Recently I have been putting a lot of thought into car brand loyalty. Primarily, because I feel like an anomaly in the sense that no matter what brand of car I own, I have yet to feel even an ounce of brand loyalty to any of the brands I have owned historically. I consider myself to be a "middle / upper middle class enthusiast" in the sense that while I have been obsessed with cars ever since I could drive, I have never been able to drive or even experience many of the cream of the crop brands that might actually justify brand loyalty (Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston, etc.). So for the sake of this argument, and in terms of what I feel knowledgeable enough to comment on, I thought it would be interesting to focus on mid-tier luxury cars (Merc, BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Lexus, etc.).
As someone in their 20s, I have been fortunate enough to have owned Audi, BMW (multiple), and Mercedes (multiple). As such, I feel I have developed a strong appreciation for what each brand does well and where they fall short.
I have primarily owned BMW, and therefore one could assume that I would be a loyalist. BMW is notorious for its cringe-worthy cult following, so surely I would be another one of the sheep, no?
However, I am actually least impressed with BMW, despite being a current owner and driving a respected model, the E92 M3. While I have found this car to be extremely impressive on and off the track, it has not increased my loyalty toward the brand whatsoever, as I primarily find it to be an anomaly. In other words, all the things the E92 does well, other BMWs (with a small exception) lack. I have owned a 5-series prior and been in virtually every single core model (3,5,7 series, x3, x5, x7, etc.), and generally have found handling to be adequate, suspension to be subpar (far bumpier even in comfort settings relative to Audi / Merc competitors), and driver engagement to be just a hair above Audi / Mercedes (allegedly what BMW is known for). And after owning a 5 series, I am shocked I even contemplated a second BMW, as that car was a transparent letdown. It felt like a 3-series at a higher price but with immaterial changes, but I digress. Mainly, the point I am trying to get across is that as I have owned multiple models from the same OEM, my loyalty has actually decreased.
Perhaps I am too jaded and it is merely time for an upgrade, but even if that were the case, I would never buy BMW again. In my opinion they have completely sold out, going from the mid-tier luxury enthusiasts brand of choice to an underwhelming blight on the car community known for making overpriced eyesores and for tinkering with ideas like monthly fees for heated seats. They have completely abandoned their mission statement, and every time I see someone in the newer M3/M4s, its the same douche bag IG influencer that has two tatoo sleeves and always has to talk cars with me. Further, the 3/5 series audience are the stereotypical middle manager finance douches, and it is certainly not a community I want to be affiliated with anymore.
I feel that I am an anomaly in the sense that most people buy one brand and stick with them consistently. Very few can actually say I've owned all three brands for years and can comment on how each fairs relative to one another. Therefore, the notion of being anchored to one specific brand is laughable. Its comparable to stating MS is the best top tier BB but, btw, "I've never worked at GS or JPM". Your opinion simply doesnt matter because you have no personal experience with the direct competitors' products. Sure, you likely watched a few Youtube videos, did some desktop research, but you cannot speak firsthand about the inherent benefits of one brand over another.
To dig deeper, every iteration (e.g., for the M3 think E30, E36, E46, E92, F80, G80) of each type (sedan, coupe, hatch, SUV) of vehicle at each price point (for BMW think 3-series, 5-series, 7-series) are so different that no one can possibly feel knowledgeable enough to opine on why one brand is consistently superior to the others. So in a sense you may have driven all of the big 3 German SUVs from 2015-2020, and even if you owned them all at the same time, that really only makes you a subject matter expert on a small sub-segment of vehicles.
Lastly, for anyone that actually has an impartial POV, surely you can recognize what each brand does well, no? Audi typically has the latest and best integrated tech, with Mercedes providing superior ride comfort and quality, even in their sportiest models, and BMW allegedly having the best handling and driver engagement. But then you have a myriad of exceptions. Surely the 2010 V10 R8 provides equal if not superior driver engagement, excitement and joy of driving to say the C63 AMG and E92 M3, no? And BMW's early 2000s 750LI must have rivaled the comfort level and smoothness of the S550 from the same era, no?
