Hammer Time: The Piper Principle

Steven Lang
by Steven Lang

Wrestling fans and auto enthusiasts have a lot in common. They can be sickeningly loyal to their favorites. Even when it’s obvious their one and only favorite is well past their prime. They also have a bit of a dopamine problem. Adrenalin, excitement, the thrill of seeing ‘their guy’ win the battles. It’s all there. Even for the boring ones. Whether it’s a Camry climbing up the sales chart. Or a 1988 Toyota MR2 carving up a modern day competitor over a mountain overpass. It’s a rush to see ‘your choice’ be the best choice. But then there’s the Piper Principle.

What about the brand that can’t sell cars to save their ass from first base? What about the company that goes bankrupt or leaves a market? Heck, what about Rowdy Roddy Piper?. For those who don’t know the guy, Piper is a funny and arrogant wise-ass whose verbal slights and coconut endorsements put him at the top of the wrestling business when roids were all the rage. He was funnier than hell, quirky, and probably drugged out of his mind. But the essence of Piper was that the more of a heel he became, the more you rooted for the guy. Piper was the guy you loved to hate… and once you got sick of the ‘good guys’, you rooted for him.

I look at certain models the same way I looked at Piper. The Chevy Volt seems to get a lot of haters these days. Why? Well…

“It’s not a Prius!”

“It’s not REALLY that economical if you drive it 200+ miles!”

“It doesn’t have a PC approved emblem at the front of it!”

“It’s subsidized by the taxpayers.” (Note: ALL automakers throughout the world are subsidized and given funds and resources by their respective governments.)

“It’s American, and American cars are crap! By the way, Steve? Can you help me find a car? I’m open to any suggestions you have as long as it’s a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord.”

Of course certain folks have bitched and moaned about the Big 3 offering gas guzzling SUV’s and pickups for decades. While subtly ignoring Toyota’s and Honda’s desire to move into the same markets. Hell I’ll even go out and say it. Most car enthusiasts have prejudices against car brands that are based on media and myth.

There are a lot of vehicles enthusiasts tend to despise because of nothing more than this guilt by association. The Corvette is a fantastic sports car. But a lot of car buyers can’t get past paying $50k for a Chevrolet. The Hyundai Genesis? Needs a prestigious brand name like Lexus. The IS-F does not have a Bavarian acronym in front of it. BMW equals Y-U-P-P-I-E… and so forth. Best car? Doesn’t matter.

Even new models within a brand can get spat on with an unworthy nostalgia treatment. “The CR-Z isn’t sporty or economical like a CR-X or a 1st gen Insight. It’s gonna fail.” Never mind that 98% of car buyers never really gave a flip about those two older vehicles which is why Honda canned them in the first place. The CR-Z isn’t even widely available. Yet the pundits of uninformed opinions already want to give it the ‘holier-than-thou’ redneck tar and feather treatment to it.

It bothers me. I like to see the best car win… and I like to see people buy the best cars for them without blinders. A Suzuki SX4 is a great under 18k AWD vehicle that would have 20 times the volume if it had a popular emblem on the front of it. I would argue the same for the 1st gen Ford Fusion, the Mazda 5, and even the Pontiac G8 when it was out and about. Am I wrong? Perhaps. But I see writing off certain brands and models as the equivalent of writing off certain forms of music, food… and wrestlers. You can never get the full enjoyment of being an ‘enthusiast’ unless you’re willing to change your mind. To paraphrase the Piper, “If you think you always have all the right answers, you need to start changing the questions.”

Steven Lang
Steven Lang

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  • Bumpy ii Bumpy ii on Aug 27, 2010

    More people would buy a SX4 if they had any idea where the Suzuki dealer was, and if that dealer wasn't three cars and a beat-up desk in the back of the Mazda/VW dealer's trade-in lot. Some people buy Toyonda simply because they know where three dealers apiece are, or they simply go to whatever dealer is closest to their house or work and buy whatever strikes their fancy on the lot.

  • Bevo Bevo on Aug 28, 2010

    "If you’re a buyer that intends to keep his vehicle for an extended period, depreciation becomes less of a factor." I have bought two cars since 1994. Yes, both were new off the lot. The horror! Except I kept the first one (a Suzuki Sidekick) for 9 years before picking up the second car (a Honda Element). In both instances, I could have cared less about the depreciation. When I buy a car, I ask three questions: Is it fun to drive? Does it suit my lifestyle (i.e., meet my needs)? Can I afford it? I don't give a rat's ass about depreciation or resale value because I am going to own (and care for it) the damn thing for at least 7 years. Anything less than means I bought a lemon.

  • EBFlex China can F right off.
  • MrIcky And tbh, this is why I don't mind a little subsidization of our battery industry. If the American or at least free trade companies don't get some sort of good start, they'll never be able to float long enough to become competitive.
  • SCE to AUX Does the WTO have any teeth? Seems like countries just flail it at each other like a soft rubber stick for internal political purposes.
  • Peter You know we’ve entered the age of self driving vehicles When KIAs go from being stolen to rolling away by themselves.
  • Analoggrotto TTAC is full of drug addicts with short memories. Just beside this article is another very beautiful article about how the EV9 was internationally voted by a renowned board of automotive experts who are no doubt highly educated, wealthy and affluent; the best vehicle in entire world. That's planet earth for you numbskulls. Let me repeat: the best vehicle in the world is the Kia EV9. Voted, and sealed, and if you try to deny it Fanny Willis is ready to prosecute you; but she will send her boyfriend instead because she is busy.
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