Brainwashed? Maybe.

Why have I always bought Ford trucks? Why have you always bought GMs. Why does that other guy buy Dodges?

This is actually a pretty good question, so I asked it to myself.

I had to think for a bit....and then it hit me: I was brainwashed! YES, brainwashed! How could this be? Me brainwashed? The more I thought about it however, the more it made sense. I never had an opinion prior to age 14. So what the heck happened? Who swayed me? Well, it took me a momment, but I figured it out. It was good old Ford loving Dad. Yes, Dad, a genius at brainwashing technique. By the time I hit age 16, I knew there was no truck superior to the Ford. If you had asked me back then how I knew this, my response would have been a highly technical, quantitative: "Just is".

I have two boys, ages 12 and 15. I asked them yesterday who makes the best pickup trucks. Their answer: "Ford". What the heck do they know about trucks? They know nothing! Then I realized something terrible. I'm a brainwasher too! YIKES!!

I'm guessing most of you guys are loyal to your brand. So, the question is:

What's your story? Were you brainwashed too? Why did you initially buy your brand, and what hooked you?

 

We had Studebakers, Plymouths, Nash/Hudsons, Datsun pick-up, an INternational Travelall and Fords. They were all good rigs. I loved them all from a very young age. We even had a 49 Chevy sedan. It was what I learned to shift gears in... while sitting still, of course.
Over the years, we had more Fords than anything else. My brother started building cars -- Ford -- as a young teen. And I as a young adult bought them from him, when ever I could. I have always loved the sound, the looks, the performance and the durability. Brainwashed? Perhaps ... but gladly so.

 

Nope not brainwashed here, experience. I have owned or driving almost all the trucks out there. Ford is just the most durable.

 

It was unfortunate for GM that it worked out the way it did. My first awareness when it came to cars was our family owned an Impala with a 327 and a LTD wagon with the PI 429(essentially the CJ @ 365 HP) The LTD ROCKED!!!

Later in life I owned a GMC 3/4 ton, 454 ,turbo 400 in between numerous Ford trucks and it did not hold up as well.

Of course my Super Duty just puked a tranny @ 40k and I do have a lot of $ on the GM card............so who knows.

 

Young minds are very impressionable. Kids don't decide so much for themselves what is right and wrong or good and bad - they are given inputs to follow.Minds take a long time to fully develop, and by the time they do, bias opinions can be inflicted on them. It is the governments opinion that you "don't have a mind of your own" per se, until you are at least 18 years of age.

I remember being trained by my father to believe Ford and Dodge were junk manufacturers incapable of making a quality vehicle. The bowtie was synonomous with quality - I knew this to be a "fact" from when I was 9 years old....lol.

When I was 16 years old I went with my father looking at new trucks. To my surprise he went and looked at all three manufacturers....????.....

He negotiated the best deal on a brand new 1986 Dodge D250 with 318
and granny 4 speed. He owned it one month and completely hated it. I kept edging him to trade it on a Chevy. It upset me that he would buy the Dodge to save the money on the GM - this Dodge was obviously junk - just because.
(My mind had been successfully and completely indoctrinated to believe this from years before).

My father complained and hated on this truck for years. We both tried killing it and running it into the ground. It was only after we had worked this truck so hard and brutally that it started making an impression on me. At 19 I was finally starting to think for MYSELF. We literally smashed this trucks body to pieces all over the place - using it to rip trees from the ground and deleberately backing into them knock them over enough to chain up to the roots.

We beat and beat this truck to the point it could no longer be used for on road service. We bought a new F250 in 93 and neither of us had the heart to tear it up (by this time my father convinced himself Ford was ok - still no Chevy, but much better than Dodge's junk). The poor Dodge was now restricted to off road/farm use, and continued to recieve it's beatings. Could not kill it. Soon I parted ways with my father on this truck. No truck that could do all that and keep going could be a POS.

This truck all by itself undid all those years of mind bending. I eventually replaced/repaired the body over a couple years through parts from the junk yards. Had it painted up, and it looks pretty good even now. My brother uses it on occasion when he needs a truck, it's kinda semi retired now - I use my F150's for most of my every day work.

 

Megalodon1,
Great, great story with a very important message.

 

I'm 15 years old, and so far I have been brainwahsed. I have grown up in a Mopar family. My grandfather raced them, and sold them when he was young, my dad sells them now. I have been brought up the same way. "put a Dodge in your garage".

