Why are people so stubborn/brand loyal? (vehicle, auto, versus)

[Ohiogirl81]

What difference does it make to you? It's none of your business what people drive, or why.

[dkf747]

I always look at Ford first. At least 15 members of my family work for, or have worked for, Ford over the years since 1940. We have never been let down by any of the Fords we had. However, the only lemon I ever own was a cheap 1986 Ford Escort I bought in 1992. That's the only piece of junk I've ever had with the Ford emblem on it. Now, I still look at Ford first, but over the past 20 years I have own a couple of Chevy's, a Geo, and 4 Dodges. All except one of those were pretty good too. The absolute worst car I ever drove regularly (for work) was an old Toyota truck. Even that one was okay. What I'm trying to say is that now, I look at Ford first, but I will consider other brands as well.

[car54]

I'm "loyal" UNTIL they screw me (once, not 3 or 4 times, ONCE!). Currently, I buy Toyotas and Acuras.

Ford and GM were crossed off the list many years ago.

[jlawrence01]

I look for three things - RELIABILITY, GAS MILEAGE, and DURABILITY.

If I am happy with my current ride, I will replace it with the same model. If my current ride dies at 100k or breaks down 2-3 times a year, I will change brands.

When i owned a GM vehicle, I was maxing out on my three AAA emergency calls. Since March 2007 when I bought a Toyota Corolla, my only contact with AAA has been to pick up tourbooks and maps.

[Singlelady10]

I'm from Detroit! Most of my family works or retired from one of the Big Three. I don't buy foreign cars. I usually stick with GM trucks but I've bought Ford cars before.

[selhars]

I'm brand loyal -- to a point...and at a certain price point
I have -- and love -- my Acura RSX, it replaced an Acura Integra which I also loved. I love a very sporty coupe style (2 door with hatchback.) But guess what? Acura has dropped that kind of car from its lineup all together. And unless it adds that kind of car back, I WON"T be buying an Acura next time.

I also confess that I have a bit of a prejudice against American makes. Dates back to the 70s when U.S. cars sucked and Toyota, Nissan and Honda came on strong. I don't THINK I'll ever buy an American car. For me, I admit they have a much higher bar to meet than other brands....and I can't even really say exactly why. Other than once I started buying foreign brands, I stuck with them. And I think, that even without details, there must be a reason those brands are rated higher, with better dependability ratings.

[ferretkona]

Originally Posted by xlroadster

I gathered this sentiment from people through conversations over the years. That they'll buy "X" and nothing else, all cars from "Y" are pieces of junk, and I will never buy "Z" because my grandfather had a problem with it and that's why I'm leery.
,,,,
Myself, I've had my share of issues with any car I owned, but it's nothing that can't be corrected with proper maintenance. My father once told me, "you take care of your car, and in return it takes care of you." Though I've owned more GM's than anything else, I'd be open to buying anything that piques my interest.

Vehicles are as different as people are.
I found Dodge and Chevy to be crap. Your experience may differ.

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by xlroadster

Myself, I've had my share of issues with any car I owned, but it's nothing that can't be corrected with proper maintenance. My father once told me, "you take care of your car, and in return it takes care of you." Though I've owned more GM's than anything else, I'd be open to buying anything that piques my interest.

Beyond a certain point, that's a myth. Ask any Ford truck owner who's had to repair a spit spark plug from a Triton or a GM truck owner with a Vortec with a bad spider assembly. I could go on, but you get where that's going.

That myth aside, my '94 Ranger took care of me and my '03 F150 is still doing the job. I'm staring at buying one of either an '02 King Ranch 4x4 or two '08 F150s (both with 4.6L's) pretty soon. I'm no fan of the Ford 3-valve headed 5.4L, but I recall GM truck engines tending to drink some oil and they were cheap enough to go back to drum breaks...and still may have them on their 1/2-tons. Bleah. I actually liked driving this 2010 Ram 1500 4x4 (Yep, it had a Hemi in it!) on a job last summer, but I'm not sure I can pull the trigger on one.

[xlroadster]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

What difference does it make to you? It's none of your business what people drive, or why.

Thanks, but posts of more value need only reply.

[stan4]

I was a Ford girl until the Mustang turned butt ugly.

Then I went to Caddy.

I have a Ford Explorer, too. And I wanted a new one.
But THAT one became butt ugly.
So I am looking at Range Rover, GM, Lexus now.
Meanwhile, I will keep my 10 year old SUV until I find something I really like.

Sometimes you are brand loyal because a certain car fits exactly what you want.
Inevitably they will change it up, though, and it will not suit you anymore.
At that point, it's not worth being 'brand loyal.'

Now I find it liberating and will give every car/truck a chance until I get what I want.