All The Pretty Things Money Can Buy.

What are your favorite brands and why?

Many years ago, when I was a parts consultant for a restoration shop in Brazil, I had an interesting conversation with a customer about the things we wanted but we could not afford, mostly hot rod-related. This is how he wrapped up the talking: “You know what I will do? I will get on my knees and pray – God, You’ve got to give me the money I want or take away my good taste. ” I thought it was a good idea, and I have been doing it ever since, but with no use, the big guy up there won’t listen to me.

I am not implying that I have good taste; well, it is good according to my standards anyway. What I am trying to say is that life is full of things we want to have and things we can have.

Sony

When I was a kid, I asked my parents for a Sony Walkman for Christmas. Unfortunately, they bought me a cheaper brand that wasn’t even equipped with a K7 player. Sony became an iconic brand in the 1980s and 1990s and stayed in both my and my wife’s minds. When we eventually had to buy our first stereo system, laptop, and smart TV, we purchased Sony products.

Watches

Until the advent of cell phones, watches were a necessary daily tool, but now they have become nothing more than men’s jewelry. You can find a plethora of brands in the market, from the cheap and reliable Casio to the insanely expensive Rolex and Patek Philippe and everything in between.

My mom gave me my very first watch when I was nine years old; it was a Yema, a not-very well-known French brand. Unfortunately, I lost it, but I am seriously considering buying another one (pictured above) in honour of my mom’s choice. After all, watches are all about brand fidelity.

Cars and bikes

The guy who started this passion for cars in my family was my grandfather. He was an apprentice at a Ford dealership in my hometown in Brazil and then graduated as a technician. He worked there until he got enough experience to open his own repair shop, specializing in the iconic Ford V8 Flathead. Grampa used to say: – The best brand is brand new – showing little fidelity to Ford.

Among the dozens of cars my dad and I bought and sold through the years, no other brand was more present than Volkswagen; if it is affordable and reliable, it must be a good choice, right? Although for the last couple of years, Asian brands like Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Hyundai have replaced VW. The picture above shows our daily driver at the moment, a 2013 Civic.

As a car guy, I could dream to have an exotic Italian or British sports car on my driveway, but I am a man of simple pleasures; a V8 Mustang would do it nicely, and it doesn’t need to be brand new. Maybe some day I will be able to make this dream come true.

Honda is the family’s favorite bike brand; in my life, I have owned a total of 4 motorcycles and 3 of them were Hondas. The picture above shows Felicia, the last bike I owned, a 2008 Honda Twister 250.

But then again, Honda is the brand I can, not the one I want. When I owned Felicia, I was saving money to buy a Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, just like the one above, but it never happened.

The Swedish factor

A few years ago, my wife bought a 2005 Volvo S40, and she fell in love with it. She likes to drive fast, and the 2.5 turbo engine plus the European-style tuned suspension gave her plenty of fun. Unfortunately, it was an old car when she bought it, with many miles on the clock; when the headaches of keeping it on the road overcame the joy of driving it, we had to sell the car. Estela was heartbroken because she wanted to replace it with a newer Volvo, but unfortunately, we couldn’t afford it.

Final consideration.

Life is surrounded by brands, and people can be truly passionate about them. A few examples would be: Apple, Tesla, and Nike. It makes sense, after all, the brands we love can tell a little bit about the person we are.

I am not wildly passionate about any of my favorite brands, but it is satisfying to see some of them involved with my favorite pastime, motorsports.

Like Tommy Hilfiger

And Ray Ban.