Fanboyism vs Brand Loyalist: Why Did You Buy The Vehicle You Now Drive?

yeah...that tattoo just about says it all!

I don't know about rationalizing past choices...but her are my top 4 opinions on how to recognize a fanboy..

4. Always wants to be in 1st place...anything else would probably result in Hari Kari.

3. Doesn't want to be that guy that got dupe'd on a purchase ...so will fight tooth and nail to prove otherwise.

2. Wants everyone to believe he has ALL the facts ..."so shut up and listen to me"

...and last but not least..

1. Wears his 'Alpha Male' pride high on his forehead so others can acknowledge and bow to his all encompassing superiority in all matters of life...including yours!

:-)

Yeah, also bear in mind that alot of Fanboys aren't actually old enough to drive, so although they may defend their brand, it is most likely based on reputation and image... and actually has not been backed up by any purchase.

If yanks buy things for status, then they are fools... When I was 10 I thought the BMW 6 series was the best looking car I'd ever seen... for no other reason I wanted one. That got me interested in the BMW brand, so once a BMW became affordable to me I bought one because I'd wanted one for 11 years.... it's not a 100% rational choice - no car purchase is.... but it is one I passionatley believe in.. it wasn't because of a perceived status attached to my choice of brand, that is just moronic, .. epically moronic, any body that buys something for status is stupid, and anyone who says they WOULD buy something for status IF they could afford it is catastrophically moronic.

.. also Autospies is probably the most infamous site for fanboy arguments, so maybe the cross section we have here isn't the most balanced...

.. also, that Audi tattoo would work just as well with the word 'cock' lol!

Does adopting a "Handle" to advertise what one owns qualify as Fanboyism or Brand Loyalty? Y'know, like "AudiFan", "BimmerGuy", "CLK350" and others.

Well, there is no harm in being proud of your purchase :)

Its all part of the same thing. The difference between Fanboy and brand enthusiasts is that fanboys are as irrantional about other brands as they are about the ones they support.

My passion for Bimmers (and beemers :)) is huge and possibly irrational..

An irrational 'like' for a brand is fine IMO... and irrational dislike for other brands makes you a fanboy.

When I was a kid I wanted an Isuzu Impulse. I loved the interior and they way it looked on the outside. When I got old enough to purchase a car. the Isuzu was the last thing on my mind. Life is too short to limit yourself to liking one brand (or model) of car. I learned that at a very young age. Some people never learned that and remain Brand Loyal Lemmings. These are just cars, not spouses. It's OK to go from brand to brand. But some people just don't like getting out of thier comfort zones. More power to them. I'm not limited like that.

Why does someone have to be loyal to a brand? I'm loyal to my own preferences.

fanboys call each other fanboys when opinions about brands don't coincide :)

that's because I don't blindly support any brand.

ahaha wow, what is this evil Cause? And what does it have to do with race?

p.s. I don't believe in good and evil

"I say be proud of what you drive, OR SELL IT!!"

- That's not a fanboy. That's just a proud owner. Do not confuse the two.

I loved the article and agree that we're all sell-outs to a large extent.

But with that being said, cars aren't art or music or clothes. They are not entirely subjective or simply based on price. Cars have stat's and spec's, so one car CAN be determined to be a winner or be the "best" in some regard.

Is it wrong to be a Prius-fanboy when the Prius IS the MPG king? Is it wrong to be a Corvette-fanboy when the 'Vette IS the fastest domestic made car? Is it wrong to be a GTR fanboy when the GTR IS the fastest car around the 'ring?

I think not.

Partisan discussion on a rational basis has a place in the car world. Irrational dicussion does not.

fanboys are limiting themselves from other joyful experiences, just because they are hard-headed and refuse to accept anything other than their beloved brands.

Fan boys are insecure lemmings, that aren’t smart enough to realize that other viable alternatives almost always exist. I’d never ask a fanboy for car advice, and when I see a person getting the same brand time after time, I consider that person to not be an independent thinker.

I'm not willing to support anything through thick-and-thin other than a spouse (or a job). No one should feel obligated to purchase a car from a company that was once good and has now gone to crap. Why?

You known what they say when people resort to personal attacks? LOL!!
Keep them coming. You are showing everyone what an angry person you really are. LOL!!

Since you are getting personal, I like fat chicks BTW, And you wish you could do what I do for a living. C#, XML, SQL, and soon to be Java (with ANT Build Scripting), and that's after working in UNIX and MF Cobol for 8 years, I supported CICS MVS and TSO before that. What else? oh yeah AS/400, Windows Server. LOL!!

What do you do for a living?

If you had $10 million to spend on whatever cars you want over the next 10 years, would you still act like a "fan boy"? Would you only buy a Subaru/Lexus, or would you start experimenting with Ferraris/Lambos/Bentleys?

I dare say, most if not all "rich" people don't have the fanboy attitude because they are not limited to any one brand due to constraints of budget. Most people have no more than $50K-$100K at any given time to buy a car every 5 years or less - with limited choices come a commitment to buy the best car for you. But if your choices were unlimited, then your devotion is then split to a more objective evaluation of how good each car is. You are not blinded by your rationalizations that you made an intelligent choice and now you must always defend it.

And your point is?

Mazda rx8-originality,nice balanced car,rotary.
E92 M3-Perfect performance machine
Mazda RX7-classic
Mazda MPV-sporty minivan-roomy
F body Trans Am,sold-600 hp to wheels...sold it because i got tired of the loudness and cheap interior.Things like window motor,heat etc began not working...got offered a lot of $ so got rid of it
Buick grand national..sold...older car...began showing its age...pretty quick,slightly modded
current gen jeep grand cherokee-totaled
E46 M3-hit from side,frame bent..totaled... :( still my favorite m3
E55-blown motor
1999 Acura TL-tanny problems up the ass...had 3 trannys all began slipping...sold

Theres more...this is a list based on since i've had my license.I dont currently own all these cars.

I'm not a fanboy i buy each car for its personality and characteristics/originality

I guess my Dad's side of the family would be condsidered "fanboys". Everyone has been driving Cadillac's since the 60's. They were still driving them when Cadillac went sh*tty in the 80's. They actually passed down those sh*tty over-heating, motor mount replacing, air ride going out Lac's to me and my cousins as our first cars! lol Im a fanboy by default but I wont defend the stupidity of the brand still trying to chase Lexus instead of becoming the standard of the world again. Nor will I through Cadillac into a topic about BMW on this site or any other car being talked about (*ahem* Badgewhore/Toyota and AccentPlanet/Hyundai) for the hell of getting on everyone's nerves. As for why I bought the car I drive now (300C) I guess because it was the "hottest" thing out at the time. I sure wish I would walk outside to it missing one day. Sorry, Im rambling...

***Sorry, I meant throw NOT through up there.

Who said Cadillac's not the standard of the world? They do currently produce the fastest (and imho the prettiest) sedan on the planet, the CTS-V. Not to start and aguement, I have no brand loyalty, if it's rwd and powerful I like it :)

If I had a ton of money, I would lift some Hyundai products high with cranes, and let them drop free in front of Hyundaismoke. I would then take a nice picture of her face at the moment the cars hit the ground, and use it as my iphone background.