# What are your thoughts on badge snobs?



## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

Curious to hear everyone's opinions on the so called badge/brand snob. What particularly irks me is seeing people in base spec cars (judging by the halogen headlights) presumably just to be seen in an Audi/BMW/Merc etc. Possibly a polarising opinion


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

People like brand names. That's a simple fact for every aspect of life.

If it gives them the feel good factor let them have it. 

With the current market of nearly all new cars being on PCP going for the obvious German car probably costs no/little more than the brands people see as inferior brands.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Strong residuals too...


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## blademansw (May 23, 2011)

I've got a Merc. Its not on PCP and it has Bi-Xenon Intelligent lights. That OK with you?:lol:


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

I've got a rattly old Subaru that someone stuck Toyota badges on, I'm definitely not a badge snob.

I'm a rear wheel drive snob instead 

Sent from my VFD 710 using Tapatalk


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

I'm a brand snob only where the brand makes something that's genuinely better than the competition. Hence why I haven't bought an apple phone. Merc and Audi are streets ahead in terms of design at the moment.


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

Try being in my industry as a chauffeur. If it’s not a Mercedes or Audi, some of my clients don’t want to know!


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

atbalfour said:


> I'm a brand snob only where the brand makes something that's genuinely better than the competition. Hence why I haven't bought an apple phone. Merc and Audi are streets ahead in terms of design at the moment.


Hmm - currently struggling with a clunky POS that is an Android phone, I would go back to an iPhone in a heartbeat.

But, yes, some car brands are a signifier of better design, construction, reliability etc.


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## bluechimp (Dec 21, 2017)

atbalfour said:


> I'm a brand snob only where the brand makes something that's genuinely better than the competition. Hence why I haven't bought an apple phone. Merc and Audi are streets ahead in terms of design at the moment.


Which part of the design? Most Audi's look bland both inside and out IMO.

I have a Volvo, love the way it looks and is so comfortable. I'm a young lad and get called a Grandad, then they see it and with it being an R-Design, instantly change their opinion. I've always tended to go for more understated cars that I think are better and sometimes cheaper.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Use to be one, but came to my senses.
Look for quality, changed to Lexus, what is in quality term and service superior to the big German makes.
Mercedes was in the past quality and invention, but “das war einmal” 
Audi “vorsprung durch technik” may in the diesel gate scandal?
BMW while I had several, cannot find the attraction anymore, is to much to many, it’s nothing special anymore.

A lot big names float on their past, and true in the chauffeur driven world, customers still want that status symbol, but there is better out there. 
Never been a big fan of the Asian makes, but in quality terms, I have changed my mind.

I did my apprenticeship in the 70’s with Toyota and Opel, quality wise was the Toyota a 1000 times better than Opel. 
It was so much better put together, it was so easy to work on, a eye opener that time. 
But I got pulled into brand snobbishness and did what everyone else was doing. 

Nowadays we have a Lexus and a Toyota, we shop at Aldi:lol: and very rare buy anything of the big brands.


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## Nick-ST (Mar 4, 2013)

I definitely wouldn't call myself a brand snob... I currently have a Skoda and a Volvo with an old BMW tucked up in storage. 

Personally I wouldn't touch any of the so called premium brands on modern cars. Every time I see a car broken down at the side of the road 95% of the time it is either an Audi, Merc or BMW. Chatting with a BMW technician recently after the sale of my M135i, he even said to me they're not as well built as they used to be with cheap parts. Just to be clear I also had nothing but issues with my M135i, every other week a new rattle or irritating fault occurred. 

I would say around my way Ipswich/Felixstowe area it would definitely seem Merc are the "in" car to have at the moment. Yet I never hear anything good said about their reliability and the Ipswich Merc dealer is well known for being one of the worst after sales in the country. I know 4 people who have had gearbox issues with new Mercs. Most recently my managers car lost its DAB radio ability. Another well documented issue online, only Merc can fix by updating a module...

By choice I think I would like an all Volvo driveway. Volvo still has the whiff of an old man driver but their latest gen cars are absolutely stunning so don't think it'll be long until that's gone. My 2013 V40 with the old 5 cylinder diesel has been nothing short of bombproof since we bought it. It has now done 98k.


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

Caledoniandream said:


> Use to be one, but came to my senses.
> Look for quality, changed to Lexus, what is in quality term and service superior to the big German makes.
> Mercedes was in the past quality and invention, but "das war einmal"
> Audi "vorsprung durch technik" may in the diesel gate scandal?
> ...


