[nicegirlflor]

I'd say that most car fans are biased towards a particular manufacturer. What caused your 'loyalty' to your brand of choice? These are the events in my life that have lead up to my Ford fanboy status...

1994 - My uncle buys an Escort Cosworth, which he still has to this day. (That's where my username comes from.) I was fascinated at the time.

2001 - I bought my first Fast Ford magazine. I wanted something to read but Fast Ford was the only magazine left on the shelf in the newsagent. (Yep, I must have looked like a right nerd. Learning how to rebuild Cossie YB engines at age 11. )

We've also owned an Escort Mk1, Fiesta Mk1, and Focus Mk1, but I suppose almost everyone in the UK has owned a Ford at some point.

So, why do you support the brand you do today?

[MasTaBlau]

mine was from my dad when we used to go driving and he say what the best cars were

[WhonyGataxott]

If based on my past 3 cars(Dodge Intrepid and 2 Chrysler 300M's) have all been Chryslers, and my parents and I have owned 6 LH platform Chrysler's you could say that I am Loyal to Chrysler. Our cars have been very comfortable, reliable, easy to maintain (and modify), and good on gas.

But the only way I would buy another is if I could find another low mileage LH platform Chrysler, the LX/LY platform vehicles are awful and I dont like any of their other cars on the market currently.

I seriously think my next car will be one of three things: Hyundai Genesis 3.8, Volvo S80 T6, or Kia Cadenza. I am too young to be brand loyal.

[Sleflanna]

Well im not really loyal to any one brand, but i do have a soft spot for Mazda. Our first car was a Mazda 121 bubble, which i used to think was a piece of **** car before i realised it was one of the better if not best small cars back in the days. Then we got a Gen 1 2, which i thought was an amazing car after checking out all the competiton - it was so much roomier, better quality and drove so much nicer. After that we got a Gen 2 2 and
that was just even better than the first 2. After the 2 we got a CX9 Luxo which is the best car we've ever had. Then got a BT50 Single cab 2x2 ute. Oh we also have a Toyota Landcruiser 70 series ute for work. All cars we've had have been pretty awesome.

Apart from the Four-wheel drives, i've never been a fan of any toyota. Mainly because they looked boring, interior wasn't that flash, and none of them drove nowhere near as good as the mazda's i've driven. Camry, Rav4, Yaris, Echo, Corolla, they were all boring. I would have to say the worst toyota i've driven is the previous gen camry with the V6 engine. It was so front end heavy and the steering wheel felt like the size of a truck. It tended to understeer a bit when going through the twisties. On a road trip we did, i begged dad to let me drive the CX9 on the way back, and man, the difference in driving quality was just astounding. The CX9 felt more solid, and the steering and handling was so much better.

Apart from my grudge against Toyota, i'd be happy with any other car. mmm im liking the new kia's and hyundais.

[enactolaelant]

My dad had 2 Pathfinders and 2 Quests and my mom had a J30 and the Infiniti dealership offered really good customer service.

Also when I wanted to design cars I sent a sketch and the actual design president for North America wrote me back. Have had a soft spot for them since...

[effenseshoora]

One of my dad's first cars was a Ford Escort MK2 RS 2000 which i only "met" through nearly faded photos of him standing next to it sometime in the 70s :-) Strangely one of the few things i remember from my time as a child in Australia was of a MK1 Escort taking a turn somewhere in the outskirts - didn't even know MK1 Escorts went on sale in Australia. I also remember myself lusting over the 80's Escort XR3i's, especially the convertibles as well as the 80's Fiestas. Add to that the huge Ford vS Holden rivalry in Australia (which i experienced when i went back to Oz) which got me hooked on Fords even more and voila! Unfortunately all this love for Fords could not convince my dad to help me buy an old Escort which i wanted as my first car - still waiting for the day i will buy my own Ford (brand new this time!)

[TeapseTic]

I drive a Mazda3 so I have a soft spot for Mazda, but mostly I'm a Ford fan. In fact alot of the reason why I got a Mazda3, apart from it being IMO the best compact car available right now, was also the fact that it's mechanically essentially the European Focus.

