AudioCircle
Community => Non-audio hobbies and interests => Cars and Bikes => Topic started by: ctviggen on 28 Mar 2017, 06:08 pm
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I just realized my list of cars have no repeats for brand:
Jeep Comanche (sold)
Saab 9-3 Viggen (sold)
VW Jetta Wagon (diesel) (sold back to VW)
Chevy Volt (plug in hybrid) (totaled)
and now...
Honda Civic Hatchback (current)
Anyone else like this? Or are most people loyal to a brand of car (or motorcycle for that matter)?
PS -- Picking up the Honda tonight. Of the previous four, I liked the Saab the best. It was fun and useful. I have high hopes for the Civic Hatchback. We'll see. Also, this is truck/hatch/wagon/hatch/hatch, so maybe I'm loyal to a style of car (hatch/wagon) and not a brand of car.
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Ford Mustang - 2 door, manual, blue
Honda Accord - 4 door, manual, blue
Mazda Millenia - 4 door, auto, maroon
Saturn L200 - 4 door, auto, silver
VW GTI - current car. 4 door, auto, csg
The ford was the only two door car. The ford and honda were manual.
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Nope, so far,
Ford Falcon Station Wagon [ first car]
Triumph TR4A
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corrola
Buick Opal
Saab turbo
Porsce 928
Mercedes turbo
Alfa Romeo Spyder
Toyota Echo
Honda Accord V6
Next- Alfa ????
charles
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Interesting. My folks always drove Buicks and only once swayed to the K car dud and went right back to Buicks. I worked for GM for a number of years so before and after drove many GM products. We went througha bunch of new vehicles, practically every 6 months a new one. So drove many in those years.
I like GM trucks most of all.
Have 4 cars presently (wanna pay my car insurance?): GMC Sierra (wife), GMC Yukon (daughter), Ford Taurus hunk of junk 2002 beater (son) and BMW
Liked the Audis a bunch but when they would not deal I jumped to BMW. I think my wife expects a beamer next for her as well. ouch
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Ford Mustang - 2 door, manual, blue
Honda Accord - 4 door, manual, blue
Mazda Millenia - 4 door, auto, maroon
Saturn L200 - 4 door, auto, silver
VW GTI - current car. 4 door, auto, csg
The ford was the only two door car. The ford and honda were manual.
Oh yeah, my first two cars were manuals, and the rest automatics.
I was thinking about a GTI instead of the civic, but my wife is still mad at VW. I also thought about a manual or higher power car, but all I do is go to and from work over roads that have a highest speed limit of maybe 30mph. I can't see having a lot of horsepower to go 30-40 mph.
Of course, with each generation of vehicle, there are more safety features and complex control systems. I had the VW Jetta and the Chevy Volt at the same time, and it was nice to get in the VW and just drive, instead of have all the feedback of the Volt and the incredibly complex touchscreen.
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The GTI is a fun car to drive but not very practical for trips with a family of 4.
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I've owned Ford F-150s since 1975.
Doc
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Ford. We get the discount..... :green:
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1985 Toyota Camry
1995 BMW 318Ti
1994 Honda Accord
2003 Honda Accord
1996 Honda Accord
2009 Ford Fusion
And the 1969 Ford T Bird for the past 5 years too.
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Let's see if I can even recall all the cars I've had so far....
Ford Galaxy 500
Datsun 240Z
Datsun B210
Ford Escort
Mazda B2000
Honda Passport
Mazda MX6
Dodge Ram 2500
Toyota 4Runner
Nissan 300Z TT
Subaru WRX
Toyota Seqouia
Audi A3 Avant S Line
Nissan Maxima
Honda Civic
Nissan Altima
I guess there are a lot of Datsun/Nissans in there, but hardly a loyalty.
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2014 Camry = 50k mi
2006 Solara Conv = 51k mi
2002 Solara = 234k mi
2000 Corolla = 187k mi
1998 Camry = 296k mi
All registered and running great, no issues.
GO TOYOTA!!!!!
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You might think so.
1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 Ford Expedition
2010, 2013, 1015 Ford Flex.
Soon 2018 Lincoln Navigator
I suppose I am in a rut.
