Which one and why?
I can’t wait to see Lancia’s answer.
My last four vehicles have been two door Jeep Wrangler soft-tops. I like them, they’re practical for me. I buy each one new and immediately remove the back seat and put it in storage. The dogs ride in the back and I have a utility trailer if I need more room.
I’ve had four two-door Wranglers. Two soft tops and two hard tops. I’ve liked the Wranglers due to the snow we get up here, plus the fact that they’re fun to drive.
I currently own my first Cherokee High Altitude. I was going to get a Wrangler but after my stroke a little over a year ago, I was worried about trying to get in and out as they sit higher, as well as concerns of my coordination (all my vehicles in the last 30 years have been sticks). So I got the Cherokee. The automatic Wranglers were just too much money.
I used to be a loyal GM customer in my youth, mostly because they were the all American brand and they were built near where I lived. Boy did those cars suck butt, but I didn’t know any better back then. Every single one had multiple issues and I kept buying them out of mostly habit and the fact that there were so many of them available for cheap.
In 2000 I started working for a company that supplied audio systems to Nissan, so I started buying Nissan’s in 2004. And damn, these cars never broke down or leaked oil. There styling was more modern and they got better gas mileage. I’m on my fifth Nissan since then and even though I started supplying systems to GM I never ever considered going back to GM products. About the only GM car I would consider would be the new Vette and only because I worked on it.
VW’s run in the family, my first brand new car was a 84 VW GTI Rabbit, then a Passat Wagon, New Beetle, all manuals. Lastly had a Tiguan, loved the all wheel drive, the turbo responsiveness. But went car shopping recently and had no desire for another VW. Driving an Outback now, not the peppiest on the drag strip lol. But it’s nice.
Oh and selling our 74 VW Bus rn, $8500 and you can drive it home.
We have 3 Toyotas currently, so I guess Toyota. But I don’t think it quite rises to loyalty. I’ve had a Plymouth, 3 Chevys, a Hyundai, a Mercury, a Ford and then 2 Toyotas. 2 Chevys were short lived. I wrecked my beloved Camaro, got a Citation for a year ($500) and then bought a much crappier Camaro that lasted about 18 months before trading it in.
The Hyundai was my first new car. My girlfriend was a long ride away and the 2nd Camaro was unreliable.
Very much like Si_Amigo, the first four cars I ever owned were GMs, mostly out of habit and because it’s what my Dad usually drove. Then I realized I could do much better.
After that I had two Fords, two Chryslers, and now a Toyota. The Toyota is the best car I’ve ever owned, but of course it’s also the newest. And my wife’s Lexus is awesome.
I guess my short answer is, no, I’m not loyal to a particular brand. When it comes time to replace my car, I will consider multiple options - but I might look at Toyota first.
Grew up and spent most of my life in Dearborn in the shadow of Ford World HQ. I’ve always been a loyal Ford man.
I’ll only ever drive an F-150 for the rest of my life. Best vehicle I’ve ever owned
I had Toyotas for a long time, because they just seem to be bulletproof. I don’t think I ever had even a minor mechanical failure or breakdown in 15 years.
But I need basic off-road ability to get to hiking trailheads, and the 4-Runner although still “cool” is now just a dinosaur that’s at least a decade out of date in technology. I’d be open to going back to Toyota, but there’s just nothing in their lineup that works.
So I switched to Subaru in February, and I’m very happy so far, although of course I have never actually driven it more than 50 miles outside town yet. But I love the driver aid technology. As I get older and my driving skills inevitably wane, the technology could easily save me from a wreck.
Most of the cars I’ve owned have been Toyota. My wife and I now own a Scion Xb and a Toyota Camry, so I can’t say that weve strayed too far from the automotive family tree.
When a relative died, I inherited his Honda Accord. It was 10 years old when I got it, and it lasted another 10 years.
When it wore out, I got a Honda CRV. It’s now 10 years old, and still runs fine.
We now have our third Honda Odyssey minivan, and have been pleased with each.
I loved Saturns back in the day, but that GM outfit was an unfortunate casualty of the 2008 recession. More recently, I’ve liked GM’s redesigned Malibu - good-looking and very reliable. I have my second now.
I’m not brand loyal. I’ve had good cars by Ford (Explorer), Chevy (Volt), Subaru (various), Nissan (Pathfinder) and Toyota (Prius).
And now, Jaguar and Tesla.
I really loved my 2001 Pathfinder. Good size and very reliable.
I think I may be now. I really love my Prius and will buy another one when my son’s car dies for good. (I’ll give him my Prius and buy a new one for me)
I’ve been driving Nissans since they were Datsuns. A Sentra, three Frontier King Cab pickups and now a Rogue. Great cars that run forever.
Over the last twenty-five years, it’s been nothing but Hondas for this family of five. Well-made, they hold their value, and mostly, nothing but general maintenance. We hadn’t really started as loyal to the brand, but it kept rising to the top as the best manufacturer for us. Among the five of us, we’ve had an Odyssey, two CR-Vs, one Accord, and two Civics. Just recently, I switched to a Subaru Outback, retiring my 2005 CR-V. It was the extra legroom/headroom that caused the switch. We’re tall people.
It it one of my life’s regrets that I do not own, and have never owned, a Lancia. However, almost all Lancias have a cool factor that simply cannot be beat, even if their mechanical reliability is non-existent. I’d love to own one someday.
Lessee… in 23 years of driving I have owned either by myself or with my wife:
1979 IH Scout II. Complete pile of shit, I replaced the engine twice, the transmission was constantly slipping, and it had a leak somewhere that let rain in so the floors were moldy. I sold it for a pittance before I turned 16.
