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What Keeps You Loyal To A Brand?

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Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I see Scion as a way for Toyota to hedge their bets. They put all the risky designs in that division, perhaps not to alienate Toyota customers and what they expect from that badge.

    FR-S owners are mostly stepping in to that dealership for the first time since the Supra and MR2.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    I would've parted dollars for both a Scion tC or a Scion xA. But no dollars would leave my wallet for a Scion xB. Having said that, I can sort of see the designer's vision on the Nissan Cube, though. :confuse:

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I really liked the original xB.

    The new one got heavy, inefficient, and added massive blind spots. Plus it lost all its character.

    The 2nd gen tC also went down hill.

    FR-S is the only car they have now I'd even bother to test drive.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    I agree on the original xB.

    For some reason I hated the Cube when it came out but it really grew on me. I could dig one.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Automakers devote billions of dollars to retain current customers and attract new ones. Ideally they want first-time buyers to pick their entry-level vehicles and grow up with the brand, buying ever-bigger and more expensive models over the years. The assumption is it is less costly to retain a loyal customer than convince a buyer to switch to a new automaker, but a growing body of research shows brand loyalty has eroded over the years."

    Survey: American car buyers aren't loyal to brands (Detroit Free Press)
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    We're getting old buddy! I actually ended up with a Toyota Sienna rental last week and you know what, I have to admit I liked it. Very quiet and comfortable and it didn't drive all that badly in the mountains either.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I wonder if the long product life and frequently somewhat generic styling are leading to the lack of brand loyalty? Many of the parts are from the same vendors and there just isn't all that much excitement in the business any more.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Go ahead and fold down into a Freeze/Breeze for awhile and see how it feels. I bet the ride is less than plush, too.

    Most car buyers aren't car enthusiasts, so of course loyalty is not a common thing. Just as people aren't loyal to toaster or microwave brands.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    The "A" word - Appliance!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2012
    You guys are onto an interesting variation; the loyalty here is to wagons and minivans. Not excited about sedans nor SUVs. I use our toaster oven about 20 to 1 over the toaster.
  • bpizzutibpizzuti Member Posts: 2,743
    Sedans are common as dirt, as are SUVs. Wagons, hatches, minivans, not everyone does those.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    ended up with a Toyota Sienna rental last week and you know what, I have to admit I liked it

    Ours has 56k miles and it's been a work horse. Pile in 8 folks and you still have room for some bags. Smooth and quiet ride is great for covering the miles, too.

    Steering has less feedback than a Wii-mote but the kids don't get car sick like they do in rental E series vans with live axles.

    The power/efficiency balance is remarkable for something its size. It somehow manages to be both quick and fuel efficient.

    For most families, a much better choice than a big hulking SUV.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited January 2013
    "Reasons for staying loyal can vary. For buyers across the vehicle and price spectrum, the top attributes that inspire a purchase include fuel economy, reliability and pricing, according to consumer research firm J.D. Power and Associates. In the luxury segment, though, the top three criteria include performance, quality of workmanship and exterior styling.

    For car makers, it costs far less to sell to a satisfied repeat customer than it does to win one away from a rival brand.

    The most basic weapons in the automotive loyalty wars are the cash "loyalty" discounts that car makers offer at various times."

    How Auto Makers Keep You Coming Back (Wall St. Journal)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Mazda is offering loyalty cash that makes the cost of a Mazda3 SkyActiv very, very tempting for me.

    Bargain hunters, Mr. Dominique says, should look to brands that have high resale values—an indicator of good quality and attractive design—but haven't yet built a strong loyalty base. Makes in that category include Hyundai, Audi, Kia, Volkswagen and Mazda

    That news doesn't hurt, either. Funny thing is the Golf TDI and Elantra GT with that cool panoramic moonroof would also be on my short list. Those plus the Focus hatch.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    24 Happy Years with my 1989 Cadillac Brougham keeps me loyal to Cadillac! :shades:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Vehicle quality has improved significantly across the board, so that's another thing. … People in some instances are more open to migrating to a brand they may have not considered before because quality has improved, and as new models have launched, portfolios have expanded."

    Auto buyers trading in loyalty for lure of new models (Detroit News)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Classic case of "build it and they will come".
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I wonder if conquest offers help, too - not to mention so many brands offering subsidized leases.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Dunno, but my guess is that the great lease deals do more than the hood money (seems like that's rarely more than $500).
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Dunno, but my guess is that the great lease deals do more than the hood money (seems like that's rarely more than $500).

    Yesterday, I received an email from the dealer where we bought my wife's Mazda CX-7 a couple years ago.

    $500 rebate and $1000 in "customer loyalty" cash on a purchase of a Mazda 3. That's in addition to 0% financing for 60 months.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    $1,000 starts to get my attention. :shades: And they say it's cheaper to retain a customer than "conquest" one.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Mazda3 SkyActiv price quotes I got were hard to believe. They definitely pushed the best deals.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    US sales are down for Mazda overall, right?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Haven't looked, but supply > demand means the consumer gets a deal.
  • karhill1karhill1 Member Posts: 165
    I find the loyalty discounts at odds with a manufacturer working to attract new customers. If, for example, I visit a Mazda dealer and they tell me I will have to pay $1,000 more than the person in the next booth simply because I am not a repeat customer there is no way I am buying a Mazda.