With that said, I feel like there is an extreme level of brand loyalty at the sort of upper tier (again, Ferrari, Porsche), etc. But I feel like the majority of the points raised above still apply. Most serious enthusiasts I know own multiple Ferraris, Astons, etc., they do not stick to purely one brand, that would be laughable. I suppose if you can only choose one, it would make more sense to have a high level of brand loyalty, but to do so would be ignorant, as you have likely never consistently driven the competition. How can you say your 911 Turbo (one of the greatest cars I've ever been in) is superior to the V10 R8, the Maclaren 570S and the other direct competitors when you have never in fact spent material amounts of time in these vehicles?
As I type this all out I realize it seems to be mostly word vomit, but I am hoping to gain other perspectives as there are surely a large amount of car enthusiasts on this forum.
I would be interested in WSO's perspectives on brand loyalty and why you are or are not loyal to any auto OEM
Peripherally related to this discussion, I have a pretty strong brand loyalty to Toyota and Subaru. Their cars have just treated me so well in the past and have lasted so long that I honestly felt a little bad buying my first luxury car.
Now, that I have a luxury car, I have some of the same underwhelmed feelings regarding their performance. I mean they're good but just not amazing. I'm honestly thinking of stepping down to a Toyota or Subaru for my next car. In the past, I've owned a Lexus which would seem like a good alternative but it had way more problems than my Toyota. Have known others with the same experience despite being the same manufacturer.
Not exactly the luxury brand discussion above but thought I would contribute these thoughts anyhow. I'm kind of over the luxury thing as I just don't think that I'm getting that much bang for my buck in terms of performance and quality. The premium price is probably 70% brand/prestige marketing.
+1 SB, I really like your response. I think you make a critical call out here, which is that when it comes to non-luxury cars, brand loyalty is 100% valid. You actually named 2 of my 3 favorite car brands from a loyalty perspective (third being Honda). My thought process at this point is very similar to yours, luxury is a scam and highly overrated, and I would be better off going back to a basic vehicle that is functional not exciting from one of the three aforementioned brands.
The reliability of Toyota and Honda specifically is insanely impressive. Their cars function well, can weather countless storms, and serve their purpose effectively for 200k+ miles. Those engines just don't deteriorate. IMHO, Germans have an overrated rep for making the best cars, and from a quality perspective, Japan takes the cake 10 out of 10 times.
Yup definitely. Another thing that was very eye-opening for me was looking an investor presentation from VW a while back. They had this great slide on profit margin by brand in their portfolio. As you can imagine, the luxury brands had a very large profit margin - the VW brand had a very thin margin. The thought that you are buying luxury for the brand and fluff quite literally proves out in the numbers.
If I backed out that extra "luxury" margin from my vehicle, I got to almost exactly what I felt my luxury car was worth in terms of quality and performance in comparison to a Toyota for example.
I have become relatively loyal to Lexus over the years. It's not so much that I love the brand and think their cars are superior from a style or performance standpoint. They just do everything I need them to do so well and their dealership experience is so much better than anything I've experienced elsewhere.
Right or wrong, I've always felt certain luxury brands to be relatively disposable (BMW, MB, etc.) because the out of warranty repair expenses eat you alive. It really takes away from the overall ownership experience. I don't have this feeling with Lexus. I can (and have) owned their vehicles for ~10 years and never really worry about them. My current Lexus is coming up on 100k miles and it still feels brand new. My wife's Audi (same year / similar mileage), feels like it's on its last leg and we are about to replace it. It's interesting - I actually liked our Audi more than our Lexus when we bought it, but that flipped as time went on and the Audi had all of these annoying problems.
+1 SB, totally agree. Can also agree on the quality of the Lexus brand. I think its because they are objectively superior from a reliability perspective. A friend currently has three convertibles, A. one with 200k miles, B. one with 80k miles, C. one with 3k miles:
Convertible A: Never once had an issue with the roof, and original engine still in tact.
Convertible B: Car has been undrivable twice due to roof issues, costly repairs, but original engine still in tact.
Convertible C: Car spent 6 months out of the first year of ownership in the shop because the roof refused to latch. Took engineers coming from all across the US to fix it, and still took months...
Guess which one is the Lexus? Spoiler alert, its Convertible A. Yes this is purely anecdotal, but just like the roof, the engine has never required meaningful work. Now that is a brand worth sticking behind. Come to think of it, I have 3+ friends who have all put 100k+ on their Lexus'. What other "luxury" brand can you say that about?
