#167 Brand Cults: What Drives Unshakable Brand Loyalty?

This week we are talking about the people who love their cars…and can’t stop talking about them. And they have a love affair with every little inch of their beloved machine as if they are in a cult. They love the flaws, the interior, the exterior, you name it. They even have an origin story for their car like it’s some sort of super hero.

This week we take it back to the 1950s. The world was recovering and we were beginning to see some great cars roar to life. Andrew picks a Pixar car, Steve goes Euro of course with Clark Gable's car, and Veronica (fresh from another podcast) wins the lowrider vote with her choice.  And we give a quick thank you to Jay Leno and learn about Silly Putty!

This week we do a deep dive on pop-up headlights. The one symbol that means sports car like no other. Other than stripes of course. Veronica takes us through a detailed timeline of every conceivable pop up moment in history. Steve is still convinced Andrew is on a Netflix show and Andrew can’t wait to tell you all about his automotive heroes.

This week we hand over the reins to our resident mechanic Andrew. He asks the question: What car would you say yes to for a day but no to driving it everyday? Veronica wins this week because it's her birthday! Steve definitely loses this week because his dog is the only thing bigger than his fragile ego. And Andrew makes an inspired automotive choice. Oh yeah, and Veronica shares some hot restoration tips.

It’s the biggest week of classic cars in the world - Monterey car week. Steve went and left his two fellow podcasters far behind. Veronica hates road trips anyway. Since Steve was up there he toured the auctions and made us choose two cars that we would have in our garage. Andrew went back a century and Veronica chose the ones no one wanted. Oh yeah, in boring news Steve chose a Ferrari 308.

Remember Mad Libs? It’s okay neither did Andrew. Well this week Veronica takes into the zany world of advertising much to Steve’s dismay. We are all Creative Directors this week, or at least we think we are. Veronica takes us into the pitch room for brand partnerships with your favorite auto brands. Will we actually help Ferrari, Fiat and Lexus? Did we do well enough to sell the client? Steve says no.

This week we get serious with some proper car buying advice. But first, we share our weekends, Veronica goes to a super secret pre-Pebble car show, Steve goes to comic con, and Andrew goes deep into Subaru land. And then we argue over the best new car under 50K and have very different opinions. And none of them are useful.

This week we celebrate the world's game - fútbol! Or as we yanks call it soccer. Fresh from the World Cup we decided to see what cars we would choose if we won the championship in 1982! Veronica @verns73scout goes the pasta route - pure carbs, while Andrew @aircooledturtle hates horsepower unless it’s an Aston, and Steve @cah_toons goes hi-dollar of course and hires a driver. Did we choose the rides of champions?

This week Veronica @verns73scout takes the helm on a journey of nostalgia. Steve @cah_toons wasted his money on posters instead of learning to read and Andrew @aircooledturtle learned to drive in the desert, and how to flip a car on your own street. Veronica has a crash story that beats all of ours and you can still visit the scene of the crime to this day. Hop in and see if our ten year old selves would be impressed with our cars today.

This week we are talking about the best road trip you’ve been on or wish you had. You’ll need to choose a car, have a route and defend your choice. Veronica has a strong anti-road trip policy, Andrew once again keeps it all-American while Steve takes more of a global view. Who is right? And what are your road trip rules?