I think there's a lot of truth here and there's an age thing as well. I think we are the product of our upbringing and environment and mine was the seventies. However irrational it is, I just can't bring myself to be seen in certain types of car, although I will happily run around in some old American, BL or Ford POS

However much brands improve, it takes a lot to shift perceptions: In the seventies, apart from the residual anti-Japanese prejudice, Japanese cars were looked down on as cheap and cheerful alternatives to European cars, and don't let us get started on the likes of Skoda and Seat - "how do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill the petrol tank."

Most Skodas these days are as good as any other European brand, if not better. I know, I've hired them and they are good cars.

And I know Japanese cars are much more reliable and less rust-prone than any modern Merc or Alfa that I have run, but I have never, ever owned one.

I've owned only one French car, and that was because I was given it (and it was fine). Which reminds me of the highly amusing slander I heard somewhere that Renault had bought Dacia because it needed a halo brand:lol:.

Peter


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## Cyclonetog (Jul 22, 2018)

atbalfour said:


> I'm a brand snob only where the brand makes something that's genuinely better than the competition. Hence why I haven't bought an apple phone. Merc and Audi are streets ahead in terms of design at the moment.





Fentum said:


> Hmm - currently struggling with a clunky POS that is an Android phone, I would go back to an iPhone in a heartbeat.
> 
> But, yes, some car brands are a signifier of better design, construction, reliability etc.


The iOS vs Android debate is one that will never end. I've seen enough people leave Apple and then immediately go back.

I bought my iPhone6 refurb for £275 3 years ago. I'm trying to spend more on brand name stuff that is going to last. Our Sony TV has outlasted the LG it replaced and is still working perfectly and looks new.

I had to replace my 10 year old white MacBook in January, so went for the MacBook Pro, quad core, 16GB ram. This should last another 10 years.

In terms of cars, this summer I replaced my girlfriends '54 Pug206 with a '14 Fiesta Zetec S and the difference is staggering (as it should be).

We're a low income family, but there are no savings to be made buying cheap stuff.


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## MagpieRH (May 27, 2014)

Cyclonetog said:


> I had to replace my 10 year old white MacBook in January, so went for the MacBook Pro, quad core, 16GB ram. This should last another 10 years.
> 
> In terms of cars, this summer I replaced my girlfriends '54 Pug206 with a '14 Fiesta Zetec S and the difference is staggering (as it should be).
> 
> We're a low income family, but there are no savings to be made buying cheap stuff.


Agree on the spend a bit more for quality approach - if you can afford it in the first place, it's definitely the way to go.

Disagree on the MacBooks though - my MacBook is now 13 years old, on its second hard drive, second battery and should be on its third charger but I refuse to pay _another_ £70 for one. It's got duck tape covering a couple of splits in the body, but otherwise it's still running fine. Only time it ever let me down was when the original HDD failed.

Why have I not replaced it? I see too many reports of issues with the newer models, and I'm not spending £1k+ on something that will need to go back out be replaced after a couple of years, or that has a dodgy keyboard.

Bringing it back to cars, I had an argument with Volvo after an issue with the windscreen leaking (poorly bonded from new, known fault but not enough for a recall) and it put me right off my C30. The car itself has been really good, but I'll never buy Volvo again for their customer service. It's appalling.

Experience colours our judgement - whether that's something like I've had or the stereotypes that drivers of some brands are only too keen to live up to. Autobahn wagons love to sit right up your backside, Ranges at school time seem to be driven by the dog (possibly unfair on the dog), and in general the more you spend, the less the law applies to you on the road.


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

When I was younger I was a brand snob, as I have got older (and wiser) I realise that the badge / brand stands for very little unless your aim is to impress the easily impressed.

My Seat build quality is way better than my M135i was, we are about to order a Skoda Kodiaq because it offers everything we could want at a great price and the service from the dealer has been substantially better than the more premium brands we visited

Do I own some big brand items - of course but I would never refuse to look at lesser brands and more often than not select products from the "lesser" brands


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## Walesy. (Oct 1, 2009)

I mainly buy BMW's these days, and good reason to.

When I first started out in my career, I was doing 30k + per year and had some horrendous experiences with cars. 
When I first qualified, I had a Cavalier (cant remember the model) I battered miles on that (65k over 2 years) and all I put on it was 2 front wishbones and made sure it was serviced every 10k. 