Agreed. Loved my Lexus I drove into the ground. I now have a 4 Runner and it has 120k mikes. It rarely has nothing wrong with it, runs perfectly and repairs are so cheap compared to luxury vehicles. Same with Lexus, given it’s a Toyota, it’s probably the cheapest luxury car to maintain.
How did you justify the gas mileage for the 4 runner? I keep going back to wanting it, but can't get over 10 mpg.
Solid take...your point about the generational model revisions making two of the same model completely different across years of production is very true.
I have a strong bias here but the only thing I'd mention is that Porsche, specifically with the 911, has generally kept their car the same in its most rudimentary characteristics like drivetrain layout, design, engine configuration, etc. since when it was first introduced in 1963. Huge asterisk here obviously, since the newest cars are forced induction and packed with tech, but if you took a guy from 1963 and time-traveled him to present day, I'd wager he'd be able to accurately identify a Porsche 992 on the street if you asked him what type of car it is.
One result of this is that they all kind of drive the same. The older cars are much slower and unevenly balanced compared to modern, but due to the configuration they all have a very distinctive characteristic when driven. It's kind of hard to explain but you've been in a Turbo, so you probably have an idea of what I'm talking about.
All that being said, it's a hypothesis for why there might be brand loyalty there. It's somewhat commoditized and people have a certain expectation of a relatively specific, timeless thing when they buy the car.
Who knows though
Appreciate the well-articulated writeup, and for what its worth, I am a bigger Porsche fanatic than I am a BMW enthusiast. I should have clarified that the 992 Turbo was the greatest car I've ever been in, and only further enhanced my appreciation for the 911 heritage. I think when it comes to that next tier of cars, and Porsche specifically, brand loyalty makes sense. I just cant say with a high degree of certainty because my income level does not allow me to obtain those types of vehicles.
In my humble opinion, the 911 and M3 are the two greatest street legal cars ever in production, and their rich heritage is what makes each iteration so exciting (exception being the G8x generation of the M3, part of the reason I so dislike modern day BMW). With every new 911, the seemingly perfect vehicle becomes even more refined, and they really age like a fine wine. I would absolutely kill for the 1982 911 Turbo, as the slant nose style has a special place in my heart despite some of the hate they have received.
I agree with all your core points and while I have only been in modern 911 Turbos and Carrera 4S', I hope to one day be able to appreciate some of the older models. As a child my Dad did own a 928 which I think is most comparable to the E90 M3 in the sense that you take two manufacturers well regarded as having the best I6 ICEs of all time and you let their engineers drink a little too much and pack each vessel with a whopping V8 but keep the weight low and whala, the 928 and E92.
I don’t disagree regarding Audi, BMW, and MB. However, I have a new 5-series and love it. I wanted a luxury sedan and tested all 3. MB was $15k more for the equivalent build, and the Audi A6 just didn’t fit me as good as the 540i.
Re: V10 driving better. Yes, but you can’t compare imo because that’s Audi’s flagship car that starts around $160k.
I personally feel Mercedes has been lacking. Interiors are always great, but the actual driving experience is not worth the inflated price (S class shits on 7 series and A8).
For BMW, I feel you have to add packages to get a more luxury feel. I added almost every package to mine and love it. Yes, the G30 is based on the 7 platform which makes it drive “bigger”, but I enjoy it as an executive sedan.
Regarding performance, M Series shits on the competition. I believe the M5 is the best sedan money can buy (and 540i is best non-performance sedan out there). I’m excluding Porsche, Bentley, etc.
My family’s bought over 10 Toyotas, but some small issues on a couple vehicles has pushed us away. Sequoia door locks going out cost $600 to fix, and it happens 4 times over the course of 4 years? Absurd.
My dad has driven Yukons for the past decade and they’re solid. A bit nicer inside than Tahoe, and more reasonable than another $40k to get an Escalade. If you don’t need the slave, X5 is a great SUV.
I think it comes down to personal preference. My Camry was much easier to change settings in than the horrible interface in BMWs, but for 3x the price, my 540i is still worth it imo. Great driving experience
If you can talk to older folks, it's interesting how people used to develop loyalty by working on their own cars. Back before cars were computers above all, you could (re)build the entire thing yourself if you were willing to put the time in. So a lot of older guys I know are Chevy men because their grandfather was, which made their father, and when they were a pipsqueak hanging around on weekends, they got excited to fetch the wrenches and fell in love too.
