How often car buyers buy
1. Same brand cars [as their previous one]
2. Same/different brand but from same garage/dealer?
Just trying to figure out whether it makes sense for dealers to keep loyal customers or just try to grab new customers.
PS: Recently I went to same dealership (looking for same brand) to buy my car but as they didn't have anything in my budget and liking, I ended up buying a different brand from different dealer.
Last edited by: movilogo on Thu 24 Jun 10 at 14:05
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From a customer viewpoint, we've always gone for what we think is the best deal at the time. The order of our new cars has been Nissan (five - two from one dealer and three from another), Honda, Toyota (two - both from different dealers), Nissan, Honda, Nissan, Mazda (two), Toyota, Mazda and Toyota. The three Mazdas have been purchased from the same dealer. The latest two Toyotas have been purchased from the same dealer - but one which is 20 miles away, as the Toyota dealership in Birmingham has not followed up on test drives.
We're currently looking to swop a Mazda, and have been offered a 'loyalty bonus' on top of our part exchange. However, if we get a better deal elsewhere, we'll go with that.
Last edited by: Auristocrat on Thu 24 Jun 10 at 14:18
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In the last 30 years
2 Fords, 2 vauxhalls, 2 Renaults, 1 fiat, 1 BL, 1 Peugeot, 1 VW, 1 Seat, 1 Mitsubishi.
No loyalty here.
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Im not loyal to a brand or a garage although our local Daihatsu dealer has provide near faultless service to me an my family for the last 8 years, so id never hesitate to buy from them.
Im only loyal to reliability, in whatever make and model that can be found as I cant abide a car that cannot be relied upon, be in a new car or an old banger. For that reason I often find myself driving something from the East.
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Having experienced indifferent dealers from time to time, I'd definately be prepared to pay a bit extra for decent service.
We bought our Honda from the best small dealer in the country (according to the auto express survey at the time). Paid a hundred or two over the lowest broker price for the benefit of a local highly rated dealer. And three months later they switched from Honda to Citroen!
I'd have been willing to go back to them time after time when they sold Honda. But I didn't want a citroen. Interestingly, it remained an authorised Honda service agent so we've been able to have the car serviced there and they've been good despite the fact that they're clearly not going to sell us another new Honda. And we've repaid that by sending the car to them for servicing each year despite it being well out of warranty now - the care they put in is worth the extra cost.
I have shares in my local toyota garage (15% discount on parts and servicng at Inchcape if you have enough shares). And they've been good too. I'd willingly buy another one from them. But rather than blinkered loyalty, its more that I'd get the best broker price and invite them to match it. And do a deal if they got close enough. And again, my car is now out of warranty but they'll continue to get the service.
The dealer I bought my bike from didn't impress. So I now use a different garage. One I trust completely - they could have ripped me off when it was running poorly but they didn't. So I've now been going there for three years.
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>> How often car buyers buy
>>
>> 1. Same brand cars [as their previous one]
>> 2. Same/different brand but from same garage/dealer?
>>
I think you have to ask why they are changing cars ?
If it's because they don't trust the brand and/or dealership then 2 is unlikely.
1 is unlikely if their requirements have changed.
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I have immense affection for the Fiat Panda and have now bought 2 4x4 versions in a row, along with a 1.1 Active for my daughter. I'm trying to persuade my son that he would also like a Panda but it does not fit his image.
I don't, however, have much brand loyalty towards Fiat. In fact, I think my loyalty is to the Tychy factory in Poland where the Panda is built and I would consider buying a Fiat 500 or new Ford Ka from the same factory. I would be put off buying the Panda if production moves to Italy, as is planned.
I have no loyalty to a specific dealer for purchasing my cars, I go for the best deal possible. However I am loyal to a local garage for servicing and repairs as they seem competent and charge fair prices. Strangely, although this garage is still able to offer Fiat servicing and warranty work, they no longer sell Fiats. Therefore, I do not feel any guilt about relying on them for after sales service when I have not bought from them.
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I loved my Renault Laguna's - when they worked.