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Too many cars to mention but the topic is about brand loyalty so I'll just state that there are 3 Toyotas in the driveway now and most of the last 20 cars have been that brand. Have never bought a new car. Is that a condition for brand loyalty?
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Nope but I pick up my new Chevy Bolt tomorrow! My only constant is I feel fancy cars have about as much use as $5k speaker cables.
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Nice thread, made me think.
Europe:
Ford Cortina - junk
Vauxhall Cavalier - better than a Ford
Peugeot 405 Mi16 - great handling and comfort
Citreon BX16 - great handling, quick
BMW 318 E36 - too slow
Audi 100 - old mans car
BMW 320 E36 - great car, fast
Volvo V70 TDI - great fuel performance
Volvo V70 T5 - scary quick for a Volvo
USA:
Audi A4 - nice car, almost as good as a Beemer
Ford Escape - worst car I've ever had, couldn't wait to get rid of it
Toyota Highlander - boring but practical, son has it
BMW 330xi E90 - fantastic car, keeper, other son has it
BMW M325 xDrive - my car, lots of fun, super fast
Bottom line - loyal to BMW but they've dumbed down to be blonde friendly.
Ford make crap, never again, I'd rather use the Uber app.
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1959 Chevy Belair
1965 Chevy El Camino
1967 Datsun 1600 roaster
1970 Porsche 914
1970 240 Z
1973 Trans Am w/ 455 ho motor ( fasted thing I've ever owned )
1965 Sunbeam Alpine
1984 Mazda pickup
1967 Ford Mustang convertible
1985 Toyota pickup
1989 Ford Bronco
1996 Ford F-150
2003 Toyota Tundra
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Not counting hand me downs and inherited granny cars:
Ford Torino GT
Ford Fiesta (German junk)
Honda wagon
'55 T Bird
Honda crv
Acura Integra
Toyota Rav4
Toyota Camry
...and a beater '93 Dodge 250 Cummins
...and two Honda Goldwings.
I drive the Camry, wife drives the Rav4, the truck does utility duty, and mostly just look at the Goldwings.
The Hondas and Toyotas have been the best by far. I usually keep a car past 200k if I can.
I forgot. I had two British Sterlings (Rovers). Soooo smooth on the road, ran like a bat out of hell, but the Brits can't make electricity behave. Had to give up on them.
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In nearly 40 years have owned -
1978 VW Rabbit (OK, but suspension couldn't handle a full load),
1979 Saab 99 (a living dinosaur but a great car),
1980 Honda Accord (tiny by today's standards),
1982 Datsun/Nissan Sentra (honest tin can car),
1983 Chevy Cavalier (POS),
1986 Ford Ranger (totally lackluster),
1989/1997/2012 Toyota Camrys (if reliable and inexpensive to own means boring - sign me up),
1995 Honda Civic (a tiny hatchback),
2000 Mazda 626 (boring, overheating finally spelled it's doom),
2002 Toyota Sienna (believe it or not my favorite - it was comfortable/economical/offered great utility),
2009 Toyota Corolla (the consummate dull Toyota - a compliment), and
2009 Subaru Outback (great winter car but very expensive to maintain)
for a total of over 1.5 million miles.
In a small market you need to shop by dealer first and brand second as quality between brands has tightened up. So Toyota wins hands down for me. Other 100% import dealers come in second well ahead of domestics. And putting up with foreign name plates from domestic dealers is the worst.
Now that I've retired, I'll be driving less and once wifey retires buying fewer cars.
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Makes for an interesting list for me (+ wife cars) for almost 40 years of car buying...
1970 Plymouth Barracuda (still have it)
1978 Kawasaki KZ650
1970 Dodge Challenger
1981 Dodge Charger
1987 Dodge Daytona Shelby
1991 Dodge Grand Caravan
1995 BMW 525iTA (E34)
1999 Dodge Dakota RT
1999 Porsche Boxster (actually held me, sitter, and two VERY small children for one short unplanned transport leading to the next vehicle below...)
2005 Toyota Sienna
2005 Toyota Prius
2010 Toyota Prius (current)
2012 Toyota Prius v (current)
I see a bias towards Toyotas since 2005.
