Hello all, this is a genuine interest thread, as the title says, what are your automotive allegiances?
We’re nearly all car people around these parts, and I figure we all have our own preferences and buying habits, be it that you will only buy Hondas, you will only buy Castrol oil or Brembo brakes. Brand loyalty is still a thing, whether it’s a bad idea or not. I want to know what you go after and why, what makes you, whether it’s some interesting back story or that they’ve just been good to you, whatever.
Also to be clear - this is not a place for people to crap on other’s preferences. No arguments please, no negative comments about why other people are wrong in your opinion or whatever, they will just be deleted.
That said, let’s go, I’ll start with an obvious one below.
By this point, even those people who have only known me for 30 seconds will know I’ve passed the point of a healthy enjoyment of Toyotas. They’re a huge part of my life, they just do something for me that I’ve not found in many other things.
I’m not really talking about the hero cars here like the Mk4 Supra or the 2000GT either - as much as I love those, I’m talking your average Corolla or Yaris. Most have no airs or graces, they’re not trying to be something they’re not. They’re built to be reliable above all else, and they feel plucky, as if they’ll take on anything and come out the other side the better for it. Sure, they might not always hit the mark, you get odd blips for the most part like the early ZZ oil burners but generally across the board, they’re tanks. (inb4 someone brings up my Corolla - it’s never actually left me stranded!)
I got into them because they were what my Dad always had, sick of the lack of reliability of BL and Fords in 1985 he bought a Corolla GL, and has had nothing but Toyotas since. Corollas through Carinas, Avensis’ and now the Auris. He is one of the stereotypical Toyota buyers, he buys them because they just get on and do what they do with the minimum of fuss and running costs. He also once brought a G6 home as a courtesy car that the local dealers had decked out in the Castrol livery, when the Corolla WRC was doing it’s thing. As I child I didn’t really care if it was only the 1.3, it looked the part to me, hence why I went after E11s years later.
I find I like the quality of dependability over many other things in a lot of products, and I guess that’s what draws me to them above all else. Plus, I was an impressionable 11 year old when Top Gear tried to kill the Hilux and that just cemented them in my mind as what I always wanted to own.
Bonus photo: That Hilux looked vastly worse in person, 13 years later. They hide it in a giant glass cabinet now but this is how it was in 2016.
I’ve loved BMW’s since young, young childhood. My mother got a BMW X3 to replace her 323ci when I was born, and according to them I would go into the garage at 3 years old and just look at the cars - including the X3, a Jaguar S-Type 4.0, and Porsche 997S. (Not a bad menagerie at all.)
Since then my father has owned an F10 535i and since recently an M4. My mother replaced the X3 with an F15 X5. BMW’s were a huge part of my childhood and adolescence.
I test drove what will likely be my first car today - a 2017 M240i, Estoril Blue with a 6-speed manual. (First time driving stick, I only stalled once! ) I’m in love. Bright blue, inline-6, 3 pedals - it feels like me. My goal in life is to be an engineer for BMW, and maybe convince them to hold onto the stick shift for a while longer.
Good! I can finally cement my insanity into the forums without getting shat on for it!
I have an unhealthy allegiance for Chrysler Group stuff. A lot of it has to do with how much I rode in them growing up, my grandparents owned exclusively Daimler-Chrysler, we have a 2008 ‘Cifi and a 2010 T&C — both with the exact same powertrains — and my mother had a 1996 Grand Caravan LE for 90% of my early childhood, and I shed a tear when it’s transmission blew.
Speaking of, I will happily admit they’re not well built all the time. Though I’ll defend their better models ;))
They just have character to me. I’ve compared them to Alfa Romeo in that they all have a personality, and they aren’t just appliances (though unlike Alfa’s they aren’t drivers cars or exceedingly beautiful).
I’ve always been a Chrysler fan though ironically I’ve never actually owned one. Closest would be my 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer but that was AMC at the time. No complaints about my '94 Taurus SHO or '03 Crown Vic though.
I love old citroëns, espacially the BX.
A lot of people in france would just smirk at my taste but I’ve always been a fan of wedge design. The BX is really a quircky car, typical of Citroën. But this one is also a really Design masterpiece in my opinion. This car was thought to be stricking and modern. 4 disk brakes, hydropneumatic suspension, ergonomic dashboard and a rust-proof chssi with partial composite panels making this car even more rust resistant and light.
Hey aunt and uncle both have a Pacifica Limited and I thought they were nice. Odd thing to point out I guess but they had some of the thickest doors I’ve ever seen.
