What does the car you drive say about you?

I’m writing a book about driving at the moment, and was intrigued when I stumbled upon a press release that claimed a person’s name could have a direct bearing on the type of car they drive.

The research from MoneySupermarket.com shows that while Stephen Fry famously drives around in a black taxi and Jess Ennis was handed the keys to a brand new Jaguar following her success in the Olympics, people named Stephen are most likely to drive a Land Rover, while Jessicas are most to likely drive Ferraris.

Prince William and Kate Middleton thrilled crowds around Buckingham Palace on their wedding day when they went for a spin in a blue Aston Martin belonging to Prince Charles. However, drivers named William are most likely to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari, while Kates prefer the elegance of a Maserati. Elizabeths are most likely to drive a Suzuki, while drivers called Charles are most likely to drive a Mazda.

Meanwhile, celebrity magazines claim Justin Bieber and Harry Styles share a penchant for fast cars. The analysis shows men named Justin are most likely to drive Porsches; not worlds apart from Justin Bieber's real choice of motor, a Fisker Karmer. However, while Harry Styles has recently been seen driving a white Ford Capri he bought on eBay, most UK Harrys prefer the Bentley.

Damiens and Vincents are most likely to drive a Porsche, while Jades and Garys have the greatest affinity with Ford brands. Moving off-road, Bruces and Donalds are more likely to own Jeeps, while Nigels and Rogers prefer Land Rovers.

Those who topped the charts for souped-up Subaru drivers were called Shane, Dale and Carly, while those most likely to drive Skodas are named Norman, Roland and Valerie. The names most commonly associated with Jaguars are Bernard, Malcolm, Audrey and Janet, while those named Jeremy are most likely to drive an Aston Martin; taking after Top Gear’s Mr Clarkson himself!

Do you share one of these names, and if so, do you follow the trend? Or is it all a load of nonsense?

Maybe it’s actually your social outlook that affects the car you drive: the size of your wallet, your age or the number of children you have. Or maybe you want to give people a certain impression in the car that you drive. (You can find out what your car says about you by taking this very scientific, test.)

When we look at a car, we instantly make certain judgements: taking in age, colour and whether it’s in good nick. We also do this with other humans; we can’t help it. It’s the way we process information about people. But this can also be dangerous, because people often leap to the wrong conclusions.

Some people drive great big fancy cars/wear expensive designer gear, but maybe inside they are insecure, depressed and hurting. Others drive battered wagons/wear Tesco clothes but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are inadequate/unworthy. 

While certain vehicles seem to attract certain types of behaviour (what comes to mind when someone says “Audi driver”, for example?), there is always more to a person than what they look like or what car they drive.

The make or model of car you drive does not define who you are as a person. But what you do, say and think when you’re behind the wheel does. Do you revert to type when you’re driving? Do you behave in a way you wouldn’t if you weren’t encapsulated within a metal shell?

Would you drive the way you do if God was in the passenger seat (He is, by the way, seeing as He’s omnipresent and all that)? If so, you auto know better!

Read more from Joy in the next issue of Sorted magazine.

It’s all getting a bit Messi at Icons

Lionel Messi with Icons chairman Edward Freedman

Following such an amazing summer of sport, it’s no surprise that more Brits are looking up to sportspeople such as Mo Farah, Bradley Wiggins and Jessica Ennis. But sports memorabilia specialist Icons.com claims demand for Lionel Messi goods continues to outshine all the other great names in sport.

Chairman Edward Freedman says this is because the Barcelona striker offers the full package.

“It’s a combination of everything, his success, the way he plays the game and his humility. He transcends general football rivalry. If you have a Messi signed shirt on your wall, no-one is going to argue about whether he’s any good or not,” he tells Sorted.

“He outsells the rest of the field by a ratio of four-to-one; in the UK, Spain, the US, the Middle East and the Far East, and is just as popular with men and women.”

Having said this, there’s always someone new waiting in the wings as the next best thing. “We think Neymar will be the next big thing. He plays in a flamboyant Brazilian way, will come to Europe soon and will end up being the poster boy for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil,” the company’s chairman speculates.

And his opinion counts. In the late 1980s, Edward was managing director of Tottenham Hotspur. He then moved to Manchester United and became managing director of Manchester United merchandising from 1992 onwards. Over the next six years, he transformed the commercial side of the club's operation and helped build Manchester United into one of the biggest brands in world football. He was also a key player in the formation of the Premier League.