Then when I got a payrise and my car allowance, I bought a Vectra 2.2 SRI and it was a plug. 2 years and got rid. Then what did I do..thats right I bought another, but a 2.6 v6 SRI. 2 years of ownership and using gallons of oil. It had to go, I had been a dick. 

So, I thought I was going up in the world of motoring and bought a Honda Accord, 2.4 Type S. Lovely car, however i felt it was very soft. Rattled, squeaked and marked at the least wee thing. It had done 60k miles in 2.5 years and looked like had done 100k no matter how much I looked after it(interior and exterior). So that was going.

I knew I had lost alot of money on these cars too, but since the allowance covers things, I was not overly bothered. But wanted something with a good resale value this time. 

We have a large fleet of vehicles in the office, ranging from Fords, Seats, VW, Audi's and the odd BMW. 

I did some chatting to the guys, few of us had Honda accords and we were all disappointed with them actually. But it would appear at that time, the guys with the German cars were more happy with their choice of vehicle than anyone else. Inc the Seat Toledo drivers etc. 

I went hunting, I was adamant I wasn't going to buy a BMW and nothing Japanese. I test drove and Audi A4, A6, VW Bora (at the time), Passat and the Seat Toledo V5. 
The Seat being my preferred at the time. So, we went to pick a sofa one night ( I know, random) and something caught my eye in the BMW carpark. 

So, I went in...looked...got a bit of a stiffy...test drove, then knew why people like these cars. The afore-mentioned cars I drove all felt like an 'appliance' almost, where as the 3 series had more of a character and refinement was so much better. My missus at the time, even said she felt safer. It was so well put together and drove so well. 

I battered miles on that car, had it remapped and traded it in after 5.5 years (the longest I have owned a car) and got strong money for it. It never missed a beat, servicing was cheaper than the Honda believe it or not and it was just an unbelievably good car. The day I traded it in...I sat in the carpark and thought about just taking it home again. 

Next car..Test drove Audi A4, A6 and A7...back to BMW. 

Then I went for my current 5 series and my wife has a X1. 

The residual values of them benefit me, I pay for them cash and just top up my account with my allowance, so over 3-4 years I have my money back and a strong trade in. 

Badge snobbery...I am not that at all, more the engineering and reliability of them that has fixed me to the Brand. And I am loyal, I must admit. The BMW's I have had, have all been great. The odd niggle but nothing major compared to what I have had before. 

I am in no way willy waving here, I dont go for big branded items at all. We shop in Aldi & Lidl, we dont go extravagant holidays, we drink in Weatherspoons, brewery and social clubs and love a country pub when we are down in Yorkshire seeing the inlaws. We dont buy designer gear to wear. 

I dont tolerate willy waving or badge snobbery either. Hate it with a passion as we are all equal at the end of the day, in my eyes anyway. 
I was invited to a party one night, via a friend. The girl was celebrating her mans new promotion and his new 1 series company car...I was told by her that I could stay cause I drive a BMW because I must be middle class. :wall:

TAXI FOR WALESY....stuff that!!!!!!


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

bluechimp said:


> Which part of the design? Most Audi's look bland both inside and out IMO.
> 
> I have a Volvo, love the way it looks and is so comfortable. I'm a young lad and get called a Grandad, then they see it and with it being an R-Design, instantly change their opinion. I've always tended to go for more understated cars that I think are better and sometimes cheaper.


Design is a very subjective topic I suppose. In my view 90% of the S and RS Models look great but aren't 'in your face' and shout 'look at me' when you consider their performance. For those who are not interested in cars, an Audi is an Audi, the visual differences between a base and premium model are quite subtle and don't scream "performance car" and "my car is worth £15k more than yours".

I think a lot of brands have copycatted a lot of designs that Audi brought into the mainstream market - e.g. high quality LEDs / sweeping indicators, hexagonal grilles, virtual ****pit and flat bottomed steering wheels. Ironically other brands are overengineering these now.

In terms of interior, while I've never owned one, the 2017 Audi TT has the single nicest cabin of any car I've been in. From a driver orientated layout to the quality of the bucket seats.

Everyone will have different opinions and that's what makes this topic interesting


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## AnthonyUK (Jul 25, 2018)

I have a Merc....but it is nearly 20 years old and at this age there are few other cars you can buy for beans that are not falling to bits. 
As I do limited milage I can pick up a V6 or V8 Merc for pennies snd get a reliable runabout that is nice to drive. Nothing snobby about choosing a brand where you are happy with the quality.


