While I think a lot of the supporting vendors are really great, FuszNissan, their support allows them a certain form of advertising. It's not like their paying to keep the site up is solely out of the goodness of their hearts (and I'm not saying it should be). As a result, while I may check out supporting vendors first, if their products are more expensive or not as well supported as others I can find on the internet, I'm not going to buy from them.
The real advantage to the supporting vendor thing is that forum users get to watch those vendors post (or not) on the forums. There are a few particular vendors on this forum that are always around, very helpful and straightforward, and seemingly make their customers very happy. These are the types of vendors that will have my business, but not because they pay to run the site--because they have demonstrated a superior level of customer service.
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