Regardless of what "type" of person I am (fanboi, modder, "kiddie", rich white dude, idiot, etc.) that is a reasonable process, no?
So let's stop labeling people, and realize that they're just cars, they're fun, and people will buy what they want!
Here's how I go about buying a car. First I figure out what I want/need in a car. What do I want it to do? What do I need it to do? What features would be nice? What is mandatory? Then I start researching and reading reviews about the various cars I'm considering.
I may start this process a year or more before I plan on making a purchase. I'm always interested in cars and reading about them plus I have decades of experience and yes, some bias, so I have a pretty good idea about what the good ones are and what I plan to avoid. I go to the Los Angeles auto show every year so I have probably already sat in the cars I'm interested in.
After all this I will visit a few dealers and test drive a few models which inevitably eliminates some and keeps others in the running. I also check online to see what low mileage pre-owned cars might be for sale and test drive some of those. Then, when I get really serious about a purchase I contact my insurance company and put some quote requests out to various local dealers to see who has the best offer.
I would never buy a car without test driving it first and I wouldn't say that I
seriously considered buying any car that I haven't actually driven.
One more thing, if you sell cars and you attempt to use high pressure sales tactics on me I'm walking and I'll never set foot in your showroom again. There is way too much competition out there for me to put up with that bullshit.
Some of the cars I drove before I bought my current car:
Ford Focus Titanium (worst dealership experience ever and the reason I never bothered to test drive the Fusion)
Toyota Avalon (the current model)
Lexus GS350 (1 year old 11k miles)
Mercedes-Benz C350 Coupe (1 year old 11k miles-I really liked this car :wub: )
Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE (top of the line model)
I ended up with a new Camry Hybrid. Main reasons are the length of my commute makes owning expensive German/Japanese Luxury cars more cost prohibitive and that I really need a car with 4 doors as I have a 12 year old son. City fuel economy is far better than any of the other cars I was considering too. It is cheap, comfortable, reliable and economical. Meets all my needs except for performance... which isn't really a need, more of a want. I have a motorcycle when I need to scratch that itch though.
If performance and fun to drive is most important to you then I guess you might have a somewhat broader base of cars to look at and that might include 4 door sedans or 2 door ragtops. It's nice to have choices.