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

Nick-ST said:


> I definitely wouldn't call myself a brand snob... I currently have a Skoda and a Volvo with an old BMW tucked up in storage.
> 
> Personally I wouldn't touch any of the so called premium brands on modern cars. Every time I see a car broken down at the side of the road 95% of the time it is either an Audi, Merc or BMW. Chatting with a BMW technician recently after the sale of my M135i, he even said to me they're not as well built as they used to be with cheap parts. Just to be clear I also had nothing but issues with my M135i, every other week a new rattle or irritating fault occurred.
> 
> ...


One thing I've heard from mechanics are that German cars are beginning to have "planned obsolescence" features implemented


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

andy665 said:


> When I was younger I was a brand snob, as I have got older (and wiser) I realise that the badge / brand stands for very little unless your aim is to impress the easily impressed.
> 
> My Seat build quality is way better than my M135i was, we are about to order a Skoda Kodiaq because it offers everything we could want at a great price and the service from the dealer has been substantially better than the more premium brands we visited
> 
> Do I own some big brand items - of course but I would never refuse to look at lesser brands and more often than not select products from the "lesser" brands


Effectively you're spending money on something you don't want to impress people who don't care


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## Walesy. (Oct 1, 2009)

andy665 said:


> When I was younger I was a brand snob, as I have got older (and wiser) I realise that the badge / brand stands for very little unless your aim is to impress the easily impressed.
> 
> My Seat build quality is way better than my M135i was, we are about to order a Skoda Kodiaq because it offers everything we could want at a great price and the service from the dealer has been substantially better than the more premium brands we visited
> 
> Do I own some big brand items - of course but I would never refuse to look at lesser brands and more often than not select products from the "lesser" brands


The Skoda range is really eye catching, their SUV's are very nice indeed and one we would consider down the line. 
From the press release pictures, the new Octavia is a real eye catcher....actually keen to see it in the flesh.


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

Don't really care about badges or what others do about badges...

I do find that that kind of thinking permeates all walks of life. It's the posers and/or self obsessed types... Expect to see brand snobs covered in brand name clothes/accessories too... Dare I say iPhones? :lol:

I do wonder what causes it though... Social conditioning? Personality traits?


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

RCCampus said:


> One thing I've heard from mechanics are that German cars are beginning to have "planned obsolescence" features implemented


The Phoebus Cartel started in 1925...

planned obsolescence has been mainstream in most manufacturing since then. 

I remember VW had an old advert slagging it off, saying they don't change a car just for the sake of it... oh how quickly that's changed :lol::lol::lol:

:thumb:


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## Gas head (May 28, 2010)

Just looked at all the model cars along the shelf of most of the cars I have owned, I guess most of them are considered premium brands and most of them german (Porsche, merc, audi), and looking at the ones I have been pleased with (in hindsight) amounts to maybe 20% of those, so I guess ive not been that pleased with german cars, my work hack I call the s!#tt* scirocco have to say its not a very well made car, and for 30k+ I could have done a lot better buying a second hand jag and saved 20k, lesson learned I think, I do fairly big miles in my work cars so having driver aids, comfort, economy and a bit of go is important. I don't do pcp so its my hard earned cash so I'm not going to go too mad like I have in the past.
VW used to be quality and not like bmw or audi that catered for the more badge conscious, but that has changed the materials and built quality is the same as other manufacturers now, so for me german cars have now had their day, time to move to volvo or jag


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

The Cueball said:


> The Phoebus Cartel started in 1925...
> 
> planned obsolescence has been mainstream in most manufacturing since then.
> 
> ...


My mate is a Professor in Robotics. When he was lecturing in Switzerland he was commissioned to upgrade a product. He had so many months to reach a target. His team pulled out all the stops and made it XX times more faster and XX times more efficient with a couple of months to spare. Proudly presented it to his client and was told to use the remaining months to go back and make it X times slower and X times less efficient as his original proposal would have cost them 5 years worth of upgrades.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Like in all walks of life, cars, appliances, sound and vision, if I can afford it and I like it, I’ll by it. I don’t do badge loyalty.


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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

I’m now in the market for new car for medical reasons I want a automatic ideally SUV or estate I can get in out of easily (due to mobility). I’m torn between various brands but having had fords, Vauxhall’s in the past that lived in main dealers under warranty claims it has put me off. Currently on Toyota 5 year total warranty simply go in and they do the work and more with no issues.

