Women want men with flashy cars, right?

SARASOTA - Are men in flashy cars what women really want?

According to scientific research, it depends. Though popular belief is that women are attracted to men with a nice, flashy car, it might not be the case.

Researchers at Rice University, The University of Texas San Antonio and The University of Minnesota found that women may be attracted to a man with a flashy car, but only for a short-term relationship, not marriage.

The study was called "Peacocks, Porches And Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous Consumption As a Sexual Ssignaling System.

Researchers say some men use flashy cars the way a male peacock uses its brightly colored tail feathers to attract a mate.

We went to S&S Motorsports in Sarasota to look at a collection of more than 60 flashy cars, from Ferrari to Porche to Corvettes to Shelby Cobras.

"I mean, if you look at the lines on this car, it reminds you of a beautiful woman," Steven White, co-owner said, gazing at his black Ferrari. "I mean, it's shapely, and it's sexy."

But the research shows "good girls" are more impressed with a man who drives a Honda Civic.

"This car gets 39 miles to the gallon," said Candy Sweet, a salesperson for Kuhn Honda in Tampa. "It's smart and stylish.”