    That actually happened a couple of years ago. As the dealer would not budge, I left and bought a Honda and have since bought three more Hondas. I suppose I could have found a Mazda dealer who would have taken care of me but Mazda had its best chance to win me as a customer and they did not.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Alternately, some offer conquest rebates and that makes you want to be disloyal.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454

    Want to get a deal on your favorite brand? Shop where the brand sells well.



    "Regions where certain brands are popular will naturally be targeted by the manufacturers of those cars—and by their competition. Case in point: The Chrysler 200 sells for 1.5% less in Detroit, Mich. than Los Angeles, Calif., according to transaction prices tracked by Edmunds.com. “If there’s a lot of inventory and competition in that segment heavy incentives will be pushed for those cars,” says Richard Arca, senior manager of pricing for price-comparison website Edmunds.com. A Mercedes-Benz C-Class—popular in Los Angeles—is 2% cheaper there than in Kentucky, based on the Edmunds.com data."

    Want a car deal? Buy whatever your neighbor drives (marketwatch.com)

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026
    edited January 2014

    I'm loyal to Chevrolet and that makes some people crazy, telling me why I shouldn't be. LOL

    Low initial price, styling, better warranty than many others, cheap to maintain, employs more USA workers and suppliers than other automakers, my personal car must be built in U.S. as well. Some new Silverados are built in Mexico; I believe those are the only Chevys built there. The Sonic is the only U.S.-built subcompact. My Service Writer came from a Honda store to a Chevy store, and while he said warranty fixes might have been less common there, his experience was that Honda rarely if ever went over and above the standard warranty, while Chevy does. (He stated he was beat up for high warranty costs while at the Honda store.) I also own a used Mopar and while it has had more issues than my cheapo Cobalts (I own two), my Chrysler dealer recent replaced the brake booster and check valve for free, not a recall, and considering I didn't buy the car there and I bought it used, I can't really ask for much more than that. I keep cars a long time too. How much more will people pay upfront for that perception of reliability?

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454

    "Ford Motor Co. earned honors as the car company with the most loyal customers, while Cadillac was named the most improved brand in terms of customer loyalty.

    Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and purchases or leases another new vehicle of the same model or make."

    Toyota Prius, Ford F-150 Have the Most Loyal Customers, Per Polk Survey

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,204

    @Stever@Edmunds said:

    Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and purchases or leases another new vehicle of the same model or make."

    Model is redundant in that description Off the top of my head, I can't think of models with same name from different manufacturers. :o

    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited February 2014

    I took it to mean that someone who had been happy with a couple of Caravans might be more willing to go to a 300 when they decide to downsize, instead of to, say, a Malibu. I bet some of that is dealer loyalty too.

    Kind of hard for me to relate to the whole idea though. Don't trade cars often and haven't had the same make twice since the old Bug days in the late 70s. Well, I guess an old Datsun wagon and a Nissan minivan counts as the same make.

  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372

    I'm not sure that many of these Super Bowl commercials would do much to sway me towards a brand.

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454

    Says the man with what, six straight Nissans? :)

    Another friend wasn't impressed, although the Audi one was okay.

  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    edited February 2014

    @Stever@Edmunds said:
    Says the man with what, six straight Nissans? :)

    Another friend wasn't impressed, although the Audi one was okay.

    I think we're up to 10 straight ;) but to be fair, they followed a Vega!

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,204

    Currently, my name is on 6 Fords, plus I helped my mother buy another one. There were several others between the oldest and newest still owned.

    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372

    @explorerx4 said:
    Currently, my name is on 6 Fords, plus I helped my mother buy another one. There were several others between the oldest and newest still owned.

    That Vega drove me to ANYTHING else. :o

    My future wife was getting her first new car in 1979 and we looked at almost everything and settled on a 1979 Datsun B210 hatch. Then I got a 1980 Sentra. (all these cars are manual trannies BTW) Then came an '83 Sentra, an '86 4x4 pickup truck, an '88 Stanza "wagon", a 1990 Sentra, '96 Sentra, 2001 Altima, 2007 Versa, 2010 Versa (which saved the wife as it was totaled), 2011 Versa, and 2012 Versa.
    All of them went to high miles. Lowest were the first couple we took to only about 60K. From the '83 thru the 2001 Altima, all of those we drove to well over 200K. The 2007 is currently at about 120,000. the 2011 is approaching 90K, and the 2012 is almost at 50K. We've had ONE clutch linkage break in all those miles, and never replaced a clutch even with two kids learning to drive stick. I'm thinking it's the longevity that's kept me loyal

    So that's 12... lucky 13 is coming up and probably going to be a 2014 Versa Note

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026

    The CR on my drugstore's rack right now shows the Altima to be "much worse than average" reliability. I was a little surprised to see that.

  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372

    @uplanderguy said:
    The CR on my drugstore's rack right now shows the Altima to be "much worse than average" reliability. I was a little surprised to see that.

    That would kind of surprise me as well, given my history with the brand over approximately 2 million miles. ( gonna have to total that up one of these days)

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,026

    For some reason--and I've always been skeptical of their statistical methods for reliability--but some of their reliability ratings change from one month to the next. The only thing I can think of is, they continued to add data monthly, or it's an editing goof.

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