Tempted for BMW and Audi models that hit the mark, but get less in terms of spec vs Toyota eg RAV4 vs Q5 or X1 etc. (Have owner mini from new - which had lots of minor issues).

Go with what is right for you, if we all wanted the same we’d all be driving black Ford Focus ..


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

Shiny said:


> My mate is a Professor in Robotics. When he was lecturing in Switzerland he was commissioned to upgrade a product. He had so many months to reach a target. His team pulled out all the stops and made it XX times more faster and XX times more efficient with a couple of months to spare. Proudly presented it to his client and was told to use the remaining months to go back and make it X times slower and X times less efficient as his original proposal would have cost them 5 years worth of upgrades.


Obviously commissioned by Apple.....:lol:


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

I do notice the German cars also don't tend to fantastic on those reliability surveys, although I don't know how accurate those surveys are


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

RCCampus said:


> I do notice the German cars also don't tend to fantastic on those reliability surveys, although I don't know how accurate those surveys are


I can't speak for BMW or Audi, but the last Mercedes cars built like tanks were probably of the W201(190E)/W124(E Class)/R129(SL) era. Then the accountants took over.

Certainly any Merc I have owned made after about 1995 was of significantly inferior quality, especially in the electrics and rust-proofing departments - I had nothing but electrical/injector trouble with a (bloody expensive) V12 6 litre C140 that spent more time at the dealers under warranty than it did being driven by me. But we also had trouble with both a W210 E Class and a R170 SLK as well.

I now won't touch MBs but my wife keeps the faith and has a R171 V6 which has a known engine problem which MB never corrected, although I have discovered that it knew about it when the car was still under warranty, so I'm waiting for the shoe to drop on that one.

Oh, and my experience of engaging with MB dealers makes root canal surgery appear alluringly pleasant and inexpensive:lol:.


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

Always had LG phones and only switched to an iphone because wife suggested i do it.
Now on my second and when the contract runs out i’ll keep it and go sim only. Unless something catches my eye of course.
Laptop is a 4 yr old macbook air
Tv is a panasonic i think
Mountain bike is a Voodoo - halfords inexpensive relatively speaking
Watch is an apple watch series 2
Car is a Peugeot 508

I only bought the car because i got a good trade in and its still quite rare on the roads.
Bike was cheap, same goes for watch and tv
Otherwise brands dont bother me so much anymore, my main question is now will it do what i want it to? 
If it will then i couldnt cars less who makes it


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

muzzer said:


> Always had LG phones and only switched to an iphone because wife suggested i do it.
> Now on my second and when the contract runs out i'll keep it and go sim only. Unless something catches my eye of course.
> Laptop is a 4 yr old macbook air
> Tv is a panasonic i think
> ...


Your phone situation reminds me of the 3 year financing/leasing plans with cars. Personally I'm planning to run my car into the ground since it does what I need with a car, and hopefully my next car will be an electric.

And the EV market seems to be favouring Hyundai while the German brands have made £70k+ Chelsea tractors that very few can afford.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

I've said this before, but when I park my rusty 17 yr old Honda between £100+k of German pcp'd metal (BMW one side, a Merc the other), and a passer by says "lovely car mate" and comes over to talk to me about it, ignoring the cars with the badges leaving their owners with a bemused look when they realise the nice car comment wasn't directed at them, badge snobbery means nothing. 

BMWs, Mercs, Audi etc are invisible on the road. I'm not knocking the cars, they are popular for a reason, but that popularity means that when you see 3 or 4 S3s on a short trip to work, they don't stand out as special.


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

Shiny said:


> I've said this before, but when I park my rusty 17 yr old Honda between £100+k of German pcp'd metal (BMW one side, a Merc the other), and a passer by says "lovely car mate" and comes over to talk to me about it, ignoring the cars with the badges leaving their owners with a bemused look when they realise the nice car comment wasn't directed at them, badge snobbery means nothing.
> 
> BMWs, Mercs, Audi etc are invisible on the road. I'm not knocking the cars, they are popular for a reason, but that popularity means that when you see 3 or 4 S3s on a short trip to work, they don't stand out as special.


Which is part of the reason why I'm not as interested in the German cars than I used to be, everyone and their cat has one these days, yet interestingly enough it's been the Citroen DS cars that have been getting my attention recently (from purely an aesthetics point of view)


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## MagpieRH (May 27, 2014)

RCCampus said:


> Which is part of the reason why I'm not as interested in the German cars than I used to be, everyone and their cat has one these days, yet interestingly enough it's been the Citroen DS cars that have been getting my attention recently (from purely an aesthetics point of view)


Part of the reason I plumped for the C30 - I wanted something different and at the time I didn't even know they existed! I've spotted a fair few since I got mine but it's still rare enough that it's not something I see that often.

