I've had about 2 dozen full size pick up trucks over the years (Ford, Chevy, Dodge) and several Ranger's. They all have their strength's and weakness'. All things being equal, I give a VERY slight edge to the Ford.
Brand loyalty dying off.
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My folks had driven Buick sedans as long as I've been on the planet. However, when they both started experiencing the effects of arthritis, and Dad started having hip problems, lowering their aging bodies to get into a sedan, and then working to get (climb?) out of one became an issue.
They decided that they wanted a minivan. Easier to get in and out of, the whole family could go in one vehicle, and extra room for hauling when antiquing.
So, we looked at Buick minivans. Logical first choice, right?
They're driving a Chrysler Town and Country now. First time my Dad has ever owned something that wasn't a GM.
Physical need and design (he hated the Buick minivan, and loved the Stow 'n Go) trumped loyalty.
They decided that they wanted a minivan. Easier to get in and out of, the whole family could go in one vehicle, and extra room for hauling when antiquing.
So, we looked at Buick minivans. Logical first choice, right?
They're driving a Chrysler Town and Country now. First time my Dad has ever owned something that wasn't a GM.
Physical need and design (he hated the Buick minivan, and loved the Stow 'n Go) trumped loyalty.
Originally Posted By: D189379
Being loyal to someone who's number 1 goal is to make the most amount of money off of you is pretty foolish if you think about it.
This. I've owned 2 Jeep Cherokees, and convinced a friend to buy one. Not because I'm a Jeep loyalist, but because they are cheap and easy to fix. I grew up around them, and found them to be reliable. With that said, I wouldn't buy any new Jeep today. There are certain brands I avoid for the most part, but there are none I am loyal to.
Being loyal to someone who's number 1 goal is to make the most amount of money off of you is pretty foolish if you think about it.
This. I've owned 2 Jeep Cherokees, and convinced a friend to buy one. Not because I'm a Jeep loyalist, but because they are cheap and easy to fix. I grew up around them, and found them to be reliable. With that said, I wouldn't buy any new Jeep today. There are certain brands I avoid for the most part, but there are none I am loyal to.
Originally Posted By: VicVinegar
I'd stay "loyal" to Honda but they don't make anything I want. I don't like the new Civic. I can't get a sunroof in the Fit. Accord is too big. So is the TSX. ILX is too much of an "overpriced Civic" vibe for me.
They don't make anything I want (except the Fit and like you said, no sunroof) and what they do make costs too much.
I do like Mazda. I like that they do not tune thier chassis to the drivers of the lowest common denominator. I'm not entirely convinced that they will keep selling cars near Subaru's rate and will eventually slip down to Mitsubishi and Suzuki's level. Not entirely brand loyal to Mazda.
I still like Chrysler. My Chryslers have never been nearly bad as everyone makes them out to be. Our Duster ate ballast resistors for awhile. One day, it just stopped. Never put another ballast resistor in it. My Daytona did break...lot's of '80s turbo cars broke way earlier than my Daytona did. My Sebring Convertible had no problems. It was vandalized beyond saving but mechanically it was fine. The PT had a rack and pinion replaced. The dealer said it was "leaking" but never left a drop on my garage floor. It was covered under warranty and they gave us a loaner. They did charge us for an alignment. They sure did a lot of work if all they wanted to do is sell an $89 alignment. I would certainly buy another Chrysler. The Challenger is on the short list. Not sure if I want that fuel economy or if I can work with a car that has a trunk, but if I do, it's the Challenger. Maybe the Dart. Still selling myself on a timing belt change on that one and again, it has a trunk. Work demands a more utilitarian cargo area.
I'd stay "loyal" to Honda but they don't make anything I want. I don't like the new Civic. I can't get a sunroof in the Fit. Accord is too big. So is the TSX. ILX is too much of an "overpriced Civic" vibe for me.
They don't make anything I want (except the Fit and like you said, no sunroof) and what they do make costs too much.
I do like Mazda. I like that they do not tune thier chassis to the drivers of the lowest common denominator. I'm not entirely convinced that they will keep selling cars near Subaru's rate and will eventually slip down to Mitsubishi and Suzuki's level. Not entirely brand loyal to Mazda.
I still like Chrysler. My Chryslers have never been nearly bad as everyone makes them out to be. Our Duster ate ballast resistors for awhile. One day, it just stopped. Never put another ballast resistor in it. My Daytona did break...lot's of '80s turbo cars broke way earlier than my Daytona did. My Sebring Convertible had no problems. It was vandalized beyond saving but mechanically it was fine. The PT had a rack and pinion replaced. The dealer said it was "leaking" but never left a drop on my garage floor. It was covered under warranty and they gave us a loaner. They did charge us for an alignment. They sure did a lot of work if all they wanted to do is sell an $89 alignment. I would certainly buy another Chrysler. The Challenger is on the short list. Not sure if I want that fuel economy or if I can work with a car that has a trunk, but if I do, it's the Challenger. Maybe the Dart. Still selling myself on a timing belt change on that one and again, it has a trunk. Work demands a more utilitarian cargo area.
