Brand loyalty dying off.

[MCompact]

I'll admit that my first allegiance is to BMW(10 since 1983), but I'll consider just about anything that isn't assembled by the UAW(my Wrangler excepted). My dealer is excellent and service costs are extremely reasonable. That said, I don't know what I'm going to buy next; the F10 and F30 have steering feel cribbed from a Buick and they are getting bigger and heavier. I'm hoping Subaru will release a BRZ STi in the next couple of years. If that fails to materialize an E92 M3 ZCP or Cayman S will probably wind up in my track toy slot.

 

[97tbird]

I will have no problems staying loyal to a brand if they stay true to their roots...Although I love my 2005 E46 BMW coupe, I just can't 'feel it' in their newest offerings, so even if I wanted a new car and I could afford a brand new BMW I wouldn't. I know companies have to think of sales and cater to the masses, and no one can blame them for changing their products to meet that demand, but...it just disappoints, in a way...

I am fortunate that I have never been a big fan of any brand to the point where I cannot leave it, as soon as I see another brand offering a better product for the money, I don't feel bad about going for a new brand...

Honda and Toyota probably enjoy a lot of brand loyalty, and I wonder how many of their followers know how much those 2 car makers have changed over the years...But even those things ae changing...I know a few people who got tired of their CS and have turned to Hyundai and Ford....

Judging by the few people I personally know, it seems Subaru loyalists may be small in numbers, but they seem happier somehow...

 

[dwcopple]

My parents are brand loyal to GM and it has cost them thousands of dollars. I just shook my head when mom went and bought a '13 Equinox....

 

[kb01]

In terms of cars, I'm not particularly brand loyal. But I do live in a fairly small town and I know which dealerships are easier to haggle with, and are just less obnoxious overall. A good dealer can turn into de facto brand loyalty.

For consumer goods, I do have some degree of brand loyalty; ie, if I need a new power tool, I'm confident that if I grab a DeWalt off the shelf, even if I do no prior research, it will be a decent tool.

 

[badtlc]

Yup. I'm definitely brand loyal now. I just traded in my 2006 Mazda 6i sport with 96k miles on it for a 2012 Mazda 3i MTX skyactiv. It was going to be between the skyactive 3 and a Fiesta but the mazda 3 just made more financial sense all around.

 

[rjundi]

I think at the very least if you liked the brand before you likely would visit the showroom again to at least try the newer ones out. Bad experience you are done.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Since 1985 I have bought nothing but V8 Panthers..I loved all of them..I put 200K miles [some alot more] with just normal routine maintenance [for the most part] on all of them..Nothing major on any of them..When I sold those high mileage Panthers everything worked perfectly..Dealer service [for the most part] has been good..I am very happy with Gus Machado Ford in Miami.

I have zero intentions of leaving Ford..My next car will most likely be a late model Ford Taurus,Fusion or Explorer Sport Utility..I could even be another late model 4.6 Panther.

 

[thr_wedge]

I am more dealer loyal than brand loyal. And I am only dealer loyal because they have good service. If service went down, I'd go somewhere else.

 

[JHZR2]

My issue is really that not many manufacturers are loyal to me, and what I want... being able to get a car set up how I want/like it is first and foremost. It limits me toa few vendors.