I agree with you that loyalty today doesn't make sense given how much inconsistency you'll experience within a brand.
At this point in life I'm in the logo range you mention not being able to experience yet. There's an interesting factor here worth sharing. Limited-production models have more demand than supply, so allocations follow brand loyalty.
You couldn't be considered for a Valhalla slot if you hadn't already bought a standard Aston Martin from a dealer. And for something like the DBS 770 Ultimate, you needed to have been a long-term customer.
Ferrari is notorious for this. It's such a joke, you need to buy four or more cars from them, including sometimes being pushed toward the undesirable models like that weird hatchback looking thing, to have a shot at their trophy vehicles.
So today I am loyal to my daily (I refresh it every two years) and am building relationships with the hypercar manufacturers.
Luxury brands may be nice, but nothing beats the feeling of the new Ram Longhorns. A Ram truck will eat anything you throw at it. It's a perfect workhorse and the company knows their customer (center console perfect size for a takeout container, sauce holders in the door panels, grab handle to hoist your fatass into the seats). I couldn't ask for a better truck.
I found Audi interiors look pretty/feel cheap (perhaps unless you really get into the higher class models?) and my girlfriend doesn’t like BMWs for the stigma so we’re kind of aligned on Mercedes for our next car.
We did look at Lexus last summer but the IS still has a CD player - interior desperately needs an update.
I don’t think I particularly have a cad loyalty but do lean away from American cars and more towards German and Honda/Toyota.
Same here I have zero brand loyalty. I am a huge car enthusiast but haven’t gotten the chance to drive a wide variety of cars. I have an 80s Mustang that I love, but I agree with your principle - I couldn’t say whether it’s better than the Firebird or Camaro of its generation. I haven’t driven those cars. At a surface level they look cool and have a lot in common - RWD, V8 in the front, mostly analog, etc.
My goal is to have enough money to rent a wide variety of cars. Only once I fall in love with the driving experience would I buy one outright. Would love to try a Huracan, 911 Turbo, and F12 to see if they are any good. Got to ride in a Huracan and a Corvette Z06 and they both blew my mind.
Very Loyal Acura guy.
The main reason is quality, reliability, and trust in the brand.
I have had 2 Acuras since 2001 and kept each over 10 years.
Only had one (non wear and tear) mechanical problem in those 22 years - my transmission failed in my 2001 Acura TL about in 2004.
Acura stepped up: admitted it was a widespread defect, took responsibility and fixed the defect, and finally extended the warranty on the transmission for 100,000 miles. Never had a problem with the transmission again.
THAT IS HOW TOU BUILD BRAND LOYALTY.
Other reasons I like Acura:
1) they hit the sweet spot of performance, reliability, and value (price).
2) Very similar value position to Lexus, but a bit cheaper, less nickle and diming on car features, and I the style is less geriatric
3) Dealership service experience. Nice place to wait for service and they ALWAYS have a loaner if I request in advance. The loaner is huuuuge.
Service experience is the main reason I wouldn’t downgrade back to the lower end brands like Honda and Toyota even though the price/value on those can be very compelling.
My 2012 MDX is nearing retirement age and I’ve been toying with checking out a German car next — but after seeing the responses in this forum I am more inclined to stick with Acura.
Also - how is MB such a top end luxury brand when I see them more than any other luxury tier brand? Looking at MB car models is probably the most annoying thing ever - who wants to have to parse out the differences between their 50 car models? And since the 50 car models they have all have different price levels - if you buy in the very expensive side - your brand is severely diluted by other people buying a similar model at a 50% discount. Stupid.
I’d never buy an MB for this reason.
I disagree about brand dilution. People who actually know cars know there is a huge difference between the C300 and a C63 AMG. I truly believe it’s not worth it to buy an entry level luxury car. I know a lot of people with C300’s and BMW 3 series. They do offer a more “refined” driving experience than a fully loaded Camry or Accord, but I don’t believe they’re a true representation of what the luxury brands have to offer.
I loved my Camry until it had issues. Since getting the BMW, I harshly judge other cars I drive. Driving my mom’s Honda is horrible - it’s a Touring edition, but the materials feel cheap. Biggest thing is the responsiveness. My BMW goes when I say go; no lag or anything (although driving in Comfort mode pisses me off as it has that auto start/stop on the engine). The Honda lags and has a much less refined driving experience.
