Brand loyalty...

So where does your brand loyalty come from? Anything from Ford/Chevy/Dodge (in order from best to worst of course) to green or red tractors, orange saws, heck, even peanut butter if that's your thing.
I would suppose most of you are like me, whatever dad had was "best"...but maybe there are some other interesting stories here.
Growing up dad had an assortment of tractors, Fords, Case, and a David Brown. As a teenager, whenever I plowed for the neighbor using his JD 5020 (which I always enjoyed running just because it was such a beast...and he knew it) he would try to get me to say that I liked his JD better than dads tractors...I never did and it drove him nuts!
So how'd the rest of you get so opinionated?

 

I think a lot of it comes from familiarity. I have been around Ford trucks all my life. The only saws I have owned are Stihls. Knowing what to expect is a great feature.

 

Purely from trial and error. If it works, I use it. If it doesn't work, or it's a pita, I won't use it, or recommend it.

 

I suppose I can agree with you somewhat there, I still prefer Fords but I have to admit that everybody makes some decent stuff (and some stinkers) anymore. You have to in this economy, or you will be gone pretty quickly. 20 years ago I would have never admitted that bowties or "goats" could be good vehicles. Heck, if it would have been closer, I would have bought a GMC back in 2008...wasn't a good enough deal to drive 1000 miles for though. Get to thinking about it, I do have a GMC in the driveway right now...bought a 95 K3500 dump to fix up and sell...has turned out to be a real project, should have left that thing where I found it!
Even though all my saws are the same brand, I don't have a brand loyalty there, they're just what I have found good deals on.

 

Back in 08, the old Ford shag wagon was getting long in the tooth and needed replacing. At 245K, I gave it to my son (lasted until he sold it with 260 something K).
The new candidate was a corolla. The night before I bought it, I actually lost sleep about it due to the fact of not being a domestic product.., etc.

That car has been just absolutely fantastic! Extremely reliable; the best mileage I reached was 43.6 MPG....while driving in Wyoming (fast speeds and real gas). Drives great with almost 230K on it now.

Brand loyalty is great, but man, they are going to earn every drop of it. Especially with prices now-a-days.

I remember.....(Captain Tangent strikes again!)....back in the 60's how almost everything that came out of Japan was mass produced to the tune of junk! Now look at the quality of Japan's products! See the same thing happening with China, I bet.

 

With cars/trucks I was die hard chevy until '98 when my new car started losing paint at 2 years old, they wouldn't make good on it, to hell with 'em, it'd have to be a very, very good deal before I'd buy another chevy..
I do like my Jonsereds but also own Echo's and the ms290 boat anchor works well enough for what it is.
It's hard to beat a 40 dollar Timex watch.

 

Mopar or Nocar, trucks with CUMMINS, all tractors are cool, saws orange but its not Stihl or Husky (Richmond). Triumph motorcycles, Sig Sauer,

 

In this day and age where making a good product is compromised by saving a half a penny, it doesn't make sense. My dad was a Chevy guy and I am not by any means. He made a living with Snap-On tools, I can't justify their prices for this desk jockey/ weekend warrior.

I like the orange saws, mostly because those I've tinkered on are easy to fix and good runners. Actually one of those orange saws is red, and I wouldn't hesitate to own another creamsicle for the right price. So first hand experience there.

Tractors, I've only run the one I have and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, but can't compare besides what the 'net says.

 

I'm not brand loyal in the least. I do research and buy whatever is in my price range and has a good reputation and reliability at the time. I drive a Nissan and a Lexus, my wife has a Honda, my next truck will probably be a Ford but that's only because I don't trust GM or Dodge right now. But 10 years from now GM could be the gold standard for reliability and Honda and Toyota could produce pure crap and I'll be more than happy to drive Chevy's. When it comes to chain saws, I think Stihl/Husqvarna/Dolmar produces just as good saws, it comes down to price for me. I used to buy strictly Craftsman hand tools, but I've noticed those have gone downhill so I buy Kobalt or Husky hand tools now. I've had both Androids and iPhones. I wear Wranglers, Levis, and Lee's depending on what's the cheapest. I'll run Valvoline, Mobil, Quaker, or Pennzoil depending on what's on sale. My power tools are a mix of Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, and even some Ryobi.

