T13, great response!
Definitely ****** on both sides of the fence. I have even had folks take jabs at my MTB who happened to have the bike one step up. They regret opening that door. I am not big into road bikes, but for MTBs I believe some of the coolest looking ones are some of the most expensive. Soul is tough, like looks, it can depend on the person rating it. But, no matter the price, I would not keep a bike that I did not bond with, and usually that has something to do with the "soul" of the bike.
lots of folks "hate" on my little Scion IQ, but loved my new BMW. Yet. I still have the IQ and the BMW is gone.