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I had 3 VWs, then 2 Hondas, now 2 BMWs. All worked fine, good value.
I've tried brand loyalty, but my need for increased refinement with my increased age has forced me to try new brands.
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4 of last 6 happen to have been Toyotas but I'm open to other brands
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I'm on my 4th Subaru Impreza, currently a '16 STi... this might be a keeper. It's not real fast by today's standards but the hydraulic steering, gearbox/AWD system + super stiff chassis/sus make it a great driver's car + it's very practical... And a built block costs about as much as a clutch on a German sports car, then 400 WHP is no problem. :)
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Subaru.
NB
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I try to lease a BMW that is on "special," the cheap one that each dealer advertises to draw people in.
Mainly, I do this because BMW is the only brand that still gives you free maintenance service during the life of the lease. Mercedez, Audi, etc charges for maintenance service.
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59 Opel Caravan
60-something Falcon
63-ish Impala
67 Pontiac Lemans convertible, one of the most beautiful American cars EVER! We kept it in the family until 7-8 years ago.
First wife had an Opel wagon
Massive Dodge sedan with a 383 engine
ANOTHER owner of a Buick Opel sedan, left that in Germany and came back with two Volvo wagons
'80 BMW 320 with 100K when I bought it. Would STILL be running if it hadn't rusted to shit
Early 80s Buick Roadmaster Diesel wagon. LOVED that car/engine! Ugly as sin, but smoooooooth on the highway
One Saab 900, then two Saab 9000 hatchbacks. Could carry ANYTHING in there, but $$$$ to service.
BMW 525 w/122k miles on it. Wife and son added another 100K before it was t-boned
'93 Caprice wagon bought new, ran the wheels off of it
96 Buick Roadmaster wagon, again 100K miles on it, ran the wheels off of it
'03 BMW 525, used, 35k miles, had it for 11 years, expect it to go 11 more
Yet another 96 Roadmaster wagon (wood grain, of course)
New wife?
New VW bug and now a Nissan Cube. The Cube is a great little runabout. Dirt cheap to operate. 6 years, no repairs.
I lean GM and BMW. Both have been cheap to own.
Most of my cars had 100K on them when I bought them, and cost $3-4K. Let someone else take the depreciation. More money for audio and cameras.
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I try to lease a BMW that is on "special," the cheap one that each dealer advertises to draw people in.
Mainly, I do this because BMW is the only brand that still gives you free maintenance service during the life of the lease. Mercedez, Audi, etc charges for maintenance service.
Do you follow LeaseHackr?
https://forum.leasehackr.com
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No way can I name every vehicle I've owned through the years. I can say though, I bought a Toyota Corona brand new in 1976 (not sure why) and have owned at least a dozen Toyotas since. Currently drive a Nissan Rogue which I bought because they were offereing 0% financing.
The only brand I haven't owned is GM. And again, not sure why.
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over the years not much brand wise I havent owned but GM and Ford in my earlier years with some imports in there, as of late its been the 3 BMW's I currently drive
If anyone ever needs a deal on a new Ford I can get you a friends and family X Plan deal as I am a PD Engineer :)
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No, I'm not loyal to any brand. I've never owned the same brand twice although that will probably change next year when the lease expires on my VW Golf. I'm seriously considering the new Ford Fiesta ST with the 3 cylinder engine. That would be my second Ford and only brand repeat. The Fiesta ST would be a potent and fuel efficient option for my 60 mile daily commute. Or maybe I'll go crazy and buy a Golf R and repeat with VW 8)
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I guess I'm loyal.
I bought a brand new Jeep Wagoneer in 1977 and still drive it everyday. The Jeep is my only vehicle, extremely reliable and goes everywhere from dinner downtown to taking the dogs up Mt. Lemmon.
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I am a Ford person.
Last three Fords:
1999 Ford Contour SVT V6, manual transmission. Green Owned 13 years, 110,000 miles.
2012 Ford Focus 4 banger SE manual transmission. Yellow, Owned three years
2014 For Focus ST turbo 4 manual transmission. Recaro seats, Tangerine Scream, So far two years in..
Next car.. If Ford would make a Fusion, with the same engine and transmission of the Focus RS.. A 2.3 liter 350hp four cylinder... MANUAL transmission required. Would prefer a green or yellow.
