According to You: Brands with a Poor Reputation with Some, a Great One with Others
Last week’s question about brand equity really got the comments section going. And it’s always nice to see the Hagerty Community share its thoughts about brands it cares about—or not, depending on each person’s vantage point.
The reputation of a brand is something we might not consider on an automotive website, especially if the brand isn’t generally associated with automotive enthusiasts. But perhaps we should make a bigger deal about it. Let’s see what you all came up with!
Oil Brands
hyperv6: I have personally seen arguments over oil that rival politics and religion. I had two customers on the rack for oil changes and they started to argue over Quaker State. I had to put the one car on the ground so the customer could come back later. He was so mad I though he was going to hit the other guy.
DUB6: I certainly agree on the oil thing. Some folks will argue their brand to the point of becoming a shouting match. I, too, have seen this personally. And there are even two sides to the big picture: “X, Y, Z brand is best” versus “B.S. – all oils are the same.”
Filters & Exhaust Brands
Fenix97: In terms of brands, two things come to mind: oil/air filters and exhaust systems. For the filters, some people only buy the expensive brands like K&N and others will make fun of you for spending so much money when the “generic” does the exact same thing.
For exhausts, it truly is different strokes for different folks. I can’t stand the sound of a Nissan VQ but other people love it. Some people love the raspy Corsa exhausts on Coyote motors while I prefer the more throaty tones.
Land/Range Rover
Darwin: Land Rover. It’s the vehicle brand that people who have never driven/owned one love to tell people is awful. They’ll tell you they’re unreliable (sometimes true) followed by same old stories about their buddy that had one.
“Have you ever owned one?”
“Well, no, but my buddy…”
I’ve had three wonderful post-P38 model Rovers, which racked up well over 400,000 combined miles with nothing major needed than a new starter and alternator.
Will there be little things along the way? Absolutely.
Is it worth it? Oh yeah.
Bill: Zero percent of Range Rovers are still on the road. The other 10 percent made it home or were towed home. Old joke but not far off. I used to work at a dealer for them as a mechanic.
Lucas: Three Land Rovers with a combined 400,000 miles? I think I’d rather keep my one Land Cruiser approaching 400K.
The Quadrajet
TG: Two off the top of my head are the Quadrajet and the Cadillac Allanté. I will say that most of the haters in both cases have no actual experience with them.
DUB6: Ooo, Quadrajet is a great one. If you wanna get in the middle of an argument-athon, take one side or the other in a group of car guys from the ’60s or ’70s!
Mike: We called those Quadrabogs
TG: Have you ever worked on one?
Kia/Hyundai
Hoosier Daddy: I think Kia/Hyundai falls into this category.
Jim: +1, It is remarkable to compare Kia today to the Kia that comes to mind from 20 years ago.
General Motors
Paul: Chevrolet. If you buy their trucks, their big SUVs (Tahoe and Suburban), their sports cars (Corvette and Camaro), you enjoy them. If you buy their front-drive anything, it is a failure. The jury is out on their EVs.
TG: I put well north of 200K on two consecutive FWD Buicks… so we can add them to the list.
Midnight_Rider_1961: Oldsmobile. The best passenger car I ever owned. When GM killed that brand, they lost my business altogether. Brands GM had every right to kill off and did in some cases: Saturn, Pontiac, Buick, LaSalle.
Ray: I’ve had several Buicks, an Oldsmobile, and a Chevy. They made me a GM hater. Had numerous problems with all of them. Carburetors, cylinder heads, ignition, and rust.
Subaru
Scoutdude: Subaru.
Randal: We love our 2019 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring. One of the best cars I ever owned. Had BMWs and Mercedes, but this Subaru is great.
Firehawk 544: On my fourth Outback (2019) with 80K on the clock. My son is driving a hand-me-down 2015 with 220K, and my first son just bought a new WRX (which he traded in a 2013 Impreza). My brother-in-law has an Outback, his daughter has a Forester, and my niece has a Forester.
