Brand Loyalty

[IndyIan]

Brand loyalty will have me look at a certain car first, but I always end up doing some analysis to see which car would meet my current buying criteria.
I guess I've regularly driven almost all of the major manufacturers at one point or another, all those cars had their pluses and minuses, and none has dazzeled me enough to only buy those.
I also can't see myself going to a new car dealer often enough to get special treatment, seems like an expensive perk, and I'm not buying models expensive enough to get a deal on anyways.

 

[jeepman3071]

I think there are two types of brand loyalty though. There are the brand loyal folks who return to a brand because they have had good experience with it, and those who just believe one brand is better than the other based on no real factual information.

My neighbor is a Toyota fan. He has only owned Toyotas, and has had good luck with them. He gets close to 300k miles out of them, so I can understand why he likes them so much. He doesn't think they are better than everything else, just buys them based on past experiences with them. My friend and his dad are GM fans. They won't buy anything other than GM vehicles, even when their GM vehicles are absolute money pits. His dad actually tells people that they aren't smart for buying brand X compared to GM. He will argue with strangers about how GM is better and can do no wrong. I never understood this kind of loyalty. Its not like GM is paying him.

 

[morepwr]

Not a lot of choices when I deal with full size trucks that need to do actual work and not be a passenger car with an open trunk. So GM, Ford, and Dodge make up the selections.

 

[itguy08]

The not-buy list doesn't surprise me at all. People don't repeat buy Chrysler cars. Perhaps that is because of the God-Awful quality? Even the article touched on that point.

The buy list was a shocker in that Ford did so high. I seriously thought Honda and Toyota would have been #1 and #2. Honda guys seem to be quite loyal. Great showing by Hyundai/Kia.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: DemoFly
The 2011 E350 cutaway and our 2012 5.0L F150 in my work fleet keep [censored] out on us. Albeit small things: a coil, a window washer fluid pump, a transmission sensor seal, brake rotors needing turned every 8k miles, ECU reprogramming to get the transmission to shift correctly.

And my co-worker, who bought a 2003 V8 Explorer constantly talks about the work he has to do on his vehicle.

Yet he always blindly states, "Can't be a Ford for work."

Our Toyota Tacomas and Tundras are brilliant. Our 4.7L ram is great. Our 1999 6.0L 2500 Silverado is arguably the best truck ever made. They have only needed regular scheduled services. The Toyotas are so great we are only buying Toyotas from now on.

Why are Fords considered the best for work by so many people?


Why is a thread about brand loyalty turning into a Ford bashing thread? I don't know.

I consider certain Ford models ideal for my needs because they consistently work without issues and without drama. I have owned two Rangers and a Ranger based 2-door Explorer. None has ever left me stranded. None ever hit me with a $1K repair bill. None has ever really been that aggravating. I have never had one fail to start, ever. Literally every single time I have turned the key in one of my Ford trucks, they have started and took me where I needed to go. I can't say the same for some other brands. Why would I not keep buying and driving Rangers?

My current one has been the best. It has been in a severe wreck...if it was an insurance job, this truck would have been salvaged out four years ago. It has thousands upon thousands of miles of towing under its belt. No issues there. I can still punch it, make it shift at 5500 RPM, and it's fine...in fact, that's when it runs best.

The best part...no blend doors knocking away behind the dash, no EVAP clusterf*k, no plastic bed, no sludge, no sagging doors, no broken door/tailgate handles, all features work, A/C is super cold within a minute or two, etc. Worst fit & finish issue on this truck is the driver floormat developed a hole after about 10 years, and the driver's seat belt buckle was somehow installed backwards. At idle this wrecked, 12 year old, 155K mile Ford truck sounds like a Lexus...in that you can barely hear it running. There are still times I have to look at the tach to make sure it's running so I don't turn the key over again.

So maybe that explains my brand model loyalty. Certain vehicles I love, because they work for me. I like them. As far as the manufacturer, I could hardly give a [censored]. There are plenty of Fords that I would refuse to buy even on the coldest day in [censored]. With others though, I keep buying them because they work and I like driving them.

Wholesale brand bashing is every bit as dumb, if not dumber, than brand loyalty.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
The not-buy list doesn't surprise me at all. People don't repeat buy Chrysler cars. Perhaps that is because of the God-Awful quality? Even the article touched on that point.


I wonder if there's some between-the-lines that can be read into this. EG a 24 year old woman needs a car but has no credit so daddy gets her a Dodge Caliber, because HE likes them. She hates her life, by extension the car, hates the car, barely maintains it, then trades it a few years later on a Nissan. Someone else buys the Omni Caliper on a Buy-Here-Pay-Here lot and hates it too, even though it was never really the car's fault.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Brand loyalty has a lot to do with having a good dealer who really looks after you .


Brilliant. And very true. We make our daily bread with GM trucks in a duty cycle so hard that Ford (and others) would void the warranty. I have service vehicles that have never even seen a stealership in their entire life cycle. But I own Chrysler, Ford, and others, too, as I buy what I like, not whatever the current media darling is.