As such I will never by a Renault ever again.. no loyalty there
I have had 3 Vauxhalls that have gone on to do starship milages - if the Vectra will follow suit, then ill be very happy - loyalty present
Last edited by: Redviper on Thu 24 Jun 10 at 20:25
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My loyalty is to my wallet and peace of mind..
So Renaults are out as are Mazda diesels and Fiats
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We've been happy with Mercs and Citroens and so tend to look at their offerings first when we are in the market for a new (used) car. But there is only 1 dealer where we've bought from more than once.
I go where the best deals/service are and tend to find dealer's prices are more driven by what deals they want to clinch that month rather than trying to get a repeat sale from a previous punter.
Having said that I remember Dad bought a string of cars from Roy Chapman in Berkhamsted through their various change of franchises (Peugeot, Citroen, Renault)
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I was a settled owner of Nissans for years until I last changed cars. I had a Primera which had been brilliant, but Nissan stopped making it. They offered me a Qashqai instead. I know that it is a good car, but it is not my cup of tea.
Got a BMW instead. Not happy with it despite the fact that it has never missed a proverbial beat. Still looking for a company to "belong" to. Swaying strongly towards Audi, at the moment but a big fan of unsung heroes like the Mondeo and Octavia.
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I also switch brands. In the last 5 years or so:
1 Peugeot, 1 Mazda, 2 Fords, 1 Renault, 1 Volvo, 2 VWs. I'd have any again, but not a Renault out of warranty.
We tend to buy whatever car suits us at the time, and keep a fairly open mind about make/model. In fact, I genuinely don't think there is a make of car I would rule out on badge alone.
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I'm not loyal to any particular brand but I've had generally good experiences with VW, Ford and Vauxhall so they would be on my shopping list. Renault and jaguar however would not!
Even though my VW is fine, I still wouldn't use the same dealer again
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I like to use local good dealers but failed spectacularly to buy a new 5 series touring from my nearst BMW dealer.
Hopeless on the sales side with no calls returned and a quote not forthcoming after weeks, so in exasperation I went to the one in Tunbridge Wells who had the quote with me in two hours. Some small haggling later I had a deal that matched a broker's price that I used as a benchmark. That was 2 years ago and although I could go to my local for the servicing I choose to stay loyal to Tunbridge Wells in recognition of the excellent sales service I got. In fact using them is a pain in the rear end as they are 45 minutes away from home as opposed to the 5 minutes of the other dealer, but I choose to do this on a point of principal that I won't give a penny to the local company. I am sure I am not the only one who does this kind of thing.
With regards to brands I started by buying whatever I could get with some MOT for £100 when I started driving in 1987. Fiat 127, Citroen GSA (favorite car when it wasn't broken down), Astra, another Fiat 127, then got a bit more money to spend with an old Cavalier, Mondeo, 2 x Capri's for fun, Company Escort, then Mondeo, then Volvo S60, current BMW 5 series Touring and Jag XJ-S for fun. My wife has had a Mini, a Lada estate, my cast-off Cavalier and Mondeo, a Fiesta and now a Nissan Almera.
No brand loyalty at all. What looks good, goes well and suits the budget and does the job needed at the time is my criteria.
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We just swapped a Honda Jazz for a new on at the same dealership.
Never replaced like for like before, but I felt obliged to as the Jazz has been faultless and the dealer has been pretty good (not that they've had to do much). Not even sure we go that good a deal, but at least I didn't have to traipse around a load of dealerships.
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Ok so that's a good discussion point Bill. Absolutely not expressing an opinion here but can I ask why you did that please ? Presumably it cost you something to do it and what you have now is more or less exactly what you had before. As you point out, the old one was not misbehaving and had you simply saved the money, it ( the money ) would not have begun to depreciate and may even have grown a bit despite everything !
Just curious / nosey you understand !
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No doubt BP will tell us himself but from previous threads I think you'll find it was Mrs BP who wouldn't have anything else.
Same chez Avant too - we tried lots of cars before settling on SWMBO's first Mini, but for her second and third nothing else would do. She has no regrets - and since I agree with her and Minis hold their value better than almost anything else, nor do I.
