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How Auto Makers Keep You Coming Back

The Wall Street Journal -- Auto makers are paying close attention to consumer attitudes about sticking with a brand, because loyalty isn't just an admirable personal virtue to them. It's money in the bank. That's something every driver should bear in mind when car shopping or wrangling with a dealer.

The latest R.L. Polk study of brand and vehicle loyalty in the auto industry, released last week, found that 48% of people who bought a car in 2012 bought from the same brand they were already driving. Polk says the three brands with the most loyal customers were Ford, with 61.2% repeat buyers, Mercedes-Benz (57.7%) and Toyota (54.4%).

Reasons for staying loyal can vary. For buyers across the vehicle and price spectrum, the top attributes that inspire a purchase include fuel economy, reliability and pricing,

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Submitted Jan 23, 2013 By: aservant

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Amplion Champion Author Oregon Posts:6,767 Points:1,865,060 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 24, 2013 2:55:30 AM Ignore Amplion Report Abuse GM, Ford & Toyota: I will never again buy. All three have problems with Realiability and safety. RWD CHRYSLER/DODGE & RWD BMW HAVE BEEN FAR SUPERIOR CARS FOR SAFETY & RELIABILITY IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE.
TurkishMan All-Star Author Dallas Posts:679 Points:137,475 Joined:Jan 2013	Message Posted: Jan 24, 2013 2:25:25 AM Ignore TurkishMan Report Abuse has a capacity
jethro5000 Champion Author Kentucky Posts:1,877 Points:391,235 Joined:Jun 2005	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 3:12:24 PM Ignore jethro5000 Report Abuse ford with 61.2% repeat business.... thats great!
berniMI Champion Author Flint Posts:7,683 Points:1,106,205 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 2:18:12 PM Ignore berniMI Report Abuse I totally with "Drahtlose" below, I have had many cars one I had for l8 years my Mom 'grocery' store car... that's all she went to a Buick, then, l kid drove it got their own car when to the next kid. sold it for $4,000.00 Yes, it was kept up very well. Yes, had the same mechanic that I do today, about 5 cars later. He's great and at least 1/2 price of service dept. of any Dealership.
BigKart All-Star Author Indianapolis Posts:770 Points:225,350 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 1:37:34 PM Ignore BigKart Report Abuse Ford has an incredible advantage with technology today. Compare Sync features with any other automakers. No comparison. Integration with that one little device that we're all addicted to: the smart phone! Ford's worst attribute: the dealership people who are still slamming customers like they all did in the "old days". I will drive 100 miles to avoid having to trade with my local Ford dealer. Manufacturers must think that the dealer is great, though, as he has Ford, Chevy, Buick.... almost all the US brands under his name in several surrounding cities. That says a lot about what the manufacturers value, and it's NOT customer service and loyalty!
doctorindyj Champion Author Santa Fe Posts:3,453 Points:839,810 Joined:Nov 2009	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 11:21:34 AM Ignore doctorindyj Report Abuse If they want people to come back they wouldn't pull some of the crap that some of them have pulled or tried to pull on me in the past. The negative experience I've had at one particular dealer put me off that brand forever. A little haggling whether I come out on top or not is fine but just outright being cheated is not.
BudsterMO Champion Author Kansas City Posts:3,710 Points:703,930 Joined:Aug 2009	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 10:33:02 AM Ignore BudsterMO Report Abuse Good.
PackerfanMN All-Star Author Twin Cities Posts:898 Points:270,875 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 10:24:49 AM Ignore PackerfanMN Report Abuse I think customer service after the purchase is more important than brand loyalty.
jeffbone Champion Author Virginia Posts:1,359 Points:400,670 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 10:16:19 AM Ignore jeffbone Report Abuse yes, but how many people would buy from the same dealer again...?
lpatti1 Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:10,201 Points:1,963,260 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 10:02:07 AM Ignore lpatti1 Report Abuse Yep! PLANNED OBSOLENCE!
erbyfub Champion Author Raleigh Posts:8,738 Points:1,678,110 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:58:06 AM Ignore erbyfub Report Abuse Yup, hOnda seems good
rbrk02 Champion Author Rhode Island Posts:5,736 Points:817,005 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:57:00 AM Ignore rbrk02 Report Abuse Ford keeps me coming back by being reliable and easy to maintain at the local repair shop.
cssco Champion Author Virginia Posts:7,326 Points:1,751,530 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:53:14 AM Ignore cssco Report Abuse Hey, yelobus @09:23:54, don't Dodge it, Ram it!
yanman22 All-Star Author Rochester Posts:601 Points:74,425 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:51:42 AM Ignore yanman22 Report Abuse I am a Ford guy, but if there is something better available I have no problem switching
