Brand loyalty

[brickwall]

Variety is the spice of life for me, although Rover, Land -Rover and Volvo have seen me return time and again.

[oman5]

It used to be Ford for me, then some time after they stopped making the Sierra I got bored with them. I'll drive anything, I don't care as long as it goes, but I do seem to keep ending up with an old RWD Volvo.

[gary_davidson]

I've gone nissan, kia, nissan, kia. If my next car is a nissan it won't be any of the new stuff, a bluebird estate would be tempting though.

[eddyramrod]

I've had a wide variety.  Fiats, Ladas and Volvos keep appearing, although I don't expect I'll see many more Ladas.  GM in various guises also feature: Vauxhall, Bedford, Chevy, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile....  I have also had my share of Fords but tbh I don't expect many more.  None of them were addictive.  So no, I can't say I'm brand-loyal at all really.  What I have said before, and will again, is I will never own a VAG product.  What's that kind of deliberate aversion called?  Unloyalty?

[Guest Tony Hayers]

I've had a few Fords, Volvos, SAABS, a couple of Citroens and a VW Scirocco over the years but have always gone back to BL/Rover.

[Bobthebeard]

Usually Hondas as a daily here, they have never let me down so far. Although my head has been turned by a recent MGF.

[Parky]

Motors wise I have done Renault x 2, Peugeot x 3, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Kia, Seat,and Fiat.

 

Can't say I have had a particular problem with any of them (Peugeot clutch fork and Head Gasket on one of the Renaults being major problems). Probably best all rounder with no problems or niggles was the Kia Picanto although the fuel economy of that was shite.......

 

Ford had random electrical issues but never stranded me. Honda had a cam problem, Toyota a broken alternator bracket which did strand me but cost a fiver to fix, the Seat has clutch judder from cold which nobody can solve, and nothing on the Fiat. I think because I haven't had any awful experiences of any make or model I am pretty open minded. However anything I buy second hand gets a fairly massive going over before i put it into daily use which helps to move the odds slightly in my favour reliability wise

[kinkersaab]

I tend to have spates of one brand for a few years and then move onto something else, however, I always have at least 1 saab, and at least 1 Subaru, summer and winter cars, the rest of the fleet is made up of whatever comes along, as long as it isn't a vw or an audi.

[trigger]

Everytime I try out a new brand the Essex boy in my keeps wanting to go back to Fords again, It's just a shame the older stuff has been overvalued these days.

[chaseracer]

Sort of. I've owned Citroens since I was 18 and would never consider being without one (proper Citroens that is, not rebadged Peugeots). But I've owned a hell of a lot of other stuff too, so I hope I'm not one of these blinkered "OMG MY CAR IS DA BEST EVA" types. I just like Citroens.

 

Couldn't have put it better myself...

 

First car with my name on the V5 was a Dyane, then GS1220, BX16RE, BX19GTi, another Dyane (which I still have 22 years later), XM Si, 2CV van (for a whole week!), XM Prestige and now the Blingo. In and around these was an Avenger, Saab 96, Volvo 240GLT, Peugeot 309, Fiat Punto and now the ex-Wobbler Merc 300E.

[Cavcraft]

I had four Yamahas back in the day, 2xRD125 twins, 1xRD200 and 1xRD250E. They were all hopelessly unreliable and very very over-rated. In contrast I rarely had a minutes bother out of various KH250s, a KH125 and a Suzuki GT380.

[Parky]

Everytime I try out a new brand the Essex boy in my keeps wanting to go back to Fords again, It's just a shame the older stuff has been overvalued these days.

I have Always lived a stones throw from the Dagenham factory. Pretty much my entire family have worked there in the past, my cousin works at the research centre in Dunton. I qualify for the family discount but have only had one Ford - mainly because back in the day whenever anyone i knew got a Ford, it was always a silver Fiesta Zetec!

 

I bought a blue one as I believed the salesman when he said he would have a problem shifting silver second hand fiestas in three years time, but a blue one would be much easier. In fact, it would probably be worth more!

 

My heart sank when I came to sell when I saw six identical blue ones on the forecourt. And what did the sales guy say to me when I wanted to sell it?

 

IF ONLY IT WAS SILVER, I CAN'T SHIFT BLUE ONES!

 

So I think that experience put me off the blue oval. Car was fine though!

[JohnDeere]

Just realised mine come in pairs, like animals on Noah's boat: Citroen, Citroen, Rover, Rover, BMW, BMW, Honda.... At least now I know what will be next

[Cavcraft]

I suppose it is a little 'boring' sticking with the same family of car, but if you like them and find them reliable, then why not? It's great having different cars though, I always use my favourite current car as a yardstick for others.

[Wilko220]

Apart from my first car, which was a Peugeot, I've always had a Rover (or derivative) in the fleet.

[Lord Sterling]

I am the man of Rover 800s, I've always had Rover 800s and I always will (Thanks Dad ) I had since I was 24, my first being a 1989 Rover 827Si oMg MnAnuaLz! Then I had (and still have) an N-reg Mk2 Sterling, then a 1987 Sterling, and now a 1987 D-reg 820E and my daily R-reg Sterling.

 

I did have a Sierra Sapphire Ghia as 'one' of my first cars. I'll probably buy one of those at some point.