Manual only for me.
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My first car was a 1996 Ford Escort Wagon LX....Piece of garbage. Kept it for about 4 years, just 44K....had a plethora of problems, from a speedometer that used to track speed up to 45 miles and then the needle used to jump up and down. The local Ford local dealer diagnosed it as a cable situation....it did not remedy anything. Spent about $700 into fixing nothing. Broken engine belt at 40K. Also, left front wheel something went bust made loud noises. Got rid of it when I put it as trade for my...
Honda Accord 2001, VP. This one has been with me for about 16 years. 120K. A cross country trip and local roads in NYC. Fairly reliable asides from regular expendables, tires every 50K, belt change at 60K, shocks replaced at 90K, one transmission recall, fixed at 65K. Entire engine gasket change for 1100. Everything else is excellent. Fuel sipping. Newer Hondas have gone downhill in terms of recalls and reliability.
Subaru Outback 4 Cyclinder with CVT and traction control 2011 model. 55K, this one saved the lives of my family back in 2015, when we were driving down 95 South in NC....Someone hit and ran us on the left back wheel/trunk side. Flattened the back tired, never lost traction at 65 miles an hour, in the center lane. Left lane faster traffic and center and right lane 16 wheelers barreling down at 80 miles an hour. Got 4500K of insurance repair. Made it new.
Due to this, most likely our next Honda Accord replacement will be a Subaru Outback with Eyesight. That is the only way to go.
:thumb:
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We have owned all variety of car makes over the years. 2 Dodges (still have a 1999 Dakota), 2 Hondas, a Cavalier convertible, a Saab convertible, VW Jetta and GTI, and a Kia Optima. Currently I have a Toyota 4-runner (my second, first one lasted for 11 years) and my wife has a Toyota Rav-4.
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I've owned several cars over the years. Still own quite a few (*) mostly VW's. Some day may restore the 914. The Fox wagon is pretty good shape. Just recently Sold the VW pickup. Still like my old VW's. Recently brought Toyotas great cars, very low maintenance and good gas mileage.
1966 Chevy pickup
1978 Chevette
1981 VW Rabbit
1981 VW Pick-up
1975 Porsche 914*
1984 GTI*
1990 Honda CBR 600*
1980 Mazda 626 12 Point deer casualty
1986 Pontiac 6000 deer casualty
1990 VW Fox Wagon*
1995 VW Cabrio*
1992 Grand Am GT
1988 Dodge Carvan
2000 Dodge Carvan*
2000 Chevy S-10*
2009 Toyota Pruis* daily driver My car
2011 Toyota Pruis* daily driver Wife's car
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VW guy here. Currently own Mk6 Sportwagon which is great. Love to have Mk7 GTI down the road.
There's a lot of great cars out there these days (competition is a good thing for consumers) but VW just checks all the boxes for what I want in an affordable car.
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I hold zero allegiance. I don't see the point. All companies make winners and losers. Some do it for a decade or more and then change.
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It's more like I avoid certain brands than have loyalty to one or the other. Never had a Ford or Toyota, don't know why I avoid those, just doesn't float my boat.
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No, it's not that I buy a car (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=92081.0) that often but I think I tend to start looking with brands that I've had "success" with in the past and then broaden the search. Things change pretty quickly (relative to car buying cycle) and there's just too much choice/options etc to ignore that. I suppose if you had a really good service person who specialized in specific brand(s) it would make sense to look at those first.
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61 Pontiac Ventura
65 Pontiac LeMans convertible
69 Datsun 510
73 Toyota Celica
80 Ford Fairmont
86 Ford T-Bird
89 Ford Escort
94 Ford Taurus
99 Toyota Camry
2007 Toyota Camry
2008 Toyota Camry
If we were buying today it would be another Camry but with only 108,000 miles and 106,000 miles on our current Camry's, I would hope that won't be for awhile.
