Brand Bias

[cdnredneck_t3]

A few threads on here recently got me thinking. Who here thinks of themselves as looking at a product for what it is and who thinks they are brand loyal to the end? I was a hardcore Doolaid drinker and bought my first Polaris last season and fell instantly in love with it. I sold my 09 XP and Kept my 04 REV as a spare. If I were to upgrade my spare I would look for an M8.

My answer to the question is that I have not got rid of all of my bias but I am working on it. Buying a PRO was one of the best things to happen to me as a consumer. It taught me to asses a product for what it is and not what I want it to be. I bought a PRO knowing full well that the E-Tec is the best engine right now. I liked what Polaris has done with their chassis more than the Ski-Doo power plant and went with Polaris for that reason.

 

[ferniesnow]

A few threads on here recently got me thinking. Who here thinks of themselves as looking at a product for what it is and who thinks they are brand loyal to the end? I was a hardcore Doolaid drinker and bought my first Polaris last season and fell instantly in love with it. I sold my 09 XP and Kept my 04 REV as a spare. If I were to upgrade my spare I would look for an M8.

My answer to the question is that I have not got rid of all of my bias but I am working on it. Buying a PRO was one of the best things to happen to me as a consumer. It taught me to asses a product for what it is and not what I want it to be. I bought a PRO knowing full well that the E-Tec is the best engine right now. I liked what Polaris has done with their chassis more than the Ski-Doo power plant and went with Polaris for that reason.

I have said it for years, "it is the dealer and their service that makes me make my choices". All the major manufactures are pretty even. Sure there are some glitches here and there but in the end any one of the 3 majors would handle 3000 km a season and not be a big problem. The one factor is "if something happened, how long would the dealer keep me waiting"..........

I doo think that BRP's fit and finish is superior and like Brandon said, "the power plant is reliable." Sooooooooo I'll drink my Doolaide for awhile yet!

 

[Nitrobkr]

I am brand loyal to the end. I ride with every brand and we all bug each other about it but it never gets heated. All in good fun.
Doolaid runs through my veins and always will.
Turn em upside down, they are all sisters... Haha


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[ThrottleOps]

if there was a skidoo dealer in sk that you could get your machine in and out of service quickly I would buy a doo.. I had a can am but ended up selling it for the reason of if I broke it I was down and out for a month minimum

 

[Braddock54]

I have 2 polaris products (RMK and the Sportsman). My 2.5 year old is riding a cat now. The cat dealer is great.

I'll probably snow check next year and it will be a tough call. The E-tec is unreal, and I really like the finish of the Doo's. The warranty is a good incentive too. HOWEVER, the dealer up here leaves a lot to be desired. I don't even own any BRP products, but have bought Honda parts for some work stuff from this dealer, and wasn't treated very well. Before I bought the Sportsman, I was considering a Can Am. When it came to what is going to cost me, he says 'the price is what is hanging off the handlebar'.

On the other hand, the Cat dealer isn't much to look at, the staff there treats me well, and made the little 120 purchase from them a super cool experience for my little guy. It's things like that a guy remembers and to me, dictates where I spend my dough.

I would go out of territory to buy BRP myself. The Poo dealer isn't bad, but they do so much volume I don't think they care much either.

I am not particularly brand loyal. It's more the dealer in my eyes.

 

[Vertical-Extreme]

Your going to get nothing but bias around here, this place is more doo bias than dootalk lol.


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[maxwell]

like mentioned the dealer is a HUGE part of it. my dealer is 5 minutes from my door and has some serious perks. if per say polaris came out with a superior mountain sled next season. it would have to be significantly better for me to switch dealers. so basically for me to find myself on a polaris or arcit cat...my dealer would have to kick me SQUARE in the nuts, then cat and polaris would both have to add 10hp, change to a 16" wide track, fix there steering setup,fix up there sloppy assembly and bang i may end up on a polaris! LMAO.

 

[cdnredneck_t3]

like mentioned the dealer is a HUGE part of it. my dealer is 5 minutes from my door and has some serious perks. if per say polaris came out with a superior mountain sled next season. it would have to be significantly better for me to switch dealers. so basically for me to find myself on a polaris or arcit cat...my dealer would have to kick me SQUARE in the nuts, then cat and polaris would both have to add 10hp, change to a 16" wide track, fix there steering setup,fix up there sloppy assembly and bang i may end up on a polaris! LMAO.

That steering comment is all the answer we need Max. Why did Doo do their forward steering relocate by the way?

I had deleted a part in my OP about how all the big 3 have made bad sleds over the years, but brand loyal people will argue every year that their brand is the best. I don't care if you are brand loyal or not, but at least show everybody else enough respect to admit that there are some things that could use improvement on your machine. They all have their set backs.

 

[thegeneral]

Serious perks. Like what? I got a receipt with my sled last year


Thegeneral

 

[lilduke]

Yea every brand has better years than others, some brands have bad decades and other brands continue raising the bar year after year

 

[Vertical-Extreme]

Yea every brand has better years than others, some brands have bad decades and other brands continue raising the bar year after year

See that's the thing. Not one single manufacture raises the bar year after year, yes some of them have amazing years and will hit home runs for 4 or 5 years in a row, but every brand tanks once In a while (12 cat, 09 doo, ect.) cat had a amazing run with the M series and finally the 14 proclimb is looking how it should have in 12. And doo has definatly smashed one out of the park with the XM (look at the sales, they don't lie) same with the pro, had a bad year last year but overall they have pushed mountain sleds leaps and bounds from where they were 5 years ago. But not being able to admit your favorite brand has stunk it up on a particular year gets old after a while. So does hearing 90% of the questions get answered on here with "you should have just bought a Doo"... But with all that being said I think 2014 will be the best year any of us have seen as far as sled technology goes.