Tbh, brand association tends to go the other way for me - I won't be buying a Volvo again (because of Volvo themselves, the car has been good to me overall), I won't touch Giant bikes (they do make some good ones but the percentage of nightmares is higher than any other major manufacturer I've encountered) and there are a few other brands of various things I'll steer well clear of.


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

Shiny said:


> I've said this before, but when I park my rusty 17 yr old Honda between £100+k of German pcp'd metal (BMW one side, a Merc the other), and a passer by says "lovely car mate" and comes over to talk to me about it, ignoring the cars with the badges leaving their owners with a bemused look when they realise the nice car comment wasn't directed at them, badge snobbery means nothing.
> 
> BMWs, Mercs, Audi etc are invisible on the road. I'm not knocking the cars, they are popular for a reason, but that popularity means that when you see 3 or 4 S3s on a short trip to work, they don't stand out as special.


I get this a lot with the 508, people want to know what is is mostly and when you tell them, they're surprised and usually answer with thats a nice car. It's amusing watching people doing double takes when you overtake them or they overtake you.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

muzzer said:


> I get this a lot with the 508, people want to know what is is mostly and when you tell them, they're surprised and usually answer with thats a nice car. It's amusing watching people doing double takes when you overtake them or they overtake you.


Lol. That rings a bell. I've been told on numerous occasions that Honda didn't make a Type R Accord.


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

muzzer said:


> I get this a lot with the 508, people want to know what is is mostly and when you tell them, they're surprised and usually answer with thats a nice car. It's amusing watching people doing double takes when you overtake them or they overtake you.


Is it the 2019 508? I think Peugot did a really nice job with it, honestly refreshing next to the German's tiring design


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## Bristle Hound (May 31, 2009)

In answer to the op’s question
Each to their own I say :thumb:


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

RCCampus said:


> *What particularly irks me is seeing people in base spec cars* (judging by the halogen headlights) presumably just to be seen in an Audi/BMW/Merc etc.


If you are looking to see what headlights people have got are you sure it's not you who is the badge snob! :lol:

The badge has never influenced what I buy, it's the car behind it that appeals for numerous reasons such as performance, handling, practicality, looks, mpg, safety etc etc.

Alan W


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## virgiltracey (Apr 19, 2017)

I have a Hyundai Coupe, but the previous owner had rebadged it with the alternate branding that they were sold under in South Korea (think Opel vs Vauxhall) it's amazing how many people don't believe me when I say its a Hyundai as the "Tuscani" badges do make it seem more high end than it really is... the fact that it is immaculate probably helps too!


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

Alan W said:


> If you are looking to see what headlights people have got are you sure it's not you who is the badge snob!


Nah, just that I know (especially on the lower-end models in the German brands' line-ups) that LED and Xenon's don't come as standard on the base spec. For me I'd rather spend that same amount of money on a non-German brand to get a reasonably well specced car


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

virgiltracey said:


> I have a Hyundai Coupe, but the previous owner had rebadged it with the alternate branding that they were sold under in South Korea (think Opel vs Vauxhall) it's amazing how many people don't believe me when I say its a Hyundai as the "Tuscani" badges do make it seem more high end than it really is... the fact that it is immaculate probably helps too!


As long as it's not the Chrysler 300C/Bentley badge swap...


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## Starbuck88 (Nov 12, 2013)

RCCampus said:


> Nah, just that I know (especially on the lower-end models in the German brands' line-ups) that LED and Xenon's don't come as standard on the base spec. For me I'd rather spend that same amount of money on a non-German brand to get a reasonably well specced car


I can only half agree with you...

The lower spec stuff could be fleet cars, pool cars, motability cars...or just a thought...someone who has no idea about cars but thinks by buying an Audi, BMW, Merc etc that they're making more of an investment and don't care about extras and hope it lasts due to the 'perceived' German quality. I'd put the above in the category you seem to hate for some reason.

Let's face it, the badge snobs are probably the same people I see struggling to make ends meet although they have brand new AMG Specs, S Lines, M Sports in which case they're idiots.

Opposite side of the coin, I have some very well off friends who choose to travel around in old pick up trucks and various old knackered things that to the judgemental, would make them look out to be poor.

every situation and person is different, I chose to only concern myself with my own life and those I care about.