We’re definitely drinking the KoolAid!
Jim: Got an ’06 Forester we call “old smokey” for a good reason.
Chemical Additives
Tim: I’m of the age old enough to remember STP, but too young to know why I would have ever wanted to use it. 😆
MarineBob: If you had a car to sell with a noisy valvetrain, you’d get a day or two of quiet.
DUB6: Before assembly lubes became readily available (or even a thing?), I used STP to put stuff together. It was sticky enough that it tended to keep bearings in place, etc. until I got things together and torqued. Other than that, haven’t had any real use for it for decades. However, there was not more than a handful of race cars (or any type) that didn’t have at least one STP decal on it back in the day, and even pretty much today.
Ray: My ’65 MG 1100 relied on it to keep the oil pressure in the green. Hmmm, now that I think about it, maybe it was the indicator which was a bright red light on the dash.
Kelly: I’m with Ray on the STP. My good bud and I rebuilt a 283 years back. He insisted on coating every moving part with STP and torquing every nut, bolt, and screw to the specs we found. Start-up day, we could not turn the engine with the starter nor a socket and bar on the crank. After towing the car for several blocks and popping the clutch in second gear the engine finally turned over and started.
That stuff must have been like glue in there. Anyway the engine ran fine after we set the rockers and buttoned everything up. It sure was hard on the clutch and the back tires during the initial start up though. We were kids then, what did we know?
Mike: I used my 1972 Pinto to tow a 5×8-foot, fully loaded U-Haul trailer from Traverse City to San Francisco. I alternated between adding a can of STP and a quart of 30-weight motor oil at each fill-up.
U-Haul
OlyOop: U-Haul. They actually aren’t terrible now but, boy howdy, ten or 15 years ago they were just about the worst company in the world to deal with. They would happily hand out reservations to anyone who requested one, regardless of how many vehicles and trailers they had available, and it was Thunderdome rules for sorting it all out at the front desk.
Tim: U-Haul: the company that simultaneously advertises the space above the cab as “bonus space” while also using it as part of the measurement of the box. They tell you it’s a 17-foot box, but it’s really 14 feet with 3 feet of “Mom’s Attic.” The other companies don’t do that. I would never use U-Haul for a non-local rental.
wentwest: I really like U-Hail’s motorcycle trailer.
jaybird: Yep! Just used one to fetch a twin-cam 88 in Wichita, Kansas. $15 plus the insurance and tax. Who does anything for fifteen dollars anymore? We tried to figure how many times they would have to rent them before they showed a profit. Funniest part, I own a motorcycle trailer, but it’s out at the farm, so it was cheaper and easier to hit U-Haul on the way out of town.
Richard: Yes, U-Haul was, maybe still is, a shoddy operation. Rented many a truck or trailer from them and others, U-Haul was always the one with somewhat dirty truck interiors, missing hardware, sputtering engines, etc. Once, a 24-ft U-Haul I was driving decided to detach the manual shifter from the transmission. It came right out of the floor while in second gear. Pulled to the center turning lane to stop and a police car pulled in behind me. When I showed him the shifter, he laughed and said, “Start off and stay in second gear, I’ll have my lights on behind you. There’s a U-Haul depot just over the top of the hill we’re on.”
We did and that depot didn’t want to unload our truck and load another one, so they cannibalized another 24-footer and put its shifter in our truck. We were very lucky that day both with the officer and having a U-Haul depot just ahead. Only use Ryder or Penske now for rentals.
John: Several years ago I knew two young mechanics who worked at the local U-Haul location. I pity the poor investors who own individual trucks, trailers, or cars in their fleet. On a slow day the boss would call the young guys to his office and say, ”Go make some work orders,” which meant take a cat bar into the yard and start smashing windows, headlamps, grills, mirrors, etc., to drum up some work orders which get charged to the owners of those rental units. Corrupt.
Kyle Smith: To be fair, the situation you describe sounds as though it has little to do with U-Haul and a lot to do with slimy management.