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I've bought every Consumers Report April car issue since the 80's (the 2017 edition is out now) and study them extensively. IMO car advice is the most valuable service the Consumers Union offers, but I preferred the issues from several years past. Most of their other advice is either too generic, appliance/electronics advice is outdated as models varying and constantly change, and some of their advice is simply too weak to be useful or just plain half wrong (like the recent article I found online for furnace filters.
I also use Edmunds.com which provides more information but lacks the unique owner reliability data from CR.
If dealerships and local service are all equal where you live I'd go for Kia or Hyundai as they seem to be hungry (offering the best value) and on the learning curve that Japan was on 30 years ago. I currently own a Camry and an Outback. The Outback provides hauling space and magnificent all wheel drive, but cost 4 times per mile what the Camry does for service (finally found a local garage for service after the dealer kept suggesting bogus service be done). The Camry feels thinner/lighter but is bigger, more comfortable/powerful/fuel efficient, have had the same sales guy for nearly 30 years, and service is far more honest/available. Being the largest Toyota dealer in the state they have always had the needed parts on hand. Again, being in a small market I pick cars largely by available dealerships/service.
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I listed the cars I owned. Here are a few more my wife has owned:
1994 Honda Accord
2002 Honda Accord
2007 Hyundai Entourage
2014 Acura RDX
If I tried to list all the motorcycles I had it would be a real memory test. Of the 32 I owned over a 10 year period the majority were Suzuki (GSXR's) with a single Honda, a single Kawasaki and a few Yamaha's sprinkled in, mostly during the Taiwan years. I had 14 GSXR's over a 4 year period where I was building and parting out bikes in the late 90's.
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My last four cars were Acura. They have had terrific reliability and we have a fantastic dealer near us who I use for service I don't perform myself. My wife drives a Toyota SUV and has had a couple Toyotas, but other than a brief stint with a Subaru it's been decades since I've owned any other brand.
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Japanese cars. I'm 65 and have only owned four cars, that is, cars where I'm the primary driver :
1980 Honda Civic wagon
1989 Mazda MPV minivan
1999 Toyota Sienna minivan
2008 Toyota Highlander SUV (bought used in late 2010)
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I love my 240 Volvo's..."The Brick"...I have 3.
One of which I have owned since new.
The '93 with 230,000 miles is mine... gave one of the '92's to my 20 yr. old daughter.
The other '92 my 18 yr old son is using, (much to his indignation) till we fix his 2001 VW Jetta VR6 ,
which we are always fixing, terrible car for reliability.
Sure these cars are going on 25 yrs old but parts are cheap and plentiful on ebay, and they they are exempt from NJ DMV inspection.
Their issues are well known and easily fixable, but for the most part very little has gone wrong with my 240's over the years.
They have smooth and ample low rpm power delivery, they handle surprisingly well on a twisty country road.
They were a popular rally car back in the day, great inherently rigid and balanced chassis.
On the highway they have a smooth solid and satisfying ride.
They have a classic European sedan look, similar to the more pricey Mercedes W123 series.
I would think most people would laugh at them on the road, but when I move to a more sedate lifestyle out west a few years from now.
I will find a nice clean 240 or 242, stiffen and brace the chassis, massage the suspension, wheels and tires with aftermarket goodies and drop in a nice 300hp small block mated to a 5 speed. The only hint as to anything not stock will be the sticker I now have on my '93.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=159978)
Then we will see who is laughing !
Greg
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since i got my drivers license in'69 I can't remember the number of cars / brands I've owned but while I've enjoyed many Ford, GM and Mopar my fondest memories are with my Mopar muscle of the late 60's / early 70's and the six Corvettes I've owned over the past 40 years.
The only bad memory was my '88 F250, leaked every known fluid there was and some of which the Ford dealership couldn't even identify !
