Are Dealer Recommendations Useful or Useless?

Viridian, I recognize that you're serious and I respect your opinion because it's based upon your direct experience. What I have trouble understanding is why if you walk into a Mercedes dealership do you expect them to recommend that you purchase a Lexus? Your expectation defies common sense.

Ohnwy61, I still find your way of looking at things very consonant with that of most dealers and your symplistic analogy reflects this. Though they too would look at it your way, a car is not one component to be added to an existing system. Do you order your body from Mercedes, your engine from Lexus and your suspension from Chevy? That is essentially what we are doing with an audio system. There are many instances where a competeing manufacturers component may be much more appropriate to the system. But dealers, by and large, don't sell systems, they sell boxes and would be better served selling cars. Naim is a really good, though extreme, example of a system where non-Naim components can be problematic not just in sound but in hook up as well. I would expect the Mercedes dealer to be able to discuss with me the strengths and weaknesses of competeing brands as part of their recommendation though. In my experience, many audio dealers do not even know how to assemble a unified system to meet a given customers aestetic and budget from among the brands they carry, never mind being able to throw competeing brands into the mix. I would stick with my core assertion that all dealers "sell" and few "recommend".

That is because Lexus and Mercedes are substitute products. Either one will serve your need if you are in the market for that kind of thing.

Viridian, I suggest that you contact the AMA and report the finding of a new desease - Dealer Influenced Thought Syndrome. Being a DITS sufferer myself, I would be most interested in your research on a cure. If you do find a cure, or better yet a vaccine, be sure not to try to sell it, but only recommend it to us sufferers.

Viggen, while both M-B and Lexus are luxury cars, there are significant differences between the two. Whether or not the differences are significant to you is more of a reflection upon you than a judgment about the two cars. I certainly don't mean that as if it were a character defect. The fine nuances between luxury products can be illusive, maybe even illusionary. For myself the differences between fine wines is completely missed, but for other people it's a life or death issue. To each their own.

Wow Onhwy61, is the word "judgement" a powerful word or what? For somebody whose into Eastern studies, should look at the last statement of yours carefully and respectively. :-)