I have had two vehicles starting in 1977, one 1967 Chevy C-10 drove in until 1997 and bought a 1997 C3500 DRW 2+2 with a 454. Only two vehicles I ever owned. I have never been stranded by either one.
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I'm very brand loyal to some companies.
from 1965 to now only Chryslers. but iam NOT about to say they are the best. like i have said before there is no such thing as best. just some that are pretty good.
Living in MI, it's kinda hard not to be brand loyal. Even tougher when you and your family has ties to it....heck, sometimes the deals alone are with it!
That being said, times are changing. My parents just bought their fist non GM car in almost 30 years. Aunt just bought a Kia. Even though I've owned some different brands of cars over the years, some way somehow had a GM compact hanging around. And this time around I'm looking for the best deal, and by the looks of it, won't be a domestic car....
Money is another factor of loyalty. Don't be dumb enough to pay for it....
That being said, times are changing. My parents just bought their fist non GM car in almost 30 years. Aunt just bought a Kia. Even though I've owned some different brands of cars over the years, some way somehow had a GM compact hanging around. And this time around I'm looking for the best deal, and by the looks of it, won't be a domestic car....
Money is another factor of loyalty. Don't be dumb enough to pay for it....
I am loyal to my wallet...period. Seriously, my wife and I have rid ourselves of all V8 engines. We now have 2 V6 and 2 I4 vehicles in the family fleet. We have reduced our fuel consumption by almost 40% which is enough to make the payment on one of the new vehicles. When I need a truck I rent one. Much cheaper.
As for brand? I go with the combination of best reliability and price.
As for brand? I go with the combination of best reliability and price.
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I've been sort of brand-loyal to GM considering I've driven an Olds, a Buick, now a Chevy, and traded my 1999 Buick in on my 2012 Chevy. Two of those were hand-me-downs, the last one I'm spending my own money on. I have had a Hyundai I've enjoyed a lot. When buying my latest GM product, other makes, especially Hyundai, were considered. I ended up with a 3rd GM vehicle since it was the most fuel-efficient car in its class, the interior made the most sense to me, I felt comfortable dealing with typical GM quirks/engineering, and it had what I needed in a car at a price I wanted to pay. It's worked out well so far...
If I'd found another car that worked for me from a different brand, I would have purchased that.
If I'd found another car that worked for me from a different brand, I would have purchased that.
I can say that I've always been around Chevy vehicles, the first was a used 1978 C-10 that we fixed up as teenagers (with dad's help of course) and I was still driving it up until 2 years ago (parked off road now). My '00 Silverado which is as close to my old truck as I could get, is nice but lacks some of the personality of the old one. I do not forsee any other trucks in my future, but I'm leaning on looking at Honda for a family car. I'll have to test drive one soon and judge for myself. Toyota would be my other brand to test out since our 21 year old Camry is still holding up well. The Cruze would be the only new Chevy car I would consider. The new Malibu just is not doing it for me.
I have generally been brand loyal to Ford. I have owned 9 Fords and 2 Mercuries. Not all of them have been great cars but Ford has always stood behind their products in my experience and have adequately rectified any problems that I have had.
Out of three Chryslers, I have had one great one, one adequate one and one that was positively horrendous. Chrysler refused to stand behind the horrendous one. Minimal brand loyalty here.
Out of four GM products (all were Chevrolets) the best that I had was a Toyota with a Chevrolet nameplate. To say that they were horrendous would be complementary to them. Absolutely no brand loyalty here.
I tend to look for the car that suits my needs best at a given time and provides the best value at the lowest price possible. That is why I have also owned four Hondas and one Nissan.
While I tend to like Fords, I would be seriously hard pressed to find one at this point in time that I like. The only two: Mustang (I already own one) and the new Taurus. While I like the new Taurus, I feel that it is too large a car for the space utilization inside and the pricing is somewhat out of line for what it is. Therefore, if I had to buy today, it would be an Altima, Accord, or Camry (which ever had the lowest bid.)
Out of three Chryslers, I have had one great one, one adequate one and one that was positively horrendous. Chrysler refused to stand behind the horrendous one. Minimal brand loyalty here.
Out of four GM products (all were Chevrolets) the best that I had was a Toyota with a Chevrolet nameplate. To say that they were horrendous would be complementary to them. Absolutely no brand loyalty here.
I tend to look for the car that suits my needs best at a given time and provides the best value at the lowest price possible. That is why I have also owned four Hondas and one Nissan.
