According to Gaywheels.com founder Joe LaMurgalia, Gay Men tend to look for stylish brands while Lesbians are more interested in fuel economy. This may explain why the efficient and stylish Rabbit tops the list. The one stand-out vehicle on the list is the Maserati Quattroporte, which is larger and more expensive than anything on the list by a wide margain.

VW Rabbit Protects Its Burrow, Volvo C30 Moves Up to Third Among Gaywheels Most Researched Vehicles

Top 10 Most-Researched Vehicles for 1st Quarter 2009

River Edge, NJ – Gays and lesbians continue to do their homework when it comes to buying cars and the Volkswagen Rabbit and Eos remain at the top of their list when searching on Gaywheels.com, the sole source of information specifically targeted to and about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) car-shoppers. Today, Gaywheels.com announced its list of the Top 10 Most-Researched Vehicles during the first quarter of 2009:

Gaywheels.com Top 10 Most-Researched Vehicles -1st Quarter 2009

"The latest Top 10 Most Researched list supports the results of our recent LGBT Auto Owner's survey," said Gaywheels.com founder Joe LaMuraglia. "Volkswagen and Audi are two brands that are over-represented by Gay Men in the study and those brands represent 40% of the Top 10 list."

Other brand positions further supported the recent survey results; the Saab 9-3 has consistently been on the most-researched list and that brand is the most over-indexed for both Gay Men and Lesbians.

"All the vehicles on the most-researched list are expressive, stylish vehicles and with the sole exception of the Maserati GranTurismo, all are fuel efficient and come from gay-friendly manufacturers," added LaMuraglia. "This is also in line with the purchase reasons from the study. The top purchase reason for Gay Men is styling and for Lesbians is fuel economy."

The Top 10 Most Researched list is based on website statistics gathered from January 1, 2009 – March 31, 2009 from Gaywheels.com's New Car section. Gaywheels.com publishes its Most-Researched list quarterly.

Let this be a warning to you Michael Phelps, do not pick up Miss California in an A3.

The Volkswagen Rabbit and Eos remained in first and second place, respectively. Mazda’s MAZDA3 gave up the third slot to its sister car from Mazda, the MX-5, which now shares that position with the Audi A3. For the first time, there were multiple ties on the list. In addition to the tie for third, the MAZDA3 and VW Jetta vied for the fourth slot, the Saab 9-3 and Dodge Caliber both slotted in at 6th and the newcomer Toyota Matrix joined the MINI Cooper as the 9th Most-Researched Vehicles. Rounding out the Top 10 is the Maserati GranTurismo - the first exotic vehicle to ever appear on the list. Here's the full list:

10. Maserati Gran Turismo

9. Mini Cooper and Toyota Matrix (tie)*

8. Smart ForTwo

7. Volvo C30

6. Dodge Caliber

5. Saab 9-3 and Dodge Caliber (tie)

4. VW Jetta and Toyota Yaris

3. Audi A3 and MAZDA3

2. VW Eos and Mazda MX-5 Miata (tie)

1. VW Rabbit

[via Gaywheels.com]

Gaywheels.com Top 10 Most-Researched Vehicles

1. Toyota Yaris
2. Saab 9-3
3. Mazda MX-5
4. VW Rabbit
5. Audi A3
6. VW EOS
7. VW Jetta
8. Dodge Caliber
9. Toyota Camry
10. MINI Cooper

Of course, in 2007, MINI changed its corporate policies to become gay-friendly. Coincidence or not, its Cooper has joined the top 10. Good work. [Gaywheels]