What car brands have you been a repeat customer of, and why?

In a nutshell, consumers have their own set of reasons to purchase a particular car or a brand.

BHPian Emvi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Which brands have you been a repeat customer of? Would you recommend the brands to others for their purchase?

Brand perception is something that many of us, both on this forum and outside of it, have. This perception extends beyond cars and encompasses various products we use in our daily lives.

Returning to the topic of cars, whenever someone comes up with a thread sharing their ownership experience(usually negative), I notice people taking sides by either bashing the particular brand or fiercely defending it. I find this quite amusing, to be honest. Owning a car(or cars) is a matter of personal choice, similar to many other things in life. If someone is happy or unhappy with their car, I don’t see a reason why we end up vehemently criticizing or defending the brand. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there, people are often called names, ridiculed, and stereotyped based on their preferences. No matter the brand of car(s) you own, the way you drive or conduct yourself on the roads takes precedence over everything else.

IMO, brand perception plays a significant role in an individual’s purchasing decision. This perception can either remain true or change based on the ownership experience. Despite the multitude of online reviews available, personal experiences and word-of-mouth recommendations remain influential in shaping brand perception for many people. Reliability, safety ratings, build quality, ease of maintenance, and a few other aspects are commonly associated with different brands. These factors are subjective, and ultimately, what matters most is the peace of mind your purchase offers you or how satisfied you and your family are with the acquisition.

In a nutshell, consumers have their own set of reasons to purchase a particular car or a brand. Reasons might include- budget, use case, ease of maintenance, build quality, features on offer, fuel type, proximity of dealership, resale value, or simply Brand Perception. On this note, let’s focus on the main question:

“Which brands have you been a repeat customer of? And why?”

Here’s what GTO had to say on the matter:

Honda: The brand I’ve bought most. 1st-gen City Vtec, Civic & a used Accord. Nothing from their current portfolio interests me, other than the City. Sucks that this hallowed brand has completely exited the premium segments.

Mahindra: Because I love Jeeps! Have two Jeeps now, the 2023 Thar & a 1997 Classic.

BMW: Will repeat again. Love their engines, gearbox tuning, suspension & top-class reliability.

Mercedes: We have had 3 of their cars. Will repeat again, especially something like an S-Class or GLS.

Maruti: Had 4 earlier (two 800s, Zen, Esteem), but the last Maruti we bought was in 1996! The lack of good options in the 20-lakh and above segments is the reason. Even their top-of-the-line 1.5L motor is too boring.

Note: A poll has been added where you can vote if you are a repeat customer of a particular brand(s), intend to be one, or would recommend your current brand(s) to others.

Here’s what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

Been a repeat customer of Honda, Jazz 2012 followed by City 2014. Sadly, none of their current products excite me anymore. However, I will be happy to be a repeat customer of two other makes whose cars I own, Tata and Jeep, purely on merit of their current lineup. Also had a Scorpio for 15 years, I can definitely consider any current Mahindra.

This list will be dominated by Honda, Toyota and Maruti. The last Maruti we bought in the family was back in 2000, the original WagonR.

Here’s what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

Brands we’ve been repeat customers off, specially many years ago, are Maruti, Hyundai and Honda. Its just that they currently aren’t really active in the segments I actively consider and even if they were, there’s a high chance I wouldn’t pick offerings from Maruti at least.

Other brands I’ve owned just once are Nissan (Sunny), BMW (3GT) and Jeep (Meridian).

Based on my above experience, including perception of brands that I haven’t directly experienced, in a “2023” and forward looking context, brands I’d actively consider are as below:

BMW, Toyota and Honda (assuming Honda in particular only if it brings a product relevant to my use case – as of now I see nothing). Other brands I’d be very open to are Kia and perhaps some newer age EV brands like BYD and MG (but unsure). I doubt I would go to brands like Nissan / Renault, VAG, Jeep, JLR etc. If it comes to EVs, I may be more open to considering Tata and Mahindra as well (in that order) but I might still prefer MG / Byd in comparison.

I would be very open to Mercedes and Volvo but would be a bit concerned about upkeep cost of the Mercedes in particular and overall dealer / service footprint of Volvo. Again, this is based on second hand experiences and perceptions, not direct ownership.

Here’s what BHPian ABHI_1512 had to say on the matter:

To see Ford not listed in the list itself is a bummer. It’s a shame that Ford doesn’t sell new cars in India anymore. Have been a user of the first generation Figo and then upgraded to Ecosports diesel and have been a happy customer ever since. The frugal engines, brilliant after sales support and very competitive pricing of spare parts have made us- the Ford owners after 2010, a very hard to please bunch of car owners. A happy repeat customer of Ford here. Wish I could continue the trend but alas !!

Here’s what BHPian rrsteer had to say on the matter:

Toyota

Till a couple of years back I had an all Toyota garage – Innova, Etios & Hiace (bought in that order). Innova was later replaced by a Kia Carnival chasing better interiors, more luxury and space.
I can still be made to think I made a wrong decision by not getting a Crysta then.

The reason I trust Toyota is because of their reliability and excellent after sales service. As I have grown older and other responsibilities have taken preference, I have come to think of cars as essential tools more than anything else. I now hate to spend anymore time looking after them than it should be required (unless a special car or bought for a special need). Hence going against popular opinion of this forum – in my books I had blacklisted: Tata, Mahindra, VW and Skoda. Recently added Kia/Hyundai to the list.

Keyword: What car brands have you been a repeat customer of, and why?