[John F]

Cavette, on 06 Dec 2013 - 5:41 PM, said:Cavette, on 06 Dec 2013 - 5:41 PM, said:

I had four Yamahas back in the day, 2xRD125 twins, 1xRD200 and 1xRD250E. They were all hopelessly unreliable and very very over-rated. In contrast I rarely had a minutes bother out of various KH250s, a KH125 and a Suzuki GT380.

 

 

Epic bikes, Billy.

 

Got any pics?

[Cavcraft]

Sadly not mate, lost all pictures in the great* enforced house move of the mid nineteen eighties. The only reg. no's I can (probably wrongly) remember are ADM 121S (KH125) and I think LCA 583T for the 380.

 

I had the GT for about 7 years I think, sold it when I found out my good lady was expecting our first born. The only time it really let me down was when it blew a fuse, some tin foil sorted that and on I went. 16MPG and the ability to wear out rear tyres in about 1800 miles without trying was a bit worrying though.

[mercrocker]

Brand loyalty is sometimes enforced by having to keep the first (broken) shite as spares for the next...I remember driveway line-ups of decrepit Prefects and Minxes, each one only slightly better than the one in front with no tail lamps or bumpers...

[Angrydicky]

I've mostly had Austins/BMC/BL stuff since passing my test. I like lots of other cars though.

[Angrydicky]

....except the Farina Oxford  which is a bastard Austin.     

 

You stole our engine....grumble grumble

[Angrydicky]

Everytime I try out a new brand the Essex boy in my keeps wanting to go back to Fords again, It's just a shame the older stuff has been overvalued these days.

Hey I'm also an Essex boy and I must be one of the few that don't hold any great loyalty for Fix Or Repair Dailies. Some are nice (I wouldn't mind a pre-facelift early MK2 Granada for example) but the prices they fetch over the equivalent BL or Rootes cars are obscene. Even the fifties Fords don't really do a huge amount for me, having driven a Consul I'd sooner have an Austin Cambridge or F-Type Victor. Most Essex car enthusiasts cannot fathom out why I don't have any great fascination for Ford products. It's not that they're really bad, they're just average. Besides, driving a Maestro means you're less likely to get hassled by 'geezers'. "Used to 'ave a MK2 1600E, that thing fackin' flew, 'ad it off the clock at 120 racing my mate in 'is Capri daan the ay firteen", etc etc.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I suppose it is a little 'boring' sticking with the same family of car, but if you like them and find them reliable, then why not? It's great having different cars though, I always use my favourite current car as a yardstick for others.

 

I think that the 'find them reliable' bit is unlikely as in a lot of cases we're talking Land Rover,Citroen,Alfa etc. in fact for my job the most sensible car is some sort of Merc, and I've had plenty of them in the past, in fact Mrs NorfolkNWeigh's pride and joy is her summer wheels ,namely a bright dogs dick red CLK convertible that we've had for 6 years and has never failed to start even after being left for weeks on end. But you know what, I fuckin 'ate Mercs! If one came up that was worth having I'd buy it ,but I don't think I'd ever care about a Merc the way I do my manky old Disco or even my Chrysler even though it would undoubtedly be more reliable.

[ShiteRider]

I've always had old-ish Fords. My first (road leagal) car was an Orion 1600 ghia in metallic grey with the full dealer fit RS bodykit, it was horrifically shit but being a teenager i didn't know any better.

What followed were various sierra's (best one being a white 2.0glsi sapphire), another orion, fiestas, cortinas, capris etc (but oddly never an escort).

That said, i've also owned an XJ40, a couple of vauxhall novas, a renault 21 savannah, a vauxhall astra (n/a 1.7d ftw), a lupo (still own), a bmw 735i, and the latest edition is a datsun.

I'm an impulsive type car buyer, so i tend buy cars i get a good vibe from rather than any inate loyalty...i just happen to like driving fords.

[carlo]

Love the 'feel' of any Peugeot from 1970 to 1998, so have driven them for the last twenty years (including 10 years when I sold them new).  Had a dalliance with Toyotas ten years ago but felt good to come back to Peugeot.

[anonymous user]

I'd have to say no, I do tend to buy lots of the same types of car over and over again, but I don't think a single manufacturer wins out.

I've had about twelve Austins, five or so Triumphs, seven Fords, two Bonds, two Alfas, five Fiats, eleven Morgans, six Land-Rovers, three Renaults, five VW's, four Citroens, two Suzukis and eight or so Volvos. Plus loads of one offs.

 

No BMWs or Mercedes though, so I suppose that's brand avoidance, or just not got around to it. 

[Angrydicky]

The only car I will never own is a post 1990 BMW. Horrible, drab cars.

[Mr Lobster]

Used to be that I was very much a serial Renault buyer and I still have and probably always will have a proper old Renault about me. But whereas my dailies always used to be renaults now they aren't. Partly because I discovered that there was plenty of everything else that I liked so now the two daily motors at castle lobster are a Mazda and Seat.

 

Keep thinking that I wouldn't mind replacing the Seat but have absolutely no idea what with.

[Waderider]

I've only bought three cars in twenty two years of driving. One Fiat, two Volvos. I still have both Volvos in regular use.

[r.welfare]

Hondas. Owned four (of which one is still owned), and contemplating the purchase of another. Exciting they are not, but well engineered and fabulously reliable.