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

Starbuck88 said:


> I can only half agree with you...
> 
> The lower spec stuff could be fleet cars, pool cars, motability cars...or just a thought...someone who has no idea about cars but thinks by buying an Audi, BMW, Merc etc that they're making more of an investment and don't care about extras and hope it lasts due to the 'perceived' German quality. I'd put the above in the category you seem to hate for some reason.
> 
> ...


You're not wrong.

I think the best engineered and put together overall car I ever had was a 'poverty spec' Mercedes 190E - as basic a basic thing as a basic thing can basically be. Less to go wrong, as well.

Absolutely loved that car, except for the effing driver's seat.


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

packard said:


> Go with what is right for you, if we all wanted the same we'd all be driving black Ford Focus ..


Oi!! Lol.









Some really interesting points raised. I'm in the 'quality over brand' way of thinking, although quite often, the two do go hand-in-hand. (Michelin tyres?)

I've owned many different types of cars, ford, peugeot, renault, seat, bmw, merc, and family have had many japanese, German, Korean etc, and I cant honestly say that the higher-end cars were more reliable than the cheaper ones. I'll not raise that point with my friend who has 3 Land Rovers.......

My renault megane (2003 model - shaking its ass.....) was the single most reliable car I ever owned, with an old diesel Peugeot 406 coming a very close second.

I'm a petrol head, so while I'd absolutely love a Porsche 911, I'd also love a Skoda Estelle and a Lada Niva.

We do have a BMW and a Merc as well as the black focus, and they have all had their issues. However, when I change our cars, I wont have any allegiance to any particular brand, I'll do what most of is love doing and just go car shopping to see what i like within the available budget.

Cooks

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## MSwiss (Sep 25, 2017)

As others have said some interesting points and views.

Am I a brand snob? no I don't think so but I generally do go for the German brands as I have had good experiences with them. The JLR product I had was woefully unreliable and I wouldn't touch them ever again. The best car I have ever owned is German and I would have another in a heartbeat.

That being said my mom (who's a petrol-head) liked high end cars, I cant say German exclusively as she had a lexus also and now owns Skoda's, which I really rate. My parents had a nasty head on collision due to the other driver texting whilst driving, the emergency services think the quality of the crash protection saved them from having broken limbs. Sokda's were pants when I was a kid and now they are a quality car. I think in general most brands have upped their game massively so there isn't so much of a gap between the German/others brands.


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## cangri (Feb 25, 2011)

Some brands are good for quality, but now, when all is about consumerism, quality does not stick to brand anymore.


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## sshooie (May 15, 2007)

Starbuck88 said:


> I can only half agree with you...
> 
> The lower spec stuff could be fleet cars, pool cars, motability cars...or just a thought...someone who has no idea about cars but thinks by buying an Audi, BMW, Merc etc that they're making more of an investment and don't care about extras and hope it lasts due to the 'perceived' German quality. I'd put the above in the category you seem to hate for some reason.
> 
> ...


Absolutely,

I chose things based on various criteria, I have a couple of nice watches that I know won't depreciate and they are well engineered and give me pleasure (fnar) My wifes last 3 cars were all new (bought) VW's but she's recently gone back to the Korean offerings in a well specced i20. I have had all sorts of cars and agree totally ref the German brand build quality I had a 5 series with rattles I had to sort myself and have an A7 that also has some rattles, both dealer networks are woefully poor.

I have a friend who is, what i'd call cash rich and he chooses to drive around in a ****ter of a 13 year old Focus, another who isn't far behind has an 02 plate A3 he's had from new.

Lots of people have flash looking cars but no stairs carpet so to speak.

I always smile when I see all the PCP machines on the roads.

My old man used to say people buy things with money they don't have to impress people they don't know, never had finance in his life.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Cookies said:


> I'd also love a Skoda Estelle and a Lada Niva.


I once had my backside handed to me on a plate by a proper race tuned road going Estelle. I had a semi decent Chavalier 2.0 Sportshatch at the time and thought i'd be an easy victor in a blend with a 1.3 Skoda. :lol:

The Niva was the coolest 4x4 ever made :thumb:


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## vsideboy (Sep 1, 2006)

I've just sold my Range Rover, what what.