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[dragonweld28]

Ill ride what works best for me!! i ride the Pro because im tall and like the handling. The skidoo steering feels weird to me and i'm not sold on the proclimb just yet. Dealership dosen't matter to me as i do all my own wrenching.

But I would like my suspension to flex!!! it would make my pro handle soooo much better!!!

 

[lilduke]

Yea I hear you, I'm a bit biased towards Doo. But mostly just kidding around. I have had tons of doo's and tons of poo's also. People say 08/09 Doo's weren't great... I highly disagree. Yeah the 2014's are alot nicer. But compared to the 2008 dragon and the M chassis? The 08 xp was a huge stepping stone towards the sleds we have now in 2014 IMO the XP chassis is legendary lol

 

[SledMamma]

The fact that competition exists between the brands is what keeps each and every brand getting better. They all have good years and bad years, but the constant improvements and comparisons is what keeps every one of us going further and enjoying more advanced machines with greater power, handling and capability than any other decade before. Brand loyalty, competitions and comparisons drive this market forward and we all benefit no matter what we ride...

 

[rmscustom]

I was brand loyal until AC dropped the PC in 12 and my buddy snochecked one. Thankfully I was a year away from upgrading. That spring I rode them all and realized how stupid it was to buy blindly just because of the name... The Pro is the best sled for ME right now... I will never again be a fan boy and buy because of color.

 

[0neoldfart]

I am not brand biased, but I am dealer biased. If I have to drive a few hours to have good service, I will, as the riding season is short enough. I've owned doo, poo, & cat in the past, and although I do my own wrenching (maintenance), it's nice to have a dealer to be there for after sales service & parts. I can't say I've had zero issues with any of our sleds, but any "issues" were dealt with promptly. If my sled can't get in the shop door for a week or two during the riding season (let alone the repair time / parts waiting time), you can bet I will NOT purchase my next one there. 2 weeks downtime for appointment / parts / repair is simply unacceptable in my books. So, I will continue to support T&T in Bonnyville, as they talk about what CAN happen, not about what CAN'T.

 

[neilsleder]

Yea I hear you, I'm a bit biased towards Doo. But mostly just kidding around. I have had tons of doo's and tons of poo's also. People say 08/09 Doo's weren't great... I highly disagree. Yeah the 2014's are alot nicer. But compared to the 2008 dragon and the M chassis? The 08 xp was a huge stepping stone towards the sleds we have now in 2014 IMO the XP chassis is legendary lol

I would have to agree 08-09 xp was a great machine, they may have need more maintenance then others but they where solid. I would say I am bias towards skidoo but that's cause I had the best luck with them and now found a great dealer and sales man! I have owned both Polaris and cat but had some real bad luck with there products and had the dealer turn there back on me just helped put the bad taste in my mouth.


Sent while sitting on the toilet when I should be working!

 

[summit1974]

i would say i am not brand loyal...was seriously looking at a pro last yr and i am very confident i bought the better sled for myself when i went with the more powerful e-teck !when things work properly your gonna be hard pressed to change to something different.I road with a much more experienced rider last yr and he was on a pro 163.My xm closed the gap a lot .the wider track more power and handling makes it a lot easier for tree riding.Loyalty to what works ,works for me.I just wish i had a few more deep powder days last yr.My biggest beef is with the environment haha..let it snow!!!!!

 

[Lund]

I'm probably the least bias sledder you will ever meet. I have owned and riden every brand, plus brand's that no longer exist.
Brands that the majority on this forum most likely never heard of or even seen before.
Personnally i dont give a craps arse about any of them, YES i LOVE the sport and at the end of the day the one that gets my business is the one that will keep their dirty hands out of my pocket the least. I have no issues with droping a brand for another.

When asked about a sled i will give my honnest opinion with a clear vision and many dont like the real truth and reality check on their brand. Though understandingly my idea of a sled would be different then probably others it wont be a bias oppinion. Unlike a large majority of post found on forums, inclueding S&M.


Reality is its all about profit and shares, they gain buyers by keeping you coming back for that seemingly marginal edge that model year has over the last and competing brand. Taking more hard earn money out of your pocket in one way or another. "Come in and buy a new sled for the newest and greatest or let us sell you new motor and clutch parts" on that 2-3season.....not YEARS old sled. Cause sleds dont get used all year round. $$$$$$$$$$$$
Eigtherway their hands are in your pocket if your into this sport.
I do find it funny how many feel that these manufacture are doing you a favor by seemingly keeping the edge or have a humble approach in being the best in the product they produce...haha, just like a fisher many are caught "hook line and sinker".

If these so called BEST manufacture realy had your interest in mind...their product would hold out to the value you pay in your purchase and thats not the case in any of them...$15,000 on average for a sled that MIGHT see 3,000kms engine wise, not inclueding other issues...hahahaha. Thats not just having one hand in your pocket but both and also playing with ya......but then maybe you like that....JMO

 

[lilduke]

A Company that wants to make money?? Jeez go figure. I'm sure they could build you a 800cc sled with 45hp that weighs 700lbs and would last you 500,000k. Maybe that's your idea of a good sled? But I Roll mine down mountains, jump off cliffs ext all season long, so im not really expecting to get 20years out of a sled... LMAO. I have friends that spend 30,000$ on a motor for their drag car that see's about 2hours of operation before a complete rebuild. So the 5 or 6000 KM I get out of a High performance 2 stoke sled engine seems pretty good to me....