My dad had an F-150 for more than 10 years and I grew fond of that truck, so that's when I first started liking Ford in general, and ever since I got my first issue of Car Magazine back in 2002 and saw the Mondeo Mk2 and the other cool Euro Fords I became a huge fan of Ford of Europe's lineup.

Ever since then I've been a Ford Europe fan mostly, but when Ford NA started coming out with more competitive cars like the Five Hundred and Fusion I started to be just a Ford fan in general. Now that the Fiesta is coming over to America and the next US-market Focus will be shared with Europe my liking for the brand will only be cemented; Ford was already making meteoric advances in quality and now that they're drawing on their European arm more they'll soon be at the very top in terms of driving dynamics and design as well, not just in Europe but everywhere in the world.

My next car will almost definitely be a Fiesta, and super long-term, if I ever need something bigger, I'll simply move up to a Focus or Fusion.

I used to like Camrys alot and have a general soft spot for Toyota but now I don't like them much at all...just appliances on wheels. I've come to appreciate Honda alot for being as sensible as Toyota but much more appealing from an enthusiast perspective, but lately they've been doing everything possible to sabotage that reputation.

[angelxmagic]

Volkswagen: From the time I was old enough to talk I was a Beetle fan and my first car was a Rabbit that was soon fitted with brutal swaybars and suspension from Neuspeed and 205/60-13 tires which was the choice back in the day. I added a gen II GTI to the driveway that was a great car to drive but the American build quality versus the German was oh lord! TERRIBLE. Toss in a Jetta, 2 Corrados, and a New Beetle. I left VW for two reasons: got tired of being on a first-name basis with the service writer and VW lost its performance direction in NA with GTIs that needed suspension transplants to make them livable. A VR6 NMS could lure me if they can price it right and put a huge warranty behind it.

Hyundai: My Jeep finally died and I could get an XG300 for 0% financing and a forever warranty and bought one just because it was a lot of car for the money and if it was unreliable it was covered by the warranty to end all warranties. The car was an absolute pleasure to drive on trips. People thought it was something much more impressive than a Hyundai. Mileage and reliability was excellent. I got rid of it only to make room for my Mustang. Since the XG300, I see Hyundai making one impressive move after another.

Ford: I've despised Fords and now I own 3. The 05 Mustang was the first sign for me that Ford had decided to make cars that were not jokes. The fox-based Mustang was a joke, as was the Mustang II, as were the bloated 71-73 (?) Mustangs. Old Mustangs, I've always loved. Ford has recaptured the essence of what the Mustang should be and it is a delight to drive and own given its Hyundai/Toyota level of reliability. The Flex is just another example of a vehicle done right in virtually every way. Quality and reliability are amazing. The new Taurus is impressive in person and way better than its price would suggest when you drive it.

[effenseshoora]

Quote:

[Siffidiolla]

BMW beginning with E36 - it seems as thought the company has just gone from strength to strength and it's hard not to admire how successful they've been at both sticking to their core values but also pushing the envelope.

[Chooriwrocafn]

I've got a preference for Toyotas, but I'm not blindly loyal to that company. I guess it just stems from my family mostly owning Toyotas and all the non-Toyotas sucking.

At the same time, I don't completely understand the argument that Toyota's aren't fun to drive. I mean, sure they're often appliance-like. But if it seriously takes steering feel, suspension prowess, and a lack of electro-nannies to make driving fun... idk. I have plenty of fun driving my Matrix. I had plenty of fun driving the Prius. Even the Sienna was fun as long as I wasn't in a parking lot. Arguably, I'm missing out, but my mom's CR-V is a pain in the ass to drive. So I really don't see what the problem is. I guess it just depends on what "fun" means to people.

[angelxmagic]

Quote:

[Sleflanna]

From my own personal driving experience, the reason i say that Toyota's are boring to drive is because of a couple of things:

Toyotas have soft suspension. If your a passenger, thats fine. I'd prefer a soft ride to a firmer one. But as a driver, soft suspension usually means a lot of body roll during cornering, and at higher speeds, over bumps and dips it feels a bit floaty.

