Breaking Ties with Brand Loyalty

“I’m a Chevy guy, just like my dad.”

“We have always owned Fords.”

“Imports are the way to go.”

We’ve all heard phrases like this from friends and family when it comes to vehicles and brand loyalty. There are many things we learn from our parents, whether directly or through observation, and buying a certain brand of car is one of those things for a lot of people.

Growing up, my family was staunchly GM. They were a little more lax between the GM brands, but it was a pretty solid GM lineup of cars in our family for the first 20 years of my life.

Then, in 2009, my mom broke the mold and bought a new body style Nissan Maxima: Shocking. After that came another Maxima in 2012 and a Murano in 2018. Now my parents have a Nissan Murano, two Chevrolet trucks, a RAM, and a Pontiac Solstace. Diversity!

When shopping with John for your next car, I encourage you to look beyond your old brand loyalties; some manufacturers have very limited options in the body style, motors/transmissions/drivelines, colors, warranties, or other key elements, and, by playing strictly into old brand loyalties, you may miss out on amazing offerings from a car brand you have never experienced. My mom found that GM did not have a fun, fast, roomy, V6 offering in 2008 that suited her style; she wasn’t interested in the V8 Pontiac GXP, found the G6 too small inside, and was not a fan at all of the 2008 Malibu or Impala. Walking into the Nissan dealer was a break from the “norm” but she found just what she was looking for.

There are thousands of great options out there! Keep an open mind and do not get trapped in the brand loyalty loop.

By Michael Tyler