What does your car say about you?

If you can't judge a book by its cover, can you judge it by the car it drives?

Please allow me to explain.

It's a debate that has been floating around the Wheelbase office these days. My editor, brilliant as he may be, says that the car doesn't make the driver and it's just crazy talk to assume it does.

Rather than simply disagree, I offer a slightly modified view of my own. I believe that a car is an extension of a driver, and that (barring financial restrictions) the type of car someone chooses to drive speaks volumes about its owner. The stuff we like and purchase -- from music to books to cars -- really says something about us, doesn't it? (Just ask John Cusack in the movie "High Fidelity.")

For example, if I wanted to project the image of a confident, refined woman with a wild side, I would pick something fast and sleek, maybe a Honda Accord Coupe. Not too pricey, but strong and saucy (like its owner). Your car does the talking before you have a chance to open your mouth. Consider it advertising.

But that's just my opinion. My editor and I have agreed to disagree and settle this once and for all by opening it up to you. Does the car you drive say something about you? (You might wanna take a peek in your driveway before you answer that question.)

I have a friend, a divorced mother of two, who shuttles the little ones to and from day care in -- what else -- a minivan. It's the practical choice for her, but she says it's definitely NOT "her." Why? Because it screams "I'm a mom!" It's not exactly what she wants to say to the rest of the world. To argue my editor's point, her mode of transportation might be saying one thing, but the message is getting lost in the translation. Yes, she is a mom, but she's far from boring, settled or unavailable ... the very things she fears people read into the minivan.

To put the ball back in my court, say you pull up to a stoplight and there's an immaculately clean, shiny silver BMW next to you. Before you look at the driver, what's going through your mind? You have probably made some kind of assumption about who's behind the wheel before your eyes make their way to the driver's seat. Just the words "shiny, silver Bimmer" conjure images of a well-to-do professional in a suit and tie with a gold watch.

What do you think made him or her pick that car (and the clothes and the watch)? My take: It's a symbol of prestige and it sends a clear message to anyone that he has "made it" and the car is the reward. To play armchair shrink for a second, I think people who drive luxury cars want to show that they have worked hard for their material possessions -- just like a Jeep says you're rugged (or at least you want to project that image) and a sports car says you're a little wild and like things fast and unconventional.

The devil's advocate -- my editor -- argues that the man in the BMW made his choice for its esthetic appeal and that material possessions tell an insignificant story about a person. Success, he says, is measured by happiness, health and family. The decision could have been based solely on its lines and curves. Or who knows, the BMW could be the boss's car and the guy next to you at the lights is only taking it to get it detailed.

In a perfect world, of course my boss is right. But, I reason that life is not that simple and people hardly that perfect.

Why should you care about what people will assume about you based on the car you drive, clothes you wear, or music you listen to? The kind of car you drive only shows part of the picture.

So, help us settle this argument. Can you judge a book by the car it drives? And if so, what does your car say about you?

Among her numerous accomplishments, Courtney Hansen is the author of her own book entitled the "Garage Girl's Guide," the host of Spike TV's "PowerBlock," the former host of TLC's "Overhaulin'" and a writer with Wheelbase Communications. You can e-mail her by logging on to www.wheelbase.ws/mailbag.html.