cssco Champion Author Virginia Posts:7,326 Points:1,751,530 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:47:08 AM Ignore cssco Report Abuse Just knowing that Old Henry is in the ground look up and out for the owners benefit is a big comfort to many Ford Guys. [Edited by: cssco at 1/23/2013 9:47:55 AM EST]
Drahtlose Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:3,840 Points:1,007,330 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:46:26 AM Ignore Drahtlose Report Abuse Service and maintenance after purchase is not being mentioned. The lifetime of a car is 10 to 12 years. The manufactures give a monopoly on parts to their dealers. Even so, I have found a good repair shop I have used for 5 years, and they consistently charge half the price of the dealers. How bout some antitrust enforcement? How bout some standardized parts like the old round headlights? With all the computers, etc., I will carefully investigate the FULL life-cycle cost, including service, before buying. PS: Consumer Reports still puts Toyota first in reliability, though there are some competitors coming up.
mitchells Champion Author Montreal Posts:3,861 Points:1,125,110 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:45:23 AM Ignore mitchells Report Abuse From 1983 to about 1995, our family was a Honda family, buying about 5 cars over that time from Honda/Acura. All of them lasted about 9-10 years before we moved on to the next one. I broke the mold switching to an Audi, and it's now 12 years old. What makes me pick a brand? Well, I can tell you one thing, when I hear story after story, of people with American cars, where the dealers don't even blink at the thought of having to swap out the whole engine or transmission after 50-60k, that tells me a lot, like to stay as far away from them as possible. Sure, any car needs maintenance, and some things do wear out (alternators, brakes, etc). but a clutch, transmission, ENGINE, those are the critical big parts that should be strong enough to last a lifetime. Of course this is also reflected in the depreciation values, which is why not only are US cars cheap to buy, but they drop in value a lot faster than others. When I sold my '92 Civic after 10 years and 250,000kms, I still got about 30% of it's original purchase price back. How much do you think a 10 year old Cavalier was worth?
LK2FLY Rookie Author St. Louis Posts:57 Points:820,165 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:44:42 AM Ignore LK2FLY Report Abuse Oh, I'll come back. In about 10-15 years. If you still top the Consumer Reports list!
krobp46 Champion Author Milwaukee Posts:2,711 Points:541,095 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:43:58 AM Ignore krobp46 Report Abuse I see brand loyalists continually buying Toyota Camrys. This is like always getting a new version of a dated product
cableman31 Champion Author New York Posts:8,833 Points:2,016,800 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:43:26 AM Ignore cableman31 Report Abuse I was a die hard BUICK man. Since the bailout where GM screwed not only their loyal workforce but hundreds of thousands of loyal customers I have joined the rest of my family and became a FORD CUSTOMER. I now have a LINCOLN and plan to replace it this year with another LINCOLN. I only buy AMERICAN but I would buy a foreign car before I would touch CHINA-GM. Just a couple of months ago the CEO of CHINA-GM announced in a speech that seven out of every ten GM cars have a DIRECT LINK to CHINA, plus they invested a good part of their bailout TAXPAYER MONEY IN CHINA.
slgas Champion Author Houston Posts:6,030 Points:1,561,790 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:42:46 AM Ignore slgas Report Abuse Stick with a winner when you find one. Even works pretty well in the stock market.
EnviroChemist All-Star Author Oklahoma Posts:724 Points:209,860 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:40:46 AM Ignore EnviroChemist Report Abuse Brand loyalty, or creatures of habit?
techque Champion Author St. Louis Posts:8,655 Points:2,419,630 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:40:25 AM Ignore techque Report Abuse did they completely forget the relationship with the dealer? or just choose to ignore it??
Hangnail309 Champion Author Manitoba Posts:6,024 Points:1,677,180 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:39:08 AM Ignore Hangnail309 Report Abuse Not too surprising
rasprout Champion Author Tacoma Posts:3,367 Points:1,221,660 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:38:36 AM Ignore rasprout Report Abuse They have a thought here... I have bought 6 Chrysler because the cars I had were good and the dealer decent to us. We are only now thinking about making a change because the dealer has become rather slippery... good points!
dlemma Champion Author Wyoming Posts:4,106 Points:1,555,020 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:38:19 AM Ignore dlemma Report Abuse If the company continues to build safe, reliable and which have good fuel economy their customers will keep buying from them.
jimraehl Champion Author Utah Posts:7,064 Points:1,636,590 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:36:47 AM Ignore jimraehl Report Abuse I only bought two new cars, a Karmann Ghia in 1967, and a Maverik in 1969.
