Loathing specific manufacturer for no reason

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I wonder if other people just hate specific manufacturers for not good reason. I do. Right now, it is VW. Don't ask me why.

While posting about a VW, I was thinking about how much VW could make me enter a red mist of online rage (ok, not really, but close). I am realizing that for some reason I just disagree with VW's current "philosophy" ...which is odd. Top-to-bottom, just hate. I do not like what they produce, how they position it, or their corporate identity... period. Scandal aside, the way they make cars just bugs the living daylight out of me. Do I have a bad experience with VW? Nope. The biggest life-experience with VW was learning stick/performance-oriented driving on a Fox, but that was fun so my hate has to be something else. I have never liked their cars (save for the MkV GTI, Corrado) or really hate a specific model. There are exceptions that prove the rule, but they are exceptions. Audi, meh, I liked their previous design. That was about it. I would take an S5 with the 4.2 in a heartbeat due to the style but it is an exception... and I would like to keep my S5 fantasies just that: unrealized. At times I have wanted a VW up until I experienced it and then I rage-quit. Sitting in my sister-in-laws new Jetta I was fighting the urge to not "critique" it. "Get me out" is all I was thinking.

Even other manufacturer like Chrysler (which I have had a lot of bad experience with) I can at least respect what they do. The HEMI-murican mentality... I get it. I would never buy a Mopar paperweight for fear of reliability issues but I get the Chrysler mentality (and quietly cheer them on). I see a reason for their choices even if it is something I would not do myself. Other makes, Ford, GM, Honda, Kia, Fiat... I get. If I have had a bad experience, I can pinpoint it. Maybe at times I like to rage against "new" Honda compared to what they used to be but I can, at least wrap my head around their demise. Volkswagen might as well be evil-incarnate. An irrational choice with only irrational reactions possible. VW, might as well be producing hate filled vehicles from the 30s as to my reaction (which I even realize are not always valid).

Anyone else hate a make for no-good reason?
 
No. I may not think much about a brand name, corporate identity or corporate behavior but I can't imagine why someone would have such a strong negative emotion to it. At worst, I would boycott a product or corporation.
 
Yeah, I tend to dislike domestic for reasons which have, by and large, gone away. I recognize it and don't try to hide it.
 
After Exxon Valdez, I would not have anything to do with them for 20 years... I now own stock in the Co again and occasionally use their products.


As an investor, I almost bought BP at the bottom while the well was blowing out, but just could not bring myself to do it ... Still can't
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VW is not even in the same ball park. All the Euro diesel car companies have been gaming the system for a long while. That's the EU's fault for not having ridged standards and enforcing them.

Once the companies learned the EU way, it was natural to transfer that mentality to the USA. What they had not counted on is how much the US Gov't wants corp money w/o "having to raise taxes" and hitting anyone with swinging fines
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You wanna be mad at somebody, try Congress...
 
Ford is on my blacklist today, Focus alternator died... I sure won't buy another Ford in the next week or two! After than I'll probably forget where they put that alternator.
 
Loathing a faceless corporation and the products it makes sound like a waste of time, energy and more importantly health. Hate or holding very negative feelings towards something or someone is a source of stress, and stress is proven to have a negative impact on one's health.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Loathing a faceless corporation and the products it makes sound like a waste of time, energy and more importantly health. Hate or holding very negative feelings towards something or someone is a source of stress, and stress is proven to have a negative impact on one's health.


Agreed.

It sounds like a mental issue. Feeling claustrophobic (or trapped) being your sister's Jetta? Desperately wanting to critique it?

"Hating" a car manufacturer for their lineup?
 
futuredoc, sounds like you hate VW for many reasons, not "...for no reason". I actually agree with you that their philosophy is odd and sometimes leaves you scratching your head. There is not a current VW I would buy because VW can't seem to make up its mind about whether it's trying to appeal to enthusiasts or Camry drivers so there are lots of compromises. Their best cars currently are small hatchbacks which I have no use for. And their non-hatchbacks are outdated with no MQB platform in sight. That said, I do love my B6 Passat which is one of the best practical/enthusiasts combos out there for a good price (I paid $18.9 new for mine).