The steering is a little dead in feel. Its like using a gaming wheel. You can never really determine what goes on between the road and the tyres. Also the Toyotas i've driven, the steering is a little slow, and the steering ratio is not as quick. E.g. around a 90 degree corner, I'd have to turn a toyota camry steering wheel slightly more than 90 degrees, whereas in our mazda, it takes less than 90 degrees. And when doing quick left-right-left turns it feels like the steering loads up a bit and lags. Not so in the mazda. The steering is a little light at high speeds, and if i small quick left-right-left-right movements of the wheel at higher speeds, you don't really feel anything (which gives the feeling that the steering has a little bit of play in it). In contrast, don't try it on a mazda at speed. Althought it may get annoying at time, any little input in the steering can be felt as the steering is very responsive and direct.

The calibration of the auto transmission and engine response in Toyota's also seem to be tuned for comfort and fuel economy. Whenever i try to do an overtaking maneouveure or enter a busy intersection, i'd put my foot down for accelleration. There would be a slight lag, and then the transmission will drop down a gear or two, and then rev the heck out of the engine. But during that time, it can be a bit scary especially if you really need that power then and there.

Anyway because Toyota's are aimed to the wider market, they usually try to please everyone. Conservative looks, while not ugly, not spectacular. Ride, not completely lacking in quality, but not very sporty either. Toyota's are not bad cars. Its just that they're a jack of all trades and master of none in my opinion.

I haven't really driven that many honda's but from the ones i have driven, (Jazz & Accord Euro), they seem to be a lot closer to toyota in handling than mazda. The Accord Euro is a very nice car, and a lot better than a camry, but i still prefer the feel of mazda over it. When i drove the Jazz, it felt NOTHING like the 2. The 2 was quick, agile and nimble. The Jazz had a lack of low down torque, and the steering was slow and unresponsive in comparison to the 2.

In Aus we don't have the Sienna, but we do have the Tarago which is quite similar i would imagine. The tarago was probably the worse car i'd ever driven in my life. Weak engine, and handled like a boat. Suspension was soft, but bumps could be felt through the suspension and it felt a bit harsh at times. I had the misfortune of driving it down the side of a mountain with heaps of corners (See vid. it's the same road i went down). It literally couldn't wait til we got back to straight roads. I've also taken the CX9 down that same road and the CX9 handled so much better it wasn't funny.

anyway heres the vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YAXp...om=PL&index=43

[Chooriwrocafn]

Thing is... and I really don't know how to phrase in a way that is least likely to come off as being attitude-y or offensive, but... why do you need a car "tuned" for a specific "feel" to have fun driving? Shouldn't driving in and of itself be the fun, and not driving in a specific type/tuning/brand of car? Hell, I raced a friend across town once. Him in his Mazda6 and me in my Sienna. I had a helluva fun time barreling down residential streets a 9 PM or cornering at speeds faster than I really ought to be cornering at. Me winning was just icing on the cake. idk, I guess, from my perspective, it just sucks out a lot of the fun if everything facilitates "fun".

Sorry about derail the thread.

[Sleflanna]

haha i get what your trying to say anonms. it really depends on the situation. although i said toyotas are boring, some of the most fun times i've had have been in a toyota. Out on the paddocks with a Landcruiser, sliding around in the mud etc. have done the exact same thing in an 87 model camry.

but the reason why car enthusiasts need that specific tune is because when you have to drive down a winding mountain road, a car that has a lot of body roll, understeer, and no feel through the wheel watsoever, it feels too much like a chore, just to keep the car moving. You'd probably have more fun in a car that was stationary, than fighting to keep the car on the road. You can make fun, out of a boring car, but when the circumstances are that you can't make fun, a car that facilitates fun would be preferred for most car enthusiasts.

[Chooriwrocafn]

I guess I'm masochistic, then, cuz I just drove my overglorified Corolla through a winding mountain road with no guard rails with a steep side slope on Sunday and..... didn't find it a pain.