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

in general badge snobs don't really car about cars or know much about them either, more about the fake images they believe it presents,

just happens most of my cars have been German, followed by Japanese, few British, French and couple of Italian, 

i buy cars first for the engineering then style/class badge is irrelevant, but at least three times I've been out drove past a dealer seen a car and bought it , well know badges too,


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## Kenan (Sep 7, 2015)

I choose a car for how it drives and performs. The badge has never really come into it, but I could be called a model snob as I would always go for the higher spec models. 

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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

BMW and Mercedes- brands being synonymous with quality and reliability isn't a theory I buy into any longer.

I personally believe the big German car makers have all lost the plot and diluted their brands or philosophy so much that they don't appeal to me any longer. Of course they are all selling cars in droves but then McDonalds sell food by the pallet load....

Mind you I am a tight wad by nature and would never ever pay through the nose to have any car on the drive, I don't care what it is. I genuinely don't owe anyone a cent for anything and there is no way you would convince me or the wife to be shelling out hundreds of pounds a month for a car on PCP for the prestige of it. It's just not how I was brought up. I'd sooner drive around in a 100,000 mile Mondeo (not for the first time in my life either) than be stabbed for serious money each month. When I was a lot younger I had a small bank loan to part pay for a new (to me) car, from memory the repayment schedule was £150 a month by direct debit and I hated paying it every single time so I eventually paid the remaining balance of the loan off by saving hard.

The very young people saddling themselves with significant debt early on makes no sense to me. As one of my first cars I used to drive around in a diesel Fiesta (the old 1.8 Endura with no turbo) which sounded like a bag of hammers and basically converted most of it's fuel into air pollution rather than horsepower but it cost nearly zip to run. I think it cost £1800 new which at the time was about 3 weeks worth of wages.

Historically have always bought used cars though always looked for models with the options I wanted at the time, of course as time goes by the spec of most cars is increasing all the time so that's probably unnecessary now.


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

Ive only gone with Japanese cars over the last 20 years. I've looked at the big German manufacturers but their reliability scares me after so long having bulletproof reliability. 

Yes Japanese cars dont feel as engineered as their panels might be slightly thinner or the interior hasn't got as many soft touch plastics in and the paint is softer.

But they just keep going and there is a lightness of touch about them that I like. I'm drawn to some of quirky traits that they often have that's still in some of the cars now including my Mazda. 

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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

> What particularly irks me is seeing people in base spec cars


I don't spend my life in my car.

I don't want a factory fitted sat nav as they usually cost money to update.

The only single option that I miss on my current car is the auto dipping rear view mirror so I don't get dazzled from behind.

I have a BMW. I paid cash for it and could of sunk another £X grand in it for all the options but they don't pay you back in resale value.


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## RCCampus (Jun 24, 2016)

I guess my opinions stem from being tight with money/general philosophy with money


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

The only thing worse than a badge snob is an inverse badge snob who assumes everyone who buys a base model 'premium' brand only does so for the badge.

I bought my first BMW not because it was a BMW but because it was an m3 which evokes memories of late 80s / early 90s touring cars from a period when I was starting to take notice of such things. I really wasn't that bothered that it was a 'bmw'

As it happened, I rather liked it. I liked the driving position, the large transmission tunnel with relatively short and stubby lever, the weight of the controls, the honest solid engineering and materials which weren't trying to be too flashy as well as the front engine rwd layout.

Because of my experiences with one of the brand, then next car I bought was another BMW. This one was a 316i compact as a spare car, runaround, park anywhere, throw anything in it car. Did I care that it was a base model? That people might think I was driving a poor mans bmw? No. I enjoyed the very same solid engineering, the seating position, familiar ergonomics, the push from the rear driving dynamics and nimble sporty feel despite the very modest engine output.

At one point I owned a 2.3 litre left hand drive m3, a 1.6 8v 316i compact and a 3.2 litre 315bhp m3. I currently daily drive a little Alfa mito and also own a couple of Rover metros. I am far from a badge snob!


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## LSpec (Apr 7, 2013)

this is interesting, because sounds like I cant have a certain badge because I will be a snob badge, but I understood that if you buy a car, base spec car because of the badge and you are getting money problems because of that, yes you are a badge snob.

but if I can afford any car, why that would be a snob?

all my cars always were top of the line (dont get me wrong) always used, and the list is.

Mitsubishi mirage LS, bought in 2010, year 2002. Is the top of the line here in GT.
Suzuki swift GLT, bought in 2014, year 2007, 
volvo XC70 2001, bought in 2015.
and my recently, BMW 130i 2007, bought in 2018.

I dont have any money problems, thank God, and I bought any of them because I like it not because the looks or status that gave me.


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