So for awhile there, I really wanted to get my hands on a Lincoln LS. I just really liked the clean look inside and outside, and it was pretty sporty with a Jaguar V8 and double wishbones all around. Alas it hasn’t happened yet and i got a seville instead. Anyway Lincolns seem to be somewhat quietly some of the coolest luxury cars around. The 60s and 70s were nutty but imo Lincoln has modern design nailed lately. I’ve never been in a lincoln or know anyone who has ever owned one, so I guess they have a bit of mysticism for me. Could be a case of “don’t meet your heroes”
I know this is not by choice, but I really rate Denso air-conditioning system. No matter what car they’re in they always work great, cost reasonable amount to fix, and never really go wrong before they should. Their other (especially cheaper alternative like cool-gear) components are just average. But the air-con system is great.
Also, Toyota Genuine Parts. Always go with them if possible. Toyota is dependable because their components usually are.
I think mine were pretty obvious too, but here it is anyway:
I own a Honda Civic hatch. It’s probably the Civic that’s one of the worst at being a Civic of the ten generations, but it has its definite upsides (one of which I’ve been heavily utilising as I’m in the process of furnishing an apartment with Gumtree finds). It’s also been reliable as anything and never caused me any unscheduled problems in the near 7 years I owned it and so this has become a bit of a standard which I’m willing to uphold even with an increased service schedule (and expensive OEM brake pads Jesus).
Considering my other experiences with cars that I’ve either owned, driven, or have been in the family, the Honda experience stacks up better for me than I’ve had with Nissan, Mitsubishi, Holden/GM, Ford, Renault, Citroën, Proton, Hyundai and even (to a smaller extent) Toyota. I can find upsides to some of those other companies but also mostly some downsides. And furthermore I just don’t have any interest in the luxury brands so while I do have an uncle with a Mercedes and it’s his pride and joy I have to admit I’m just completely meh about it.
So the Honda’s been rock solid, and that they have extremely high customer retention rates (like 92%) is no surprise. They’re habitually underrated in Australia, and tend to be judged pretty harshly by Australian reviewers who appear to be all obese and boring and on VW’s payroll, but that’s fine by me as if I do have my way I’ll be going after that FK8 Type R as soon as it won’t destroy my bank balance and cause me to redraw from my mortgage but not the 2020 facelift thanks I think that looks even worse lmao
Now the funny thing about this is that my fianceè has an allegiance of her own. It’s to the Toyota. Prius. In fact it’s a family thing, to the point she drives one because her dad impulse bought a 2017 model while having his 2008 model serviced this is what his wife gets for leaving him alone for five minutes to get coffee at the Toyota dealership. I have tried to explain to her the looming disadvantages of the Prius (despite admitting that they surely have improved in ride quality). She has grudgingly agreed that if the lithium mining issue doesn’t create a larger environmental footprint that she would consider A Different Toyota That Is Not The Prius if it’s zero emissions. She has also reluctantly agreed to let me indulge myself in my turbo fuck-off tyre smoking Hoonda if our other car is zero emissions. And one of her best friends just got a Hyundai Ioniq and has been raving about it so maybe there’s hope yet to break the Prius curse.
…so I’m working on convincing her that the Honda E would eventually be the perfect fit
I’ve always loved the aesthetic of the Toyota Land Cruiser (and Prado variants)/Lexus LX. They just look so badass, and the idea of owning the big beefy SUV with the underpinnings of a rhino on steroids has always been in my mind. I love how they’ve been built to last for decades and can be thrown at any terrain unscathed.
I remember trying to look for a land cruiser while browsing for a first car then realizing it probably wouldn’t be a good idea considering I’ll be measuring fuel economy in gallons per mile. Also the fact that my typical off roading is the piles of unplowed snow on the local roads. As badass it would be to bring one on a ski trip with all the big offroady bits, I really don’t need one.