DUB6: I agree with Kyle. We have two local U-Haul outfits and one has always been WAY better to deal with than the other. I’ve also dealt with one in Denver and one in Salt Lake—both were horrible, but the one in Portland was the best ever! Individual managers/employees can make or break a reputation.
Nissan
Randal: Nissan—we had one of the older “four-door sports car” Maximas and it was great! Lasted 10 years or so!
John: Nissan … never again. My Datsun pickup, less than a year old, died entering a freeway. At night. With no electrics. There is something about the culture of that company that is wonky, and has always been. Think back to the great 510 and 240Z. Then look at their ugly, undependable products today.
Oh, and that extends to the dealers. A friend with a used car lot frequently has Nissan owners upside down on their loans by a large amount (since they have terrible resale) and desperately trying to escape from them. But the dealers will get anyone with a pulse financed—and at some terrible rates.
norm1200: And on the flipside, my quite reliable ’90 Nissan truck has 450K+ miles with the original long block—untouched. Like every mass-produced product, no matter how reliable it is, there will be lemons, if only a very few.
German Brands
MrReliable: Mercedes. I used to sell them, and my customers would tell me they were the best cars they’d ever owned (as they were bringing them in MONTHLY for “preventative maintenance” on a broken part.) My recommendation would be to never own a Mercedes out of warranty.
Gary: Odds are most of the owners of a Mercedes, BMW, or Audi are a lease so they have some warranty to fall back on. Personally I’d never own one.
Scotty: I’ve been driving Audis since 1982 and have never been stranded or had anything other than normal maintenance issues. My last count is over 26 with RS, S, TT, Q, SQ, 5000, and 200 models. I’ve never leased but I do regularly scheduled maintenance. Some people could drive a rock into pebbles so just saying.
Jim: I am on my second Audi, and I’m having similar experiences, the best car that I have owned in my 75 years of life. I would still be driving the first one if my wife hadn’t totaled it by hitting a tree doing over 60. She walked away without a scratch, so a very safe car as well.
George: My brother (who owned one) said that BMW stood for Bavarian Money Waster. Our Dutch tour guide in Germany claimed that it stood for Bayerische Miste Werke (Bavarian Manure Works).
British Brands
Rick: Well, I have always been either a British or E-Type fan in my 20s and 30s but now in my 60s I still like cars that still are quality but still distinctive. Therefore my cars of choice lately have been Volvo wagons. Probably one of the best seats in the business and with their top-notch safety it’s hard to beat.
MGWrench: MG, or really any British car. I drove my MGB GT for nearly 30 years as a daily driver and it now has 433,000 miles. I think it’s great and has been totally reliable until the head cracked. I can’t tell you how many people have told me how bad SU carbs are or how bad the electrical system is. Almost everyone that I’ve really talked to has admitted they never owned an MG and they are basing their opinion on what they’ve been told by other people who haven’t owned one.
964c4: SU carburetors and Lucas electrical components. Often maligned by people that have no experience with either and are not qualified to even fix a sandwich.
Ford
Steve: I never was a Ford guy. I tried owning a brand-new 2014 Focus for the fuel mileage, but it stranded me six times in six months due to a faulty transmission. I gave up on it and went back to Chevrolet, an expensive lesson learned.
Midnight_Rider_1961: Mercury. It was not very smart of Ford to kill this brand off. I knew some folks who would not drive anything but a Mercury.
Scoutdude: I too was annoyed with the passing of Mercury and the four sitting in my driveway (one is my son’s) backs that up. However I do have a Lincoln as a daily driver.
Mike: Lincoln. Once the epitome of luxury. Now just a fancy Ford SUV.
Joe: Depends. Had our share of junk cars from several brands. Our ’90 Cougar was a maintenance nightmare, but our ’93 T-bird was great.
Kent: I owned a towing company for 35 years; for many of those years, the Ford Tempo and Aerostar Vans paid my insurance premiums.