As for other makes, for some reason BMWs really get on my nerves. It has nothing to do with the manufacturer, which I really respect for its non-crowd following independent thinking, engineering prowness, and fantastic driving dynamics. It more has to do with the people who drive BMWs and what they represent (I'm sure everyone knows the BMW jokes so I don't need to elaborate).

Ironically, I don't generally like what Toyota drivers represent either (even though I own one). I picture a Toyota driver as an ultraconservative person who has basically thrown in the towel on life and has gone hiding in the bunker for fear of that one major engine failure that might happen 10 years down the road. Shaving that 0.001 probability of a breakdown trumps all other considerations.

Anyways, I recognize my stereotypes are probably unfair (heck I own a Sienna). And most "hate" is irrational.
 
I don't hate for no reason. I may not like some brands, but it's based on other people's experiences, a lot of the time, people whom are close to me.

But as far as hating for no reason, I like to think I don't have that problem.

I could list the companies I don't like and the reasons. I just won't bother because I don't want to start anything.
 
I don't like Subaru. Hate by definition takes too much effort.

My reason for dislike of Subaru: not really much, other than my company had a Legacy sedan that I had to drive on trips to Detroit and Ohio. This car was uncomfortable, underpowered, would not track straight on the highway, smelled of antifreeze each time hood was open, and the drivers window nearly garrotted me each time I had to enter.

We are spoiled for choice in the auto market, deciding you won't consider a certain brand - however fragile your reasoning - doesn't really limit your chance of getting a great car elsewhere.
 
Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
... As for other makes, for some reason BMWs really get on my nerves...


Only "humpy" trunk (boot) models from recent years... Older "shark nosed" ones are in my fav column
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There are some companies I refuse to do business with because I don't like their products. There are other companies that knowingly sell unsafe products that are passed off as "vehicle upgrades" that I will tell everyone I see to not purchase and mercilessly ridicule anyone who buys them.
 
I have never liked Toyota, but I have reasons:
-Styling: alternates between boring and overwrought.
-Nothing interesting about them. Not great to drive, no unique features, bad exterior styling.
-Annoying commercials. I dislike "Jan", and that commercial with the stuck-up kid in the Highlander made me never want to own a Highlander.

That said, I understand why so many people buy them. If you want a boringly reliable transportation appliance (and there's nothing wrong with that), then Toyota is for you.
 
I don't care for Chrysler products.

And vehicles made in Mexico. Doesn't matter who, just seems that every vehicle that is made in Mexico - even the Fit - has a lot of problemms. I'll take Japanese, Korean, American, German , Taiwan ... Just not made in mexico


Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Ford is on my blacklist today, Focus alternator died... I sure won't buy another Ford in the next week or two! After than I'll probably forget where they put that alternator.


I like Rock Auto's listing for it ** Very hard to access**
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
The HEMI-murican mentality...

Except the Hemispherical combustion chamber was not invented nor used by Chrysler first.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemispherical_combustion_chamber

Plenty used it before Chrysler.

It's nothing special at all, despite Chrysler's marketing.


Agreed. HEMI is pure marketing but it is precisely Chrysler (including Dodge/Jeep's) identity. George Washington driving through the battlefield despite being made in Canada. It is "Murica" unapologetically incorrect and proud of it.
 
I have a very negative gut reaction to Toyota. Pretty much think "yuck!" every time I see one. Objectively I know that they're a good, big, automaker very comparable to GM. The reasons are twofold. First- the way a cult following built up that thinks they're better than anything else just really rubs me the wrong way. Toyota quality is average or slightly above, and on top of that it varies model-to-model and year-to-year like everyone else. The second: with almost zero exceptions (the original Land Cruiser, the Supra for a span of about 3 years) they build the absolute most milquetoast vehicles on the planet. Nothing the least bit original or wild about them. Can you possibly think of anything more generic or appliance-like than a Camry or Corolla?
 
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