Generally as regards loyalty, the dealer can be as important as the car. I had seven company Renaults in succession between 1980 and 2001, partly because they were reliable, good to drive and there was always one to fit our growing family; partly also because of the excellence of Cross Roads Garage in Oxfordshire.
Since then, with a job that pays better but doesn't come with a car, I've had cars that hold their value, which sadly big Renaults don't. VAG command my loyalty at ther moment - four good ones so far.
Last edited by: Avant on Fri 25 Jun 10 at 23:04
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>> No doubt BP will tell us himself but from previous threads I think you'll find
>> it was Mrs BP who wouldn't have anything else.
>>
It not that she *wouldn't* have anything else, but she just had no particular interest in looking at other cars - it's just a car to her.
To answer Humph's question - we changed an old model Jazz for new model, although I've made the point in other threads that I think the old one was better/more suitable to everyday city use.
It's a testament to the old Jazz that I was convinced it was 5 years old and it was only when booking it for service that it became apparent it was 6! At that age/mileage the service is a few hundred pounds, plus I was getting concerned that the gearbox bearings (a known pervious Jazz issue) where getting noticeable. Also a/c can be a suspect. As I'd literally spent nothing on the car other than servicing & tyres I decided to change it at that point - if I'd been hit with a couple of repair bills then that would have changed the economics considerably.
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>> >> No doubt BP will tell us himself but from previous threads I think you'll
>> find
>> >> it was Mrs BP who wouldn't have anything else.
>> >>
>> It not that she *wouldn't* have anything else, but she just had no particular interest
>> in looking at other cars - it's just a car to her.
>>
>> To answer Humph's question - we changed an old model Jazz for new model, although
>> I've made the point in other threads that I think the old one was better/more
>> suitable to everyday city use.
>>
My MiL was a fleet manager for a company and vowed never to buy French again after several very poor Renault's.
She then ran a Pug 306 as a company car (inherited) and subsequently private car without fault. We have a Citroën C4 GP and though it has had 1 problem has been repaired, no question, so we would replace like with like if we still require the same in 2011.
Meantime I might become a CEO, get a Murciélago and SWMBO will have a BMW X5 or Audi Q7 complete with big FO sunglasses.
Last edited by: gmac on Sun 27 Jun 10 at 18:52
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>> We just swapped a Honda Jazz for a new on at the same dealership.
My wife's Jazz in now 5 years old. I offered to swap it for a new MX-5 and she declined. She likes the Jazz too much.
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1. Mrs H and I have had 19 Citroens between us. When it's time for a new car we have tried other brands out of sheer bloody-mindedness to do "due diligence" but still come back to the old marque. The story of our search for a replacement for Mrs H's AX would be epic. Suffice it to say that it involved lack of interest and lack of phone calls and, at one dealer, outright rudeness, but that was years ago (2002).
2. The local Citroen dealer became a Kia dealer for a while as well and then closed down so we're faced with the prospect of trying to buy from one of the ex-dealer's ex-salesmen (if that makes sense) who has now set up as an independent. Plenty of life left in the C3 and the C8 yet thank goodness.
Now, a question. Who actually enjoys the car-buying process and its associated waste of time and silly gamesmanship? I don't any more.
Last edited by: Webmaster on Mon 12 Jul 10 at 00:38
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>> Now, a question. Who actually enjoys the car-buying process and its associated waste of time
>> and silly gamesmanship? I don't any more.
>>
I never thought this day would come, but ...... I completely agree.
The buying of a replacement motor used to be a pleasure to be savoured. The initial research, the weighing of possibilities, the reading of brochures, visits to dealers to see the cars in the metal, the test drive .......
...now they are all just a big chore.
I must be getting too old. :-(
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>> >> Now, a question. Who actually enjoys the car-buying process and its associated waste of
>> time
>> >> and silly gamesmanship? I don't any more.
I do!
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I certainly don't.
After months of wondering what to do about the time when it necessary to replace the Prelude with a practical car I have finally decided I might buy a nice Renault 4.
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Loyalty of car buyers - Auristocrat
