I am a very patriotic American, but when it comes to cars, I'm a firm believer that Japanese make the best cars (not including overpriced European luxury and sports cars). Toyota and Honda make cars that simply last longer than Ford and GM. Sorry if that offends you. I love Toyota vehicles to the point that I when I am buying a vehicle, I really only consider Toyota's. The irony here is that I don't have to buy vehicles very often because my Toyotas last forever.
My current vehicle, which I've been driving for almost 8 years, is a 2006 Toyota Tundra. It recently just crossed the 250,000-mile mark, and it's still running strong. I don't figure I'll have any problem getting 300,000 miles out of this truck. It's been a great vehicle and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat if given the opportunity. I'd also recommend that if you are looking to buy a truck, you should give great consideration to a Toyota.
My 2006 Toyota Tundra. She's got some bumps and bruises, but she's still running strong.
Now why am I rambling on about pickup trucks? It's because there is a great lesson in all of this. The lesson is that a great product trumps everything else. If you don't believe me, just look at Apple. They were the red-headed step child of the tech industry for a long time, and then Steve Jobs came in and turned the priority toward creating a great product. Within a matter of years the company skyrocketed and has been dominating their industry ever since. Great products create happy customers. Happy customers turn into product evangelists who tell other people to buy a product (I'm a Toyota evangelist, if you can't tell). If you want to sell something, focus first on making a really top-notch experience for your customers, whether that be a great product or a world-class service. If you do, your customers will do the selling for you.
Many of you are not trying to sell something, but I believe this lesson still applies. If you are an engineer working on reserve analysis, focus on creating the best analysis you possibly can. Don't get too caught up in trying to promote yourself to upper management. Rather, focus on doing the best possible work you can, and providing as much value to the people around you as you possibly can. If you do, the other things will largely take care of themselves.
Also, buy a Toyota. You won't regret it.