Pretty Obvious What i Like. IVe always Had a Love for BMC/BL/ARG/RG/MGR. But I also Have a soft spot for the Companies that Would eventually end up as The Talbot division of PSA. My Family have preferred the produce of austin, or rover. With my Grandma having owned Mini’s, Metro’s Maestro’s and the smaller rovers. My uncles owning Not one but 6 early 1990’s diesel Landrover discoverys. My dad Owning a v8 Discovery and Now me With my Little Rover 100 Ascot SE 1997. Ive always been fascinated with the History and heratige of those Often derided BL marques, Triumph, Morris,Wolesley,Austin and the rest. All of the ‘What might have been’ projects that never saw Prouction. The alternate Proposals for cars suck as the tr7, Princess and Allegro. Those Best selling cars Like the Metro, Mini and Ado16 and their sucess stories. The BMC years where British cars seemed to be the embodiment of technical Innovation during the 40’s with hydrolastic suspension and TIS FWD. the industrial Disputes and EVentual nationalisation in 1974. Owning a Longbridge car isnt easy, when i got my little metro the waterpump FAILED within a week and the Hydragas Suspension Needed pumping up not long afterward. It is hard owning a car as tempramental as that . I love that quirky little car to bits. and even though it has rust nigh onevery panel , a leaky sunroof ,bouncy suspension, a radio cassette player that seems to be on strike and a glovebox that flies open every time i go over a speed bump, i would not trade that little car for
anything. Its my First car and something im sure everyone can relate to, the first car is always the favourite, the one that sticks in your mind.
I like anything insanely over the top with a V8 or better. TVR, Marcos, SSC, stuff like that. If it screams bloody murder and annihilates tyres, I want it.
Same with me but I prefer my V8s to be normally aspirated - there’s something very appealing about the scalpel-sharp throttle response and primal soundtrack of an atmo V8 - especially if it’s the wonderful flat-crank V8 from a 458 Speciale, whose engine surely ranks as one of the greatest ever made (and will always be my favorite performance car engine of all time). No wonder it’s a surefire classic now, even though the newest examples are no more than five years old.
Sadly, the quest for raw pace and reduced emissions has almost consigned normally aspirated performance car engines to the history books, but they’re not going down without a fight - and some maverick specialists are doing all they can to make sure they all go out with a bang.
This will probably come as a surprise to some of you but here goes nothing.
Most of you know for brash big B’Muican Barges but god I would not own one, Well maybe a few but only as a collector vehicle, and with this I have little respect for the modern brands of these barges like CB said modern Lincoln are just hot asf. But one of my strongest brands to me is Toyota and ofc Lexus. I’m not sure what it is about Toyota but it just appeals to me, after owning a Rav4 Giants Edition for a short time (a very very short time) it just grew more and more on me. There’s just something nice about semi-utilitarian design. With my love for Volvo comes my next major purchase that will be happening and that’s gonna be a LS400 cause I love me some comfy Japanese HMMMMMM.
Another brand I love and adore is Volvo and it’s again one of them I just love that utilitarian form follows function of sort of Volvo of the past. Though neither of these I don’t think I was ever exposed too as a kid, all I remember from growing up and well still is shitty Vauxhalls and a “”“wonderful”"" chevrolet Lacetti estate that my dad still thinks is the beez kneez but i’ll leave him to his litte world!!
At the moment, I don’t really have any brand allegiances. My current (and first) car is a 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec in black. It is currently serving me well, thought at 95,000 miles, the power steering pump is giving up the ghost (though not yet gone completely, thank god).
I also have a big love for Minis (original and modern), which stems from the first time I ever watched the original Italian Job. Watching the smol British icon tear up the streets (and not streets) of Turin with Michael Caine, cemented my love for the cute little boxes.
Cars I want to own in the future consist of a Mini Cooper, Saab 9-5, Subaru Impreza and a 1990 Mk3 Ford Fiesta XR2i.
If we are talking trucks, though, it is Scania all the way. Their designs are great and the DC16 V8 is one of the best sounding diesels ever produced, especially with an open pipe. Unpopular opinion: The NGT cabs are not that bad looking.
So yeah, not yet found my firm allegiance. Give it some time and I may revisit this.
I obviously have some degree of affinity to Honda. They’re almost as consistently reliable and easy to work on as Toyotas while also consistently being more fun to drive in my opinion.
For other makes, I tend to like 90s-early 2000s Toyotas, DSM era Chryslers/Mitsubishis, pre-2006 GM cars, pre-2005 Fords, and Mazdas.
As far as other preferences, I generally prefer older and more mechanically simple cars. Even on my Accord, I purposefully picked a model without keyless ignition. Of course I’m also a diehard manual guy. I can still respect a good automatic, but given the choice, I’ll always opt for the manual.
) I’m in love. Bright blue, inline-6, 3 pedals - it feels like me. My goal in life is to be an engineer for BMW, and maybe convince them to hold onto the stick shift for a while longer.
but not the 2020 facelift thanks I think that looks even worse lmao