Hand Tools
Fred: Any hand tool that is not one of the Big 3—Snap-on, Mac, and Matco. This could include older, made-in-USA Craftsman hand tools. The rest are complete junk. Waste of money to buy, unreliable, terrible fit that damages fasteners and knuckles. If you hate your car, buy the junk tools. But if your vehicle, your knuckles, and sanity mean anything (and customer vehicles for professionals), buy the best. They will last a lifetime and perform perfectly.
MarineBob: Way back, when you needed a tool, Craftsman did the job. Over the years they have always honored the lifetime replacement. As a DIYer those tools always worked for me.
skoalbandit: I’ve had many a regular socket that was used with an impact tool (or six-foot Johnson bar) replaced. Now Snap-on is a whole different kettle of busted impact sockets broken with a 3/8 rachet.
DUB6: Well, mention Coke and Pepsi and declare that one is better than the other and I think you can get a pretty robust debate going in most groups. But the ultimate brand that has a poor rep with some, but great with others? Harbor Freight (or Princess Auto for our Canadian cousins).
Toyota
mph: Toyota – corporate ethics of Satan!
Joe: Lexus RX350 and RX450h. Absolutely the most reliable and comfortable vehicles I’ve ever owned.
William: I am 100 percent sold on my Japanese cars. I’ve had my Toyota Tundra for 22 years. Other than routine maintenance I have only had to replace one oxygen sensor ($50) under the passenger seat. Had my Lexus GS350 for eight years and haven’t replaced anything. Had my Honda S2000 for 10 years. When I bought it, I needed to replace the starter and I installed a ($450) cloth top with glass.
Tesla
Old Gearhead: Tesla … the company that has had the most influence on the trend of making vehicles more like appliances than automobiles.
s2per: Tesla is polarizing for so many reasons besides Musk. Love the brand or hate it seems to be the consensus. I decided to try a Model Y Dual Motor as a daily and it is a bit of an appliance, albeit a torquey, responsive one. I can’t say I’m emotionally attached to it like my Porsches (or even my pickup) but it’s an efficient driver for short distances.
Chrysler/Stellantis
Alex: Mopar. They made the best awful cars. Stellantis carries on the tradition proudly.
MPH302: Me and my 2012 Challenger (210000 miles) would argue that. Except maybe the Stellantis part.
James: Anything made by Chrysler since 1954. Lousy styling, horrid build quality, unreliable, rust buckets. Almost as bad as anything Jaguar. If you own one, it’s best if you have your own tow truck.
Midnight_Rider_1961: Fargo. From my past research, these must have been some tough trucks. Shame on Chrysler for discontinuing that brand as well as DeSoto.
Mike: Chrysler. Who didn’t aspire to own a 300 letter car or range-topping Imperial? Now, you can choose between a Pacifica and a soon-to-be-discontinued 300.
International Trucks
Midnight_Rider_1961: International Trucks. Tough, dependable trucks. I wish they were resurrected by Case-IH and sold at their dealers.
Scoutdude: The 3 IH’s in my fleet support that sentiment too. [International] did, at one point, look at getting back into the full-size pickup game in the early ’00s.
James: Our new 1961 Scout: other than an under-achiever engine (not bad, compared to the 1927-rooted motor of a Jeep, though!) was a neat concept and worked very well. Wish I had it now! Tough, easy to work on, simple in concept and realization.
Aftermarket Brands
Greg: In the past 10 years or so have been disappointed in the quality of Standard Motor Parts electrical parts. They used to be the best, especially “Blue Streak,” but now the quality is middle of the road. Selecting quality parts is sure a challenge these days.
Sarsippis: Moog suspension parts. Used to work in auto part sales about 30 years ago. Moog was great and even better than some of the OE parts. Especially the Problem Solver line. Used many of their parts on cars that racked up tons of miles. Still have a car 30 years later with Moog suspension parts.
