Who has the best brand image??

what about Lada,

russian engineering and italian styling

The E30 was (and is) one of the best BMW's in so many ways; I think it made BMW, and it spawned the "purest" of all the M cars (M1 possibly excepted).

Larzyh.

Agreed, I always understood that the E30 made BMW and set up its (modern) image with the motoring public/press..we all wanted a bit of the loadsmoney/yuppy lifestyle in the 80’s!

 

More and more people nowadays are appreciating what classics these cars are, you do see the odd hideous max power styleeee one but nothing like the number of horrendous E36’s you see now!

I have a similar viewpoint to Coasting about brand image.

BMWs is awful.

How many news articles have we all read where the brand is used to evoke an image of a boorish, moneyed tactless individual thrusting their views onto others in an otherwise benign environment?

I remember reading an article for example about Newquay and the 'new surfers' intruding on the "lovely hippyish indigents" to surf for a high weekend in summer and then clear off when the rain started - "They turn up in their BMWs with their posh surf gear and ruin it for all of us".

Or what about cases of aggressive driving - a journalist will say "a badly driven car", or if they struck lucky they can make a much juicier sounding line with "a badly driven BMW"

BMW is the keyword for aggression in motoring IMO.

I only bought into the marque because of the driving position in the first instance...

Kin Mak wrote: Coasting, most people that don't like BMW can't afford one

Sorry but to say 'most' is a vast overstatement.

Over on our place we have a mass of new RS4 owners, S4 owners, and owners of other brands, all well capable of buying a BMW - but they just don't like the image.

That isn't something I can understand on the basis that I don't really see why image has to be such a huge factor, but it is certainly evidence that it is nothing to do with affordability.

Without meaning to offend, I also think that sort of claim is one of the reasons BMW drivers get such a bad name!

i must admit that i'm pathetic, i wouldn't buy a lot of cars because of their reputation or image (would you like a list? ), plus because a lot of people feel the same way i bet a skoda is more difficult to resell than a vw

i have to laugh because every skoda owner i've met always feels the need, without prompting, to defend their choice when they tell you what car they drive - "it's as good as a vw at half the price" or "it's a rebadged passat/golf etc"

Edited by stephenperry

I just think thats very unfortunate.

So you're saying you'd ignore driving dynamics, the capability of the car and it's value or overall package just because of the badge it wore?

My wife had a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDi before her 320d arrived, and it was superb car.  The build wasn't up to the BMW standard, but it wasn't a long way behind either.  Materials were cheaper, but the value for money was there for all to see. 

You say that a Skoda driver feels the need to point out to you that it's a rebadged Passat etc, which is fair enough as that seems rather a silly thing for them to feel the need to do.  However, putting the shoe on the other foot, isn't that as bad as someone saying they'd ignore all the driving facts about a car and dismiss it because of a few badges?  Surely the latter is much worse?

Unless it's a Perodua of course, in which case the driving and package is possibly, if its possible, even worse than the badge.

Edited by Coasting

Coasting wrote: So you're saying you'd ignore driving dynamics, the capability of the car and it's value or overall package just because of the badge it wore?

it's not all about the badge; i used to like fords back when they made good cars, the vauxhall omega was very underrated as a 5-series rival, and i'd gladly give a vauxhall monaro a home given half a chance

i have great respect for cars, there are some real hidden gems out there, but i'm very shallow and prejudiced against certain makes and models through a mixture of reputation and experience...

some examples...

i don't like french cars (peugeot - unreliable, citreon - unreliable, renault - ugly and unreliable), skoda still has that stigma, rover - old mans car, mg - old mans car trying too hard, japanese cars - capable but very uninvolving, fiat - rusty and unreliable, alfa - unreliable, saab - too much power for front wheel drive, volvo - only consider a t5 but too big and powerful for front wheel drive, audi - posh vw, lexus - posh toyota, bmw z3 - girls car, bmw 1-series - ugly

Edited by stephenperry

BM Fan wrote: not sure where I fit in unless 34 makes you an Auld Fella now.

You're not an 'Auld Fella' at 34. Far from it. But your ML would put 10-15
years onto you. I bet people would probably wonder if you've had botox or
other cosmetic surgery when they see you after getting out of your car.

635CSi wrote: kdevitt wrote: [QUOTE=ivanovoitch] Funny you should say that - but the Lexus IS200 is fast becoming the weapon of choice for scrotes here in D15... they're all over the place, and fast catching up on the dodgy E36's. Anyway, long and short of it is that BMW has a crap image amongst other drivers, who cares ... as long as you're not someone who perpetuates it. The Altezza you mean, yes that car has seemed to have achieved cult status with 'skobes' lately. It's destroying the car's image if you ask me, look what happened to the Toyota Glanza Turbo and the Subaru Impreza.

Nope, I mean Lexus - theres one or two altezzas alright, but most are Lexus. Easier to insure afaik