While I tend to like Fords, I would be seriously hard pressed to find one at this point in time that I like. The only two: Mustang (I already own one) and the new Taurus. While I like the new Taurus, I feel that it is too large a car for the space utilization inside and the pricing is somewhat out of line for what it is. Therefore, if I had to buy today, it would be an Altima, Accord, or Camry (which ever had the lowest bid.)
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
Out of four GM products (all were Chevrolets) the best that I had was a Toyota with a Chevrolet nameplate. To say that they were horrendous would be complementary to them. Absolutely no brand loyalty here.
... the new Taurus. While I like the new Taurus, I feel that it is too large a car for the space utilization inside and the pricing is somewhat out of line for what it is.
I totally agree.
I look at the new Cruze and it appeals to me, but somewhere else in my brain the nagging memory of my Chevette and Olds 98 Regurgitate as well as a friend's Citation, Pontiac 6000, Cavaliers, Beretta, and others. I know that the Cruze is a different and much better car but I have a hard time getting past those earlier models. No brand loyalty there.
I couldn't agree more on the Taurus. Really good looking car. Well sorted. Interior space utilization is not very good though.
Out of four GM products (all were Chevrolets) the best that I had was a Toyota with a Chevrolet nameplate. To say that they were horrendous would be complementary to them. Absolutely no brand loyalty here.
... the new Taurus. While I like the new Taurus, I feel that it is too large a car for the space utilization inside and the pricing is somewhat out of line for what it is.
I totally agree.
I look at the new Cruze and it appeals to me, but somewhere else in my brain the nagging memory of my Chevette and Olds 98 Regurgitate as well as a friend's Citation, Pontiac 6000, Cavaliers, Beretta, and others. I know that the Cruze is a different and much better car but I have a hard time getting past those earlier models. No brand loyalty there.
I couldn't agree more on the Taurus. Really good looking car. Well sorted. Interior space utilization is not very good though.
I am not exactly brand loyal, but there are a certain group of brands I will never buy.
I really wasn't enthusiastic about buying a Mitsubishi, but I wanted a car that was not FWD, didn't use a torque converter, and had a SAAB style trunk.
I really wasn't enthusiastic about buying a Mitsubishi, but I wanted a car that was not FWD, didn't use a torque converter, and had a SAAB style trunk.
Why be loyal to something that isn't loyal to me?
I own a Chevrolet, a Honda and a Jeep. At each particular time, they were the best buy available for each of their respective purpose.
I own a Chevrolet, a Honda and a Jeep. At each particular time, they were the best buy available for each of their respective purpose.
Was a GM guy until I tried a Hyundai on for size. I liked it so I bought a Santa Fe much later down the line. In between the first Hyundai I drove (but couldn't afford at the time) and the Santa Fe I picked up, I had one GM vehicle go to the junk yard and the other close behind it.
Wasn't a fan of Toyota until I met my wife. She had a Rav4 that I hated at first because it seemed so foreign and/or plastic-y. After driving it for awhile I fell in love with it and after my Grand Am couldn't make it back on a road trip, I borrowed her Rav4 for a week and it fit like a glove.
Wasn't a fan of Toyota until I met my wife. She had a Rav4 that I hated at first because it seemed so foreign and/or plastic-y. After driving it for awhile I fell in love with it and after my Grand Am couldn't make it back on a road trip, I borrowed her Rav4 for a week and it fit like a glove.
I'm not brand loyal but most of my vehicles, new or used, have been GM products. It just so happened that way. We also have an '84 Caravan that, while not the most pleasant thing to drive, just keeps going and going.
My next one will probably be a Sonic sedan or a Cruze. I actually like the Sonic better but the Cruze is more car for nearly the same money.
I tried out a Fusion and I didn't like it much. It was like driving an appliance. The Sonic and Cruze both felt more "connected", if you take my meaning. The Fusion LOOKS a whole lot better, though, and I could see myself growing to like it after a while.
Honda and Nissan have both lost me with consistently bad experiences at their dealerships. I'd like to check out a Dart, otherwise Chrysler has nothing I want. My friend's Hyundai has been a nightmare for him (mechanically and his experience trying to get it fixed under warranty) so I doubt I'll go to them. I'll check out Toyota and Mazda next week.
My next one will probably be a Sonic sedan or a Cruze. I actually like the Sonic better but the Cruze is more car for nearly the same money.
I tried out a Fusion and I didn't like it much. It was like driving an appliance. The Sonic and Cruze both felt more "connected", if you take my meaning. The Fusion LOOKS a whole lot better, though, and I could see myself growing to like it after a while.
Honda and Nissan have both lost me with consistently bad experiences at their dealerships. I'd like to check out a Dart, otherwise Chrysler has nothing I want. My friend's Hyundai has been a nightmare for him (mechanically and his experience trying to get it fixed under warranty) so I doubt I'll go to them. I'll check out Toyota and Mazda next week.
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