Heck, I used to work on Old Spice and Gillette deodorants and could get all the deo I wanted for free, but I didn't like the stuff after trying it and bought Degree instead because it worked better for me.

I guess there is ONE thing I'm brand loyal in. When it comes to fishing reels I always buy Shimano. That's probably because 15 years ago I tried other brands and they didn't hold up, but Shimano's last for years of hard use. But again, if their quality starts going downhill I'll start shopping for someone else again.

 

Well said, I am also brand loyal until they change it and it no longer fits my needs.. Used to live in my toyo pic ups with Sr 22? motor... couldn't kill them new Tacoma 1998 I got to pay dealer hundred of dollars a year to get stupid check engine light off to pass safety inspection... then some guy before I inspected offer me 800 more than I paid for it 4 years earlier to get to pass would have been 800 out of pocket.. truck had brand new owner...

 

I'm loyal to quality and value. You can't always have both though. I will generally pay for the best quality I can afford. The value comes years later when whatever it was is still working like it should. I'm pretty unforgiving when a product doesn't live up to its price point or fails when it shouldn't. Had a red Pontiac in my younger days. Swore off Pontiac completely and even swore off red vehicles all together after that car. Fool me once...

 

Wasn't that car made here in the states? I heard last year that Toyota Camry had/has the highest USA part content of any vehicle.

 

I know lots of people that said that after they turned into Government Motors...but some of those same people seem to have a short memory since they have since purchased GM again.

 

Promoting diversity in my township | Firewood Hoarders Club

 

When I was wrenching full time in a shop where I used all my own tools, I only bought Snap-On, Mac, Matco, Cornwell, and the like for tools that I really needed to hold up under hard use...didn't make enough to buy all my tools from them...so I would buy Crapsman for the stuff that I needed to be good but not "the best" then the rest from wherever. I kept breaking my 3/8 Crapsman rachet, so they would rebuild it for me, then after a while they would just give me a rebuild kit. After this happened 3-4 times I had about enough after one of their rebuilds blew all over the shop an hour after I got it. (and I was NOT abusing it in any way) So I took it back to the Sears store demanding a new one after explaining this things track record. They wouldn't do it, I was hot. Ended up talking to the manager, he gave me a new one, told me not to come back...and I didn't. The Snap-on man came that afternoon, I traded my still-in-the-package new Crapsman in for a fine tooth Snappy rachet...no more problems, I still have that very rachet today...has never broke, and it's been at least 20 years (to be fair, it has only seen probably 5 years of full time use)
And yes, I agree, Crapsman has earned the nickname that I have used here. I have heard that their stuff is no longer made in the states...I bet the quality slipped right about the same time their manufacturing changed countries...

 

You bring up tires...living near Akron (rubber capitol USA) I have heard from many people that worked at Firestone and Goodyear that if you were ever seen by one of your co-workers driving a car with any brand tire on it other than the "correct" one...they would give you 4 reasons to "upgrade" right away.
Same with autoworkers too...show up to the Ford plant in a GM...oh looky...all 4 tires got sidewall cuts on the way to work today!
I'd say they are brand loyal...
Oh, and I worked at the local Ford store for a bit too, we had people that made us change the brand of tires on their brand new car because they worked at one or the other rubber shops...

 

I've had my share of trucks...the last 4 Dodges. The last one Cummins diesel. I'm loyal to Cummins.
I've had 10 snowmobiles...the last 7 were Polaris. I like Polaris. No major breakdowns. Never walked home.
4 atv's. 1 Suzuki, 1 Yamaha, 2 Polaris. All good. But I may look at a CanAm next.
1 old Husqvarna and 2 Stihl saws. All good.
2 Stihl weedeaters and 1 backpack blower. All good.
1 Troy Built/Bolens tractor. Good Heavy Tuff.

I will buy from a dealer I feel comfortable with. If I get screwed around, I go elsewhere.
I'll buy a brand with good reviews/ratings. If the machine lets me down or doesn't last, I'll search another brand.

I guess what I'm saying here is brand loyalty is earned.