Nowadays I won’t use them. Had both lower ball joints start to fail within 10,000 miles in my daughter’s car. One outer tie-rod end on a friend’s car that lasted about a year or two. Sway bar links in my van that literally fell apart at the ball. Sad part is, I’m not overly confident in the other brands out there. My cars tend to be so old that OE parts are either non-existing, hard to find, or insanely expensive.
Sajeev Mehta: Let me throw in A1 Cardone into this mix … you know, right before I throw the parts I’ve ordered from them into the landfill. That’s one brand where I trust the parts to fail within a matter of months, if they don’t fail right out of the box.
Harley Davidson
Kevin: Harley-Davidson. I bought a 1979 Low Rider and it looked great but would usually break something every 100 miles or so. The electrics malfunctioned, the rear master cylinder blew out, the front forks leaked, and the speedometer quit working, all in the first six months—and, of course, it leaked oil. Later on, when I was involved in quality control in the auto industry, I learned the difference between perceived quality and engineered quality. All that shiny is not quality.
Closing Thoughts
Paul: The bigger a company gets, the worse the service and quality gets. Buy from local owned and operated businesses. Pay up, if you buy the best you will not be disappointed and you will not be buying the same item over and over, saving you money in the long run.
DUB6: I pretty much agree, Paul. Exceptions exist, to be sure, but overall, smaller, locally owned outfits care more and tend to be more flexible than the big boys. We just had furnace and A/C replaced in our ranch house. I looked at a small company in a nearby town and found tons of positive reports about responsiveness, attitude, promptness, and pricing—so I gave them a call.
I got higher-end product for less money than some big companies wanted for “off-brand” stuff, and the guys worked from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. to complete the install (there were some hiccups along the way that delayed them).
Dave: To paraphrase Will Rogers: “I never met a car I didn’t like”, notwithstanding the fact that I’ve been stranded by the best of them.
Marc: Pretty much anything you purchase has haters/lovers. My personal belief is that you can get a great lemon of any brand or item—just a matter of luck.
What a collection of opinions, where to start?
Tools: Craftsman used to be excellent, and 60+ years ago they were the backbone of my toolbox. Most of their wrenches were made by Western Forge in Colorado Springs, other stuff not sure, but US for sure. These days it China. These days my hand tools are SnapOn, Proto, German Gedore and Elora, and a smattering of other top brands like Klein and Knipex.
Cars: Currently have 2 Subarus and love both (2000 and 2017) and virtually trouble free so far. (Knock wood.) These cars are simply great in winter where we live in Montana.
GM used to be my family brand…no more. I think their best quality today is found in their trucks and big SUVs, and the Corvette. I have a 2008 C6 couple. Ordered new with zero options, which I believe is why it has been trouble free. Startling performance and loads of fun. My observations tell me the vast majority of trouble with Corvette starts with the option sheet; more options equals more potential trouble and lower reliability based on years of observations of The Tech Nerd in Corvette magazine. Way too many “known issues” with option sheet accessories.
I have been a Mercedes owner for 51 years, still have my original 1969 which is stone cold reliable and simple. Our 1990 420 is outstanding although its HVAC is complex and cumbersome to repair if needed. Our 2004 CLK coupe is delightful and the inflection point for complexity in cars. As far as Mercedes goes we will never own one newer. Other German brands seem similarly afflicted by the engineer’s love affair with complexity.
We have owned Toyota as well, but expensive parts and service…may as well have a Mercedes. Fords became our brand for awhile, but today not so much, but we still have our ‘98 Expedition. Darn thing is bullet proof.
In general, I believe most issues with newer vehicles begin with their design being dictated by politics rather than customer needs. Same with parts and also with tools. Too many parts these days come from China or other third world suppliers where quality control is absent and quality assurance only done by the customer when failured parts get replaced. Dealers also play a roll where most complaints can be laid at the feet of poor service tech competence and dealer indifference.
My 2 cents…
Best Products: Corvette (any), Jeep Cherokee (XJ models), Castrol oil, Fram filters.
