Soldato
Dolph said:You appear to have forgotten significantly better residuals in your analysis, and your assumption that the quality is the same is misplaced. There is a definite quality difference between Audi and VW, let alone between Audi and Skoda or seat, certainly if you're looking at the current cars.
The residuals issue is true, but it's disappearing fast (try buying a cheap Fabia vRS second-hand) however the the quality issue just isn't there. Think about it. The clutch, gearbox, engine, wheels, tyres, dials, switches and metal are all from exactly the same sources. The Skoda actually has the next generation paint like the A8 and VW Phaeton. The paint is better than on any Audi (except A8) because those factories were refurbished earlier than the Skoda plant. The next SEATs will be even better as they're being upgraded next. They all use exactly the same parts. The stereo's, sat nav's, door-handles etc. are all totally interchangeable. Only the badges are different. You perceive a difference in quality that simply isn't there - what (I think) you are preferring is the cloth on the seats or the font on the dials because I promise you those are the only differences.
Brands are made or destroyed very quickly. In the 1970's Audi wasn't a great brand. NSU had just been wiped out by the RO80/Wankel engine seals fiasco so VW snapped up their factories and all their new models were called Audi instead. The Quattro and the super-slippery low drag co-efficient 100 turned them from a pretty ordinary German manufacturer into a highly desireable brand amongst yuppies.
Dolph said:Skoda cars are undeniably a good deal, I don't think anyone has said otherwise, but the need to defend the badge (even when no real negativity has come up about it) isn't becoming.
I think the defensiveness comes from the brand image. It will get better as more and more people forget the old jokes. But they do die hard.