Statistics only apply to the group, not an individual car, and ALL mfgrs make lemons. Every single one.

But a quality dealer makes for a satisfied client. I always wondered if that is at the root of these surveys...

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Why is a thread about brand loyalty turning into a Ford bashing thread?


It seems like every thread here turns into a bash-fest of some sort, doesn't it? Maybe it's Ford. Maybe it's Chrysler. Maybe it's Toyota. In my opinion, open ridicule of "the other guy" just demonstrates personal insecurity.

 

[ryansride2017]

Originally Posted By: lovcom
Having brand loyalty is the worse thing you can have. It's a form of closed minded ness, and rigidity that never belongs in the decision process for buying a car. This is because it often prevents one from looking at better models. The best way to buy is to do research to find the best car at the time needed, and across all makes.

The quality of makes rises and falls.


There is nothing wrong with rewarding the manufacturer of my current vehicle, as long as it has been good to me, by purchasing another vehicle from them. It's called talking with your dollar.

 

[Schmoe]

Guess you know where I stand....

 

[Volvohead]

Don't let my handle fool anyone. I'm loyal to whatever brand is making the best vehicle when we're shopping for one.

We buy on vehicle first, price second, and dealer third. A high quality dealer won't overcome a low quality vehicle with us.

The dealer is very low on our totem, as there is a wealth of good service facilities I can rely on if I don't want to deal with it. I'll buy from one dealer and have another warranty service it. Some dealers are better to buy from, others have the best service. They're separate profit centers for most. Unless you're fleet buying from one, don't think they're all that loyal to us purchasers.

Although, I do know for a fact that a bad service department can absolutely kill a dealership. I saw and experienced that first-hand.

 

[lovcom]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Brand loyalty has a lot to do with having a good dealer who really looks after you .


Brilliant. And very true. We make our daily bread with GM trucks in a duty cycle so hard that Ford (and others) would void the warranty. I have service vehicles that have never even seen a stealership in their entire life cycle. But I own Chrysler, Ford, and others, too, as I buy what I like, not whatever the current media darling is.

Statistics only apply to the group, not an individual car, and ALL mfgrs make lemons. Every single one.

But a quality dealer makes for a satisfied client. I always wondered if that is at the root of these surveys...


That's ridiculous. And yes all makers make lemons, but there are those makes that make A LOT of lemons, like GM and Chrysler.

A quality dealer is a silly reason to buy that makers car because if the car is dependable you would not need to care about the dealer. Also you don't have to take your car to the dealer you bought it from. You can take it to any dealer of that make.

I have had mostly Hondas and toyotas and I never cared anything about how good the dealer was. When you buy a great car, the dealership never matters.

 

[rjundi]

Scion is an easy one to understand why no loyalty. The majority of line is 2 door, most people move onto 4 door when they realize what a PITA 2 door for utlitly.

The 4 doors are tiny and and have nothing to move to.

Chrysler has a weird line of cars. Minivans are typically a one time purchase in life, their cars in midsize are subpar, and the large car leaves nothing to move to.

Dodge I cannot explain unless that excludes truck line. The rest of line is Chrysler again including a ho hum small car that does not sell well in my area.

Jag understandable as one time purchase typically and you move on. No SUV offered.

Mits cars are just sub par and again nothing you move onto from one to the other.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Scion is an easy one to understand why no loyalty. The majority of line is 2 door, most people move onto 4 door when they realize what a PITA 2 door for utlitly.



Maybe this is like some department stores not having womens clothing in size 14+, it's to shake the non-hipsters away. If Scion can sell one car to every 20-something in perpetuity they're golden, especially if they're not associated with spit up and screaming babies.

Instead they got empty-nesters who know they're slightly cheaper toyotas, and who have money that kids do not.

 

[artificialist]

I'm not exactly brand loyal, but there are certain brands I will never buy. Is that similar to brand loyalty or not?

 

[doitmyself]

That is brand aversion. A good example are people that won't buy the excellent Fram Ultra oil filter because they dislike Fram on principles.

One bad experience taints some people for decades. For example, some people avoid Pennzoil due to the oil sludging myths from the 1960's.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: lovcom

I have had mostly Hondas and toyotas and I never cared anything about how good the dealer was. When you buy a great car, the dealership never matters.


I fervently pray that I will own a great car someday...

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: lovcom

I have had mostly Hondas and toyotas and I never cared anything about how good the dealer was. When you buy a great car, the dealership never matters.


So number one you never read the entire post, and number two you are obviously quite brand loyal in spite of what you say.

Very consistent, we've all heard you touting your superior intellect before and your extreme love affair with Toyota. Let her rip, Mr Consistency...

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: lovcom

I have had mostly Hondas and toyotas and I never cared anything about how good the dealer was. When you buy a great car, the dealership never matters.


I fervently pray that I will own a great car someday...

You perhaps could, but only if Lovey Dovey gives his approval...

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: MCompact


I fervently pray that I will own a great car someday...

You perhaps could, but only if Lovey Dovey gives his approval...