Worst Products: BMC, SU carbs, Lucas electrical, !960’s FORDS (rusting).
The only brand of vehicle I’ve ever bought more than once is VW. I’ve had four of them over the years, and I learned to drive a stick in my dad’s ‘57.
On second thought, I’m on my second Kia. My first was a Spectra that I put almost 100,000 miles on in five years, with the only problem being a shorted windshield wiper motor, replaced under warranty.
Tools are a dilemma. Many of the old quality brands have gone cheap, except for the price. I’m never confident these days, although my wrenching days are winding down, so I don’t think much about handing them down to another generation.
I’ve never neen able to discern a dime’s worth of difference between oils. I probably put one can of STP in an engine, just because of race car sponsorship.
Go online and oil discussion is like talking religion or politics. Gets nasty fast. Fact is the best comment I read from a fellow with a good reputation was — “Today most brand name lubricants are good. Under certain extreme conditions, like racing, some types will perform better.”
My favorite discussions came from he huge ZDDP scare. Good grief folks were in a panic that the lower ZDDP oils would cause their older flat tappet camshafts to disintegrate!!!!!! Fact is before extended oil changes of the 60’s motor oil had lower ZDDP and engine were fine with it. As the expert I read said – Today’s oils are so much better the lower ZDDP is not a camshaft issue, but if worried, just change your old car oil at 1,000 mile intervals before the ZDDP anti-scuff properties are needed”. In my club in the last two decades NOT ONE CAMSHAFT FAILURE in an old car.
Re: Toyota… I thought i would never have a car as reliable and comfortable as my 98 Lexus LS. Then my 2003 LS proved me wrong. I now have a 13 GS that I love. I hope it lasts half as well as the others.
Re Chrysler. I’m probably in the minority, but I wish they hadn’t killed off Plymouth. From full size “almost lux” cars to Road Runners. There were some great ones.
Yes aftermarket parts are declining in quality and the buyers are to blame!!! I called my auto parts vendor for an ignition coil and wanted a specific model and he said “I only have one on the shelf, that series was a good coil, but nobody would pay extra for it. Only the cheaper version sold so the company has discontinued the better series”. I used to volunteer to help folks in my local club with electrical problems. I stopped doing that because I’d tell folks to buy a good quality part and they would get the cheapest version they could find and WHINE about how expensive the good part was. Of course the CHEAP part would not last and I’d get the blame for “not fixing” it correctly.
..depending on WHOM you ask.
Object of the preposition, “on.”
Every once in a while an article hits a nerve that requires a little attention….such is the case here for me.
When I was in high school (class of ’65, Oakland, Ca.) I did a “senior project” on motor oil . Even then there were endless debates as to who’s product was “the best” etc., and I wanted to get answers other than advertising rhetoric.
I visited the (then) Standard Oil of California (later to be Chevron USA) refinery in neighboring Richmond, Ca. and found people that were not only willing to teach me but excited to show facts and figures.
The quick conclusions that showed huge differences between motor oil performances were in the original refining process. There were two distinct methods of refining. One retained the paraffin base in the crude and continued on from there, and the other was a “metalic base-2” process (my recollection you understand) and the process continued from there.
One might think that to be no big deal, but in the year 2000 Chevron sold that technology to the rest of the world (can’t tell you how you do that!)and it is now a common factor in most oil refining processes, leaving the additive process and or the level of synthetics to be the variables.
If you wonder what the old differences were, I can tell you that some of the big name products were paraffin base and when you pulled the rocker covers off gthe engine you need a rubber mallot and a pry bar! In comparison, in my ’73 LA318 with 240K on the meter I needed a cam and two valves. So I decided to pull it out and make it ready for the next trailer touring events, Delo 400 had been the life-long oil of choice (100%) and the engine cleaned up with a rag…not even any brake clean! The rods and mains had not worn thru the argent coating (it lubes).