1975 VW bus. First car I actually drove. It was in great shape in and out and I was absolutely in love with it. Sold it for $300 in 1999 after the engine sized. One of only two vehicles I truly regret getting rid of.
1989 Toyota van. Basic if ugly transportation. Got rid of it after hitting two deer simultaneously. Never had any mechanical issues before that.
Late 80’s Nissan 2x4 pickup. Basic transport. The owner before me had put overload springs on it and it rode as if there was no suspension at all. Incredibly uncomfortable, sold it after 18 months or so. The only thing I ever had to do with it was clean and rebuild the carburetor and replace the radiator after it developed a leak.
1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with the 4.0. Loved it… when it ran. It developed an intermittent electrical problem that would prevent it from starting. Got sick of trying to diagnose it and gave it away.
1986 Buick Lesabre coupe. Pile of shit that was literally given to me. Transmission slipped, cv joints were bad, had no stereo, heater didn’t work… the list was endless. I actually don’t remember exactly how I got rid of it. It wasn’t worth the title transfer fee and nobody I knew would take it for free. I think I gave it to my dad who sold it for scrap but I may be mistaken.
1991 Dodge Dakota 4x4, 5spd. Loved that pickup but sold it when my second kid was born, it was simply useless for hauling a family. Never had any mechanical problems but the paint was shit.
1984 Toyota Tercel 4x4 w/ 6 speed manual. Tiny car but perfect as a commuter. The front CV joints would go out every six months like clockwork and I never could figure out why. I took to a reputable shop locally and had them go over the entire front suspension and drivetrain with a fine-toothed comb and they could find nothing wrong or worn out. Other than that it was mechanically sound and never gave me issues. Gave it my brother after 10 years of ownership and almost 300K miles, he promptly gave it to his girlfriend’s dipshit kid who promptly destroyed it. The only other car I truly regret getting rid of.
1986 Chevy Suburban 4x4. Had lots of issues with that one: transfer case grenaded, electrical problems on top of more electrical problems… and finally a cracked block that occurred with no warning: I was driving down the road one day, there was a sudden big boom from under the hood, and the thing was dead. Towed it home and had my FIL, a once-pro mechanic, come take a look. He said the block had a crack in it. Engine was toast. It had an aftermarket Edelbrock 4 barrel carburetor on it that I pulled off. I sold the Suburban for scrap and the carb separately on Craigslist.
Two Pontiac Grand Prixs. One a 1999, the other a 2006. Both were comfortable, powerful cars and I loved driving them. They both developed electrical and transmission issues around the 200K mile mark so I sold them rather than try to repair them.
1999 Chrysler Town and Country minivan. Limited trim, so leather and heated seats and the works. Comfy but plagued by electrical problems. Had to rebuild the engine around 200K miles. When it left my wife stranded at work one evening and I was unable to diagnose the problem (I even started a thread here looking for ideas) I sold it to some guy for $700, which was about $675 more than I felt it was worth.
Current vehicles:
2006 Chevy HHR. It has just over 90K miles on it, and in 3 years of ownership all I’ve had to do is replace the alternator. The passenger side heated seat doesn’t work and the drivers seat lateral adjustment switch needs replaced. Otherwise a good vehicle.
2020 Honda Civic sedan. The first and so far only vehicle I’ve bought new. A manual transmission was mandatory, so this trim model is missing a lot of features that I miss: it doesnt have a CD player or satellite radio, doesnt have variable intermittent windshield wipers (in 2020?!?), doesnt have a place to store sunglasses, doesnt have a map pocket on the back of the seat… but it gets decent mileage and was purchased solely as a commuting car. The only other car that made my short list was the Kia Soul, but a stick was only available in the base model, and the DCT in the top trim is full of problems. So I went with the Honda. It just turned over 8K miles yesterday and is due for its first oil change and tire rotation.
2006 Subaru Forester. This car was given to me the week the DMV closed due to COVID in March, so I’ve put maybe 30 miles on it because I cannot transfer the title. It uses oil, and at some point soon-ish will need a new power steering pump and head gaskets replaced. Otherwise its in pristine condition. It was used by a couple that had no kids so the rear seats have been used maybe a dozen times in 14 years, and the owners were religious about doing all the maintenance, both needed and routine. The oil issue however was enough to prompt them to replace it with a new car. It was given to us by a family member for my 15 year old son to have to drive, but it has a 5-speed and my son is adamant that he does not want to learn to drive a stick (I sometimes wonder if he’s really my kid). So I’ll probably sell it this spring after tax refunds start coming back.
So I guess this a really, really long-winded way of saying that I’m not loyal to any particular car brand, but apparently favor Japanese makes over American makes. I’ve certainly had much better luck with them, anyway.
The only vehicle brand that I’ve deliberately avoided is Ford. My FIL, a retired mechanic, and my dad, a decently skilled shade tree mechanic, both hate fords and claim they are plagued with mechanial issues, or at least were up to the late 90’s. That was enough to convince me to steer clear of them.
I like Fords, Fiats and BMWs. I’m pretty happy with the Nissans. I’m loyal to my Jeeps, but they ain’t loyal to me.
I’ve owned 4 BMWs, including my current car.
Counting both our cars (my wife & me):
1 GM - Chevy Blazer
1 Audi - Q7
1 Lexus - RX350
2 Honda - Civic and Accord
2 Volvo - both XC90, one currently
3 Nissan - Altima, Pathfinder, Murano
4 BMW - 525xi, X3, X1, 430xi
The Honda Civic was my first car. It was stolen out of my driveway when it was 5 years old.