Another later gen user- The K7 was my first and still is my primary gun.
Value drew me to Pentax feel/ergonomics/build cemented it.
Being a Kiwi I also tend to vouch for the underdog.
To update I used to work for Sony and was on the edge of getting an Alpha 200 when they discontinued it and brought out the horrid A230 - the only Camera I really liked then was the more expensive A500 and the top end A700.
I left Sony and moved to Australia which had a much greater array of cameras than NZ. There was a A700 with the 16-105 lens bundled at the duty free here.
I did a few internet reviews as the A700 was getting abit long in the tooth, no LV/Video (no biggie)/Mirror lock up or DOF preview but I LOVED the OVF and 100% Pentaprisim. I found a K7 vs A700 review at the Sony forums site and the Pentax beat it on all specs.
So there we go. Goes to show how such a huge impact certain marketing decisions can have, if in doubt if it isn't broken don't fix it- This is something Pentax adheres to almost religiously and I like that.