pumper9x9 All-Star Author Colorado Posts:660 Points:126,625 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:36:40 AM Ignore pumper9x9 Report Abuse all my vehicles are at least 10 yrs old and will probably remain that way for the rest of my life because I go for function more than form.
TBecker1415 Champion Author Missouri Posts:1,665 Points:348,715 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:36:25 AM Ignore TBecker1415 Report Abuse loyalty is what any and all business is looking for. If you don't have repeat customers, the business isn't going to be around very long.
Chadgas All-Star Author Missouri Posts:978 Points:2,174,700 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:34:41 AM Ignore Chadgas Report Abuse Never bought the two same makes in a row.
BigHorne1 Champion Author Missouri Posts:1,497 Points:296,775 Joined:Jul 2012	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:34:31 AM Ignore BigHorne1 Report Abuse interesting article, but variety is the main key.
yelobus Champion Author Houston Posts:5,599 Points:1,556,840 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:33:52 AM Ignore yelobus Report Abuse I'm a Dodge man but they renamed themselves as far as trucks are concerned. I'm looking at fuel economy in a new midsize truck. Hard to come by.
Rancher23 Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:3,193 Points:659,345 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:33:52 AM Ignore Rancher23 Report Abuse Make them sexy and Cheap and they will come!!
albert2008 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:7,352 Points:1,481,010 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:33:34 AM Ignore albert2008 Report Abuse good for ford
SnickersDog Champion Author Denver Posts:3,283 Points:680,985 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:33:04 AM Ignore SnickersDog Report Abuse Okay
AnObserver Champion Author New Jersey Posts:8,354 Points:2,257,780 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:33:04 AM Ignore AnObserver Report Abuse Repeat customers are an excellent incentive for manufacturers to build good cars
mikesr100 Champion Author Sacramento Posts:3,889 Points:1,079,855 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:32:27 AM Ignore mikesr100 Report Abuse I like my Jeeps!
alex395 Champion Author Louisville Posts:2,049 Points:276,640 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:32:23 AM Ignore alex395 Report Abuse Not me, currently own 4 Government Motors vehicles. Will never buy Government Motors again. Obama and his union cronies can take my bailout money but they can't make me a buyer again.
mmcentire Sophomore Author Arkansas Posts:129 Points:334,600 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:32:06 AM Ignore mmcentire Report Abuse ok
dgracing318 Champion Author Georgia Posts:1,021 Points:465,515 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:30:57 AM Ignore dgracing318 Report Abuse Ok
Janetique Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:1,134 Points:745,665 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:30:55 AM Ignore Janetique Report Abuse Build a quality product that is comfortable and reliable; you will have loyalty.
Rich_pa All-Star Author Cincinnati Posts:941 Points:212,485 Joined:Oct 2012	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:30:17 AM Ignore Rich_pa Report Abuse Living in a GM family and getting that discount helps.
ruca2012 Champion Author San Diego Posts:1,064 Points:213,190 Joined:Oct 2012	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:29:43 AM Ignore ruca2012 Report Abuse they are right I would buy another car of the same brand, too bad it's not Ford.
gvan Champion Author Chicago Posts:21,526 Points:2,836,065 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:29:01 AM Ignore gvan Report Abuse It isn't definite yet but I'll probably buy another GM vehicle because of the GM credit card earnings. Typically, I'll have around $2,000 credit towards a new GM vehicle and they will round it off to $3,000. Hard to turn down a $3,000 discount in addition to any rebates and dealer discount off the MRSP.
LarksNY Champion Author Albany Posts:1,404 Points:635,390 Joined:Jun 2006	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:26:31 AM Ignore LarksNY Report Abuse Build crap that forces us back time and time again??
jcotaxi Champion Author South Bend Posts:1,755 Points:359,105 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:26:21 AM Ignore jcotaxi Report Abuse Loyalty is based in trust. You have to give a loyal customer a reason to not return. But when you do, don't expect any surprises.
Wizrd03 Champion Author Illinois Posts:8,152 Points:1,632,335 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:26:15 AM Ignore Wizrd03 Report Abuse Why ruin a good thing by switching if you're satisfied?
TxMtb Champion Author Ohio Posts:1,535 Points:343,355 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:25:39 AM Ignore TxMtb Report Abuse They have to maintain that customer satisfaction, there is a lot of competition that is just waiting for someone to be unhappy.
jwalkerh Champion Author Louisiana Posts:6,132 Points:1,368,945 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:24:24 AM Ignore jwalkerh Report Abuse If the price is right and it's reliable, it's a winner.
lindalm25 All-Star Author Indianapolis Posts:540 Points:145,350 Joined:Dec 2012	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 9:23:26 AM Ignore lindalm25 Report Abuse Not too surprising