I'm in the brand disloyalty side I think. I like all products until they prove otherwise. Once they prove disloyal to me, then the odds are I wont be back.
The Black and Decker is a great example. They are a ok tool as long as you dont plan on using it much. FROM MY EXPERIANCE. Your milage may differ.
Same goes with Dodge. I got burnt more than once, wont happen again. My cousin is a Dodge dealer to so I could probably get a pretty good deal if I wanted one. GM is getting there also, through personal ownership, family reports, and work it is dropping way down ladder. The mother just had to s-can a Caddy because it wouldnt stay on the road. At aroung 130K mi she could have bought 2.5 of that car for the amount of $$ she put in it over the years. My 2000 Safari just ate its own worth in repairs this summer @ 70K mi.
Now Ford has been very good to me and my extended family. I ran my last F150 to 198,000 and traded it because SWWBO said I needed a extended cab, not because it was broke. Total repairs other than normal wear and tear, 76 bucks for a gasket, including labor. The one before that took being sandwiched by two tractor trailers and let me walk out. My father bought a Mustang, put 100K on it and it now needs struts. Other than that, no repairs other than maint.
Now my mother bought a new car, a GM, go figure. Just junked one and bought another because she doesnt like Fords.
That is brand loyalty. A person being loyal to a brand simply because of the name with no justifiable reason. I think it does turn off parts of the brain when taken to extremes.
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As in relating to tractors. Brand loyalty is as extreme or worse than with autos. There are people who bleed Greene (example /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) and think that Kubota is a hunk of fly by night Jap junk that will go away, still. They also think that all greene machines are made 100% in USA right down to the rubber on the tires. Even when you point out the country of origin sticker on the different parts. This is why IMHO Deere commands a higher price. Not because they are better than all the others, it is the perception that you are getting a lot more for your money under the green paint. I could probably point to 3 people in my extended family that bleed green.
Now I AM NOT saying that Deere is not a great product, it is. Its greatness as it pertains to purchase price is hype though. I am also not saying that Deere as a product was disloyal to me. Their pricing and dealerships were.
I just ran the 950 (which for all intents and purposes is the 790 of today) for the first time since I got my Mahindra. I worked the 950 in the same ways as I work my 3510 so I was able to do a pretty good comparison. Since the 790 is set up the same as the 950, I had planned on the 790 for my tractor because I was used to it. The machines (3510 and 950/790) are different in size, weight and power, but they were VERY close in dollars when I went to buy. That was the most important consideration for me. Man am I glad I looked outside the box a little.
I still like the Deere seat better and the 2 stick loader I am still have a warm spot for, but I cant tell you how many times I was grabbing for reverse on the left side of the steering wheel. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
