A recent survey indicates many drivers find sexy cars to also heighten the sex appeal of the people driving them, according to the CarCourting Report commissioned by AutoTrader.ca.

In the survey, 36 percent of drivers polled said they feel sexier when driving an appealing automobile. This number rose to 40 percent among women and nearly 50 percent among young people. The reason for the feelings was mainly due to the close link between cars and the drivers' personality, survey respondents said. In fact, 61 percent indicated they would completely walk away from a sale if the vehicle wasn't available in the color they desired.

"Canadians really didn't hold back in this study, showing us that although choosing a car might seem like a wholly rational decision, emotion and even social implications are a major influence on Canadian car buyers," said Ian MacDonald, director of marketing for AutoTrader. "We discovered that people not only judge others on the type of car they drive, they also internalize their choices - cars appear to be a key part of how we identify ourselves personally."

With so much importance placed on vehicles, it stands to reason that a broken-down hunk of junk doesn't exactly scream sex appeal. Those looking for love may want to start by giving their car some TLC - in the form of vehicle maintenance like brake service and car tune ups.