There’s nothing more American than arguing about Chevy vs. Ford.
Well, okay, perhaps it’s equally as American as baseball, hotdogs on the 4th of July, and warm apple pie. Still, it goes to show how strong brand loyalty is among car shoppers. Some people have sworn to a single car brand their entire life. But is that really the wisest thing to do in this day and age? Let’s discuss the ways brand loyalty can – and might not – benefit you.
The biggest advantage of brand loyalty is familiarity with the product. Modern technology has fine-tuned car design to a T, which has produced strong and consistent designs among automakers. If you’ve driven the mid-size sedan from one automaker, you’ll see a shocking number of similarities behind the wheel of their minivan. In short, if you really like the feel of your current vehicle, it makes sense to want your new car to be similar to what you know.
Brand loyalty can also impact how you (eventually) trade in your vehicle, but your mileage may vary here (pun very much intended). Some dealerships will offer you a bonus if you trade in your vehicle for one of the same brand. Others will offer bonuses when trading in vehicles of differing brands. But as much as we all love great savings, we don’t want customers to feel blackmailed into a car they might not love if there is only one type of promotion available. So while this point is technically true, I’d personally make sure you’d have as many options available to you as possible.
Similarly, the final advantage of brand loyalty is the people you do business with. I definitely get it, walking into a new dealership can be a scary prospect. There are stories about mechanics tossing ridiculous upcharges into repairs, so people are naturally prone to dealing with people they trust. Because of this, I always make customer comfort and satisfaction my top priority. Whether you’re a new customer or we’re old friends, I want to earn that level of trust with you. Regardless of what car brand you prefer, I’m always a phone call away to answer all of your questions.
In the end, a lot of the perceived advantages of brand loyalty boil down to the dealership you do business with. As far as your actual vehicle goes, brand loyalty should be something you decide personally. Stick with a brand if you really like their vehicles, but don’t feel afraid to branch out if you’d like to experiment. There are plenty of fantastic cars out there from every automaker.
If any of what I’ve talked about here interests you, just give me a call or send me an email. Regardless of what car you drive, you’ll always get my full attention.