What did I know about cars, and pickup trucks when I was 5 years old? Not that much. I only knew what my dad told me. That was that Dodge was superior. I am alot more educated now, and can make an educated decision on what cars, and trucks I like or dislike. I still have a love for Mopars, that will never change. But I have an apreciation for alot more cars, and trucks now than before. Thats what brought me here. The Ram isn't better tan the F-150, and the F-150 isn't better than the Silverado. Its what you like and swear by. Alot of guys here swear by their Ford trucks. My dad swears by Dodge products. Fathers have a way of brainwashing their sons. Im am planning on taking an automotive marketing course when I finish highschool, and eventually want to get into the car business. I will most likely end up selling Mopars because my grandfather owns a Chrysler dealer. I am just glad that I know what I know now, and will continue to learn more.

 

Grew up around my Uncle's Ford dealership after we moved to Kentucky. Before, when we lived in Ohio, dad worked at Delco Moraine (GM brake division). After moving to Kentucky in 73, we just had Fords mostly and my first car was a 76 black/gold Cobra II. I loved that car at the time. Now I realize it wasn't much of a car...but it sure was cool back then. I've had other brands - GMC, Chevy, Isuzu, Subaru, Toyota, Honda, AMC...just always migrated back to Ford. I often ask myself why...especially since my Expedition is currently sitting in my garage with a fist-sized hole in the right side of the block where a piston/rod decided to escape.

 

i grew up being driven to school, grocery shopping, friends houses etc in my families old pinto.....many moons ago this was.....as i grew in height,age and wisdom i gradually came to learn the certain, how shall we, "misgivings" of that much aligned ford product. well....i've heard it said "that which does not kill you makes you stronger"......i owe much of my strength today to being driven by, and driving Ford products

LONG LIVE FORD......(and all those near disaster former pinto people like me)

 

brain washed!no! grew up with fords around and have my best luck owning them. i have had some gm's and mopars no good luck with them, back to driving fords and waiting for a new 250, do i do any thing with the others? yes i race a drag boat,powered by a 502 chevy only because its the only motor allowed in the class that i can afford. they are all how you care for and drive them.

 

I started off with a 88' 4 cylinder Mustang and was broadsided in the passenger side. IT DROVE ME HOME!!!! After it was totaled! Then I had a 1980 escort and it never gave me any trouble. Then I had a 1996 Geo (chevy) Prism. It had a whining sound that couldn't be fixed. Then the 1991 5.0 Mustang LX I had never gave a problem. Then came a 1986 Mazda pickup, it was the toughest vehicle that has ever been made. Then came the infamous 1998 S10 lemon, what a piece of turd, nothing worked on the truck more than 5,000 miles. Then I had a 2000 f150 and it wasn't the toughest but it was darn near the most reliable. Now I have a 2004 f150 and treat it like a baby. I know it will be a good one! Each time I touch anything that says Chevorlet on it it breaks down and I end up walking. If I just put a Chevy sticker somewhere on my 2004 F150 I gaurantee it would explode within 2,000 miles. Chevy is bad luck when it comes to me having one.

 

cbsaf,
Now, that was one funny post! Nothin against you Chevy guys, but that second to the last line had me in stitches on the floor.

P.S.
cbsaf,
I recommend loosing any and all Chevy stickers immediately.

 

I am not downing Chevy or anything but I am just saying that everytime I personally come in contact with a Chevy or anything that says Chevy I end up in a bad way. My dad has a 98 silverado and at 130,000 well maintained miles it is a rattle trap anyway that smokes like a freight train out the exhaust and has a check engine light on all the time because a different sensor goes bad every month. The funny thing is it always starts up and drives him anywhere he wants to go but if I got in it and drove to the store you can bet your rear end that I would have to walk home because it would die on me. I am not brainwashed I just know what works for me. FORD!

 

cbsaf, lol all the years i have spent working on fords and chevys i have not come across all the bad problems you mentioned you had with your chevy ,lol just sounds funny how you say it.

 

I don't mean to hijack the thread but my point was some people aren't brainwashed but they just use what works for them. I just used Chevy as an example because my dad always drove one, swore by them, and still does. I thought they were ok until I started driving. I could win a new Chevy though and treat it like a baby it and rub it down with a diaper but it wouldn't last a year before a plane crashed onto it or it spontaneously combusted and burned to an ashy mess. If it works for you use it.