and working outside of the city.People watched me suspiciously as I sat at a window and made notes on a piece of paper. Understandably, few people take notes on the cars they see.But, I didn't let them bother me. This is a hobby and I'm sharing it here with anyone who might be interested.
You will see a few differences between the Southfield results and those in Madison Heights. The smaller time frame probably contributed to this.Anyhow, on to the numbers.
Once Again, Cadillac takes the lead, with 25 Cadillacs observed. Mercedes-Benz came in second, with 16.Bmw was 3rd, and Chryslers flashy 300 was 4th, with 13 and 12 counts respectively.Lincoln came in at number 5, with only 5 sightings. Lincolns were pretty much absent until about the last 15-20 minutes, when they just started suddenly showing up.In Southfield, they were pretty much consistent.
strangely, only 1 Audi was documented. In nearby cities like troy and Birmingham, this brand is quite respected and popular. This is the second city in which Audis are not very abundant.
I spotted 1 Porsche, an 80's 911 with the top down (it was hot outside) and 2 Jaguars.Also seen were 2 Corvettes and only 2 Acuras.There were 7 sightings for both Volvo and Lexus, 3 for Land Rover/Range Rover, and 3 Infinity.
The classics were kind of interesting. Since it was a nice day, several people brought their classics out.There was a later-model Firebird with tinted windows and custom wheels, a white late-80s Dodge Daytona,one of those Cobra replicas, a limited-edition "final edition" Thunderbird, a black 1960s Thunderbird convrrtible, and a clean, original-looking red 1973 Monte Carlo.
There isn't much to conclude from this except that Cadillacs and Mercedes-Benzes are the luxury car favorites in Oakland County.
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