As far as STP goes, King Richard Lee Petty used to say that he always kept a can in his car, and he did. It was hanging by a wire under the dash…there was a magazine article back in the dark ages showing him pointing to the can in the car.
I sat in on a presentation of consumer law in Canada (probably would pertain to the States as well) and the speaker stated that the “70’s and early 80’s” were the Golden Age of Consumer Law in Canada. Reading about all of these experiences with shoddy vehicles, shoddy repairs and shoddy parts, indicates that there is a known problem with the quality of some of these vehicles and their parts, and the consumer is not being served well by the manufacturer, anywhere in North America. As long as the manufacturer’s product meets the called-for spec, out it goes into the marketplace, becoming someone else’s problem. Hardly the definition of consumer protection. Is it not time to request stronger consumer laws in both countries.
Re-tools: I’ve tried all the tool truck brands and the less-known offshore brands. Snap-on is my favourite for combination wrenches. They just plain fit perfectly. Same with Gray Tools (a Canadian industrial tool manufacturer that makes wrenches and sockets etc in Canada) which I prefer for their sockets and ratchets because of their fit and better chrome plating than Snap-on.
Vessel Tools (Japan) is my first go-to for screwdrivers especially their JIS Phillips drivers for Asian cars. For pliers and diagonal cutters I go for Bahco (European manufacturer owned by Snap-on).
They make a good point about suspension parts. I recently was planning on all new front suspension parts for my ’83 e24. Started researching online and was not able to tell what was decent and what was junk. Some brands who traditionally were considered high quality, had cheaped out and were trading on their former good name. Not wanting parts made in China, I did the best I could, and probably spent more money than I needed to, but was more or less assured the parts were at least not Chinese. Without endorsing specific brands, I would love for Hagerty to maybe rate the different parts manufacturers, so we have a clue what is a safe bet. Those of us who wrench on our cars would be very appreciative, I think.
I love your response about Subaru. Having owned 4 (family is on unlucky 13). You can know going in the Subaru shortcomings and yet, there is something about a Subaru that – well, you keep going back to. (It’s a love/hate relationship)
To Firehawk 544’s comment –
During the Summer Vintage Race Weekend at Road America (BRIC/Kohler International Challenge/Hawk/WIC), I entered my 2016 STi into the Sports Car Concours. (Dave MacNeil’s LaFerrari was parked right next to me). When the judges came up to ask what made my car special, I told them, nothing. They were taken aback. My response – the LaFerrari next to me a bespoke piece of machinery. Art. A Masterpiece that only 500 people in the world will get to truly appreciate. My STi – it’s a Subaru. An affordable car. If you go poll the crowd, at least 7 out of 10 people will have a Subaru story for you. They owned one or knew someone who did. My car is relatable. It’s not the car that’s special. It’s the people that bond over the car that makes it special.
Another story – I was at a informal (weekly) car show. A father and his son were walking around when the son yelled “Dad, a STi like in the game” (He was 10-11) I asked him (the kid) if he wants to sit in it. His eyes widened. He got in, and I asked him if he wanted to hear it. Again, wide eyed. I checked that the car was in Neutral & the handbrake was pulled. I told him push hard on the brake, then down on the clutch, and push the start/stop button. The smile on the kid’s face for letting him do something as simple as start a car – that’s what makes the STi special.
I found a screwdriver of unknown origin in the street in 195?. It was my go-to tool when I needed one to hammer on or add more torque via a Channel-Loc. The yellow plastic handle looks bad, but it never broke.
Then, one day, I dropped in into my boatwell and couldn’t find it. Years later, I stepped on it and subsequently retrieved it. Since then, I’ve seldom used it, but it still resides in my tool chest in case a situation arises where it’s required.
Okay, have a seat and take a deep breath…I buy (some) parts from Amazon.
The same parts as found at Advance Auto/AutoZone/O’Reilly. These are often the same maker and part number only cheaper by 50% or more sometimes.
You may flip your lid now. LOL