Jun 1st, 2010 by Dean Hightower
Brand loyalty is a strong factor in a lot of car buying decisions. A Consumer Reports survey found that 73 percent of people said they were somewhat or very likely to purchase a new car from the same brand they currently own. I know several families worth of people who won’t even consider buying a car or truck that isn’t a Toyota. Maybe a Honda if the price is right, but anything else is just asking for trouble in their minds.
So most people like the car they own, and they would buy another since they’ve had a good experience with this one. Then what makes a person actually consider going rogue and buying a new car from another brand?
Consumer Reports has done another survey and asked car owners to look at 13 options and decide which could convince them to switch car companies. The survey found that quality is a major concern in new car buyers, and 75 percent of people would switch car brands if they thought another was of higher quality. Gas mileage is another major concern, and 73 percent of people would switch car brands for a more fuel efficient vehicle.
Here are the rest of the results from the poll.
The percentage of respondents who could be influenced to change car brands based on specific factors.
MOTIVATING FACTOR | PERCENTAGE |
Higher quality | 75% |
Better fuel economy | 73 |
Lower price | 67 |
Better safety record | 65 |
More standard equipment | 62 |
Better overall reputation | 61 |
Lower-cost financing | 57 |
Free maintenance | 57 |
Generous trade-in allowance | 57 |
Bigger cash rebate | 48 |
Local dealership reputation | 47 |
Better styling | 46 |
Convenient dealership location | 37 |
What about you? Would you buy another car from the brand that you own now? What would another carmaker have to do to make you switch over? Would you buy a car just because the dealership is in your neighborhood? Tell us in the comments.
Like your friends, I’m a diehard Toyota guy. Even with the pedal problems, I’ll buy another for sure. The mark of a good company is its willingness to stand by its products and fix any issues a customer has, and Toyota has always done that for me. So what if a Gas pedal is broken? I can always put the car into neutral and coast to a stop, and I know that Toyota will fix this and any other problems I have on my 2007 Corolla, which is the fourth Toyota I’ve owned.
I might consider a Honda or a Nissan or a Ford, especially if the Focus is as good as everyone is saying it will be, but anything else is either out of my price range or has a bad reputation for reliability in my eyes.