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Ah, I guess so:
1986 Honda Prelude Si - gone
2000 BMW 528i - gone
2007 BMW 335i coupe - my daily driver
2015 BMW M6 Gran Coupe - European delivered - my weekend car
2016 BMW M3 - European delivered - wife's
Next car - BMW M5 AWD or maybe Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio if it's more reliable
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Looks like it for me, too:
'68 BMW 1600
'74 BMW 2002tii
'75 BMW 2002
'75 BMW Bavaria
'81 BMW 533i
'85 BMW 325is
'91 BMW M5
'01 BMW 740iL
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I guess I am:
2002 Toyota Land Cruiser- still a daily driver and going strong.
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Ford for me. I've worked for Ford and GM in various engineering depts., and preferred the way Ford developed, engineered, and built their cars over GM. And also preferred working for Ford over GM as well. Ford felt like a family business. I also greatly respected Ford declining any federal gov't. bailout money. (I believe they could have taken cash, but chose otherwise, wary of the strings attached. I could be wrong about this as my memory is suspect.) Plus, I have had best luck with Ford products as well, including my current vehicle: 2003 F-250 V10 4x4. It still runs great, and to this day get compliments on its looks.
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I'm on my second GTI. I would buy another VW, but I won't because of the diesel cheating scandal. :cry:
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I've gone through a few cars in my life; 1961 Austin-Healy Bugeye Sprite, 63 and 65 VW Beetles, a VW 311, 1961 Mercedes 190, Datsun 1600 & 2000 roadsters, 2 Datsun 240Z's, Toyota Celica, Acura RSX, a domestic diversion into a Ford Contour, a 2003 Honda Accord, Mazda 2000 Pickup truck. There are others not worth mentioning. My current drivers are a 2008 Acura TL and 2013 Lexus CT200h. I like the Acura TL as much now as the day I drove it off the lot, one of the very few cars I've owned I could enjoy for a long time. (The '61 Mercedes 190 was another one that I really liked and wish I could have kept. Engine block developed a crack.)
In an earlier career, I worked in service management for Acura, VW, Saab, Volvo, and Mercedes dealers. Having worked with German cars for over a decade, I'd never spend my money on one. I love many aspects of German engineering and the way many of them drive, but the reliability of German cars pales compared to Japanese cars and I have no patience for trips to the dealership to fix problems that are the result of poor quality control and over complicated design.
I find Acura and Lexus to be the right blend of quality, pricing, reliability, and engineering. (Although Acura has slipped due to some problems with their newer models.) They definitely aren't the pure driving machines that the best from Porsche, Audi, and BMW are, but they are good enough for me and their reliability is what ensures my loyalty.
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+1 for Toyota.
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Ford for me. I've worked for Ford and GM in various engineering depts., and preferred the way Ford developed, engineered, and built their cars over GM.
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I also greatly respected Ford declining any federal gov't. bailout money. (I believe they could have taken cash, but chose otherwise, wary of the strings attached. I could be wrong about this as my memory is suspect.)
Ford didn't take any bailout money mostly because they nearly went bankrupt a few years earlier than the crisis*, due almost entirely to gross mismanagement during times of plenty, and were forced to divest most of their non-core divisions to raise cash (Jaguar, Volvo, their interests in Mazda, Land Rover, there were a few more ... Corning, maybe?), which allowed them to set up bank / other financing and crawl back into stability.
So, when the crisis hit they had effectively already had their bailout money in hand and were also already deep into restructuring. Now, you're right that it was regular financing rather than government crisis money, but none the less, they almost managed to go south during a time of record automotive sales, and benefitted from the fact that banks were actually lending when they needed them to lend.
* In 2006 Ford had a record $12.6 Billion loss; which worked out to $4,700 per vehicle sold. They mortgaged practically every asset they had in North America, including the trademark for the Blue Oval logo, and secured $23 billion in financing.
Less than three years later the shoe dropped on the automotive industry but GM and Chrysler didn't have any "crisis" financing in place; there was no call for it when they both were enjoying record sales and were profitable. Once the meltdown happened they were faced with the double whammy of no cash flow (no-one was buying) plus it was impossible to secure any financing as no-one was lending. Lets not forget that the end result was GM went bankrupt and Chrysler only escaped on a technicality, by selling the farm to Fiat. Neither would have, had they had a pre-crisis war chest in place like Ford did.
Business is funny sometimes.
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Ah, thank you for the explanation Johnny2bad. Very interesting. :thumb:
I suspected I was suffering from a somewhat memory2bad. :lol:
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3 Hondas in the driveway right now; Odessey, Accord, and CRV. I'm very close to buying an '03 S2000 this week. It seems that we are a Honda family.