Photo credit: adidas

We asked him why he thinks it is so important for people to have sporting heroes, and to collect items they have signed or once owned.

“Look at what has happened this summer in terms of sporting superstars, everyone has heroes, and Icons allows fans to get that little bit closer to them,” he replies.

“It’s been an amazing summer of sport for some of the stars we have on the site: Andres Iniesta and Andrea Pirlo in the Euros; Andy Murray at Wimbledon; Jess Ennis and Chris Hoy at the Olympics; and Bradley Wiggins in the Tour de France. Stellar names who have all written their names in history now.”

But for those of us who want to buy memorabilia, couldn’t we just head to eBay or one of the many other sites that sells these goods?

Edward explains: “It’s all about trust in this field. We say we’re ‘signed by the world’s best’ for a reason; we’re trusted by the players themselves, by the world’s best brands and organisations and ultimately by our customers.

“We’re sold in Harrods, for instance, and we’ve been awarded the first ever UEFA Champions League official signed merchandise licence to go with the first ever FIFA World Cup license we were given in 2010.”

At each signing event, photographs are taken to document the signature and Icons creates a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for each piece, which includes the date and venue, a picture of the product and the signing image. Each product carries a uniquely coded hologram, with an identical version being added to the COA, which is signed by the company’s managing director.

We asked Edward for his top three picks. He says: “We would have to say a Leo Messi signed Barcelona shirt is still top of most of people’s shopping lists.

“A Steven Gerrard signed, framed Liverpool Istanbul photo is a key part of our Champions League collection we’re launching this autumn and an Eric Cantona signed Manchester United shirt will always outsell any of the modern-day United players.”

Read the full story in the next issue of Sorted magazine.

Putting a price on football

 Photo credit: Nigel Wilson/Wikipedia

With the new football season upon us, many of us will be looking forward to cheering on the teams we love from our favourite pitch side seats. But while MasterCard might try to persuade me that seeing Gerrard bag a hat-trick against Man United is indeed priceless, I will need to rustle up more than a little loose change before I head to Anfield this season.

New research from the BBC shows that Premier League tickets range from £30 at Wigan (£15 for children) to a whopping £100 at Arsenal (£35 for kids). Fans of Championship clubs aren’t much better off, with the cheapest tickets on offer at Peterborough (£25/£20) and the most expensive at Ipswich (£59/£15).

And with attendance levels at their highest for 50 years, it’s unlikely prices are going to come down any time soon.

Then, once you’ve got the tickets, you’ll need the new shirt. That will set you back up to £45, and that’s just for the home shirt; many fans also invest in the away jersey. Another £8 or so for the scarf and you’ll just about be starting to look the part.

You might think that’s where the spending ends, but you’d be wrong. Once you’ve gained entry to the stadium, there are plenty of other items to splash out on. A programme can set you back between £1 (St Johnstone) and £4 (Leeds), while a cup of tea costs between 50p (Crawley) and £2.20 (Blackburn, West Brom and Newcastle).

So for a family of four to have a ‘day out’ (couple of hours) at the match it could set you back as much as £400 – excluding food and travel spends! That’s enough for a week’s holiday in Cornwall or a swanky new telly!

Of course there are clubs that offer a much cheaper match experience, but few of us are likely to change our allegiances just to cut costs. So how can we get the stadium experience without causing a second credit crisis?

Here are Sorted's top tips to keep you in pies and programmes:

1. Some games are cheaper than others – if you can’t afford a category A game, you may be able to get a better price on tickets for a less sought-after, or mid-week, match 
2.  Compare shirt prices online as some vendors offer much better prices than others 
3. Raise cash by selling old shirts/scarves on ebay (if you can bear to part with them). The retro look is in and you can use the money to buy this season’s clobber 
4.  Take your own refreshments. This might seem a bit drastic, but if you go to ten games a season the savings could be significant 
5. If you simply can’t afford to go to the ground, get a crowd over to watch the game, or hit the pub with the lads (and ladettes) if you don’t have posh telly. You can recreate the stadium atmosphere with your enthusiastic voices, a few tables (for banging) and some swirling scarves. (Or if you’re a Man City fan, simply watch the game facing away from the screen)    

 Follow this season’s football highs and lows in every issue of Sorted magazine.