I don’t mean to come off as a BMW douche, but it is just fun to drive. There is a reason expensive cars exist - they’re awesome. If you ever have the chance to drive a Porsche, do it. It completely shits on BMW. Porsche offers an even more refined experience. The handling is so smooth. Acceleration insane depending on model. The newer 911 Turbos are absurd.
I used to say buy a fully loaded Camry over a C300. I still argue that, but now will admit there is a huge difference between the “driving experience”. However, if you truly want to experience what luxury brands can offer, you need to start with at least an executive sedan.
How is this not absurd??
To be clear, I've driven Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, and Ferrari.
And as a matter of fact, the Mercedes S Class is the most wonderful thing i've ever driven.
I'm actually not knocking MB for the quality of their car - I'm knocking them bc if you believe you are "THE premium luxury brand" - then you shouldn't have lower priced models that compete on price with Acura (zero bells and whistles for MB priced at that level vs. all bells and whistles for Acura). Only destroys MB brand equity.
I mean, this is really stupid. All the E classes look identical on the road - but the price difference from low to high is over 40%
I have no brand loyalty. Since I got my license these have been the cars I have owned in chronological order:
1. 1996 Jaguar XJS
2. 2006 Lexus GX470
3. 2005 Infiniti G35 6MT
4. 2004 Volvo S60r 6MT
5. 2007 Audi RS4
6. - currently looking, leaning towards a 1995 540i 6MT, B8 Audi S4/S5 6MT, C5 Corvette, or 2004 VW R32.
Tangentially owned (ie by my family or my current fiance)
- 2004 & 2009 Infiniti FX35
- 2003 BMW 330i ZHP
- 2015 VW GTI
- 2006 & 2007 Mini Cooper Base
As you can see I've really owned a variety of cars aside from Italian brands. The reason I haven't developed brand loyalty is because I came of age in an era of decline for the true driving enthusiast. Manual transmissions are dying (especially on affordable sports cars), hydraulic steering is basically dead, and most cars are just appliances that are difficult to develop a connection with. There is no current automaker consistently making cars that I enjoy (unless you count Lotus I guess LOL). When I turned 16 in 2010 I was pretty firmly pro Audi and BMW because they still made cars with manual transmissions and interesting engines, but that has obviously changed with the new M2/M3/M4 being horrendously ugly and heavy.
That manual Audi s5 would be sweet
Yea if I can find one with the sport diff
Theres nothing special about owning a bmw, audi or a merc. Any geezer can own these cars, I've seen highschoolers own them. Even ig models have them. Why are you loyal to a brand that isn't even special? Buy an actual super car if you want loyalty and a "community"
I'm a big fan of Lotus cars. They are known as the most fun car to drive. I have driven an Elise, but really want to drive an Evora.
Eh not a fan of that. I almost got an Emira but couldn’t justify it. Nice car but it’s not as sporty as it looks and for the price, you can get an M4
Yeah Emira looks sick. The M4 is classic though I love that car.
Exceptional write-up, per usual. Hope you are doing well, always nice to see your tag pop up with a post such as this one.
Must say, agree with your primary points and have always felt that brand loyalty is a little silly from a luxury standpoint. The above commentators have already noted this, but I think brand loyalty stems from two primary factors:
Basically, those two points were just a reiteration of a) the obvious, and b) what everyone else said, so I'll give thanks to folks for that. The entire middle tier, however, yields a certain type of crowd that fails to calculate all the correct moves regarding loyalty to a brand. I can't say it's objectively stupid to ONLY drive BMWs and nothing else, because as [Arroz con Pollo] stated, it really just comes down to preference. What you want to drive is what you should drive, and that's cool!
I am now on my fourth car. Here's the list:
Now, I highlight those to say this - I feel like I am a car enthusiast, but when I look at the wealth of knowledge out there about cars I feel I've barely scratched the surface. I've only been to the track twice - was still in the 'Class D' which isn't fun (but hey, got bumped to 'C' for the next run). I've putten virtually zero mods on mine throughout eight months of ownership, save a short shifter. I like my car, but why would I rule out other brands? I know nothing. There are probably a lot of others in my driving level and car interest tier that have already tied themselves to a certain brand. I think it's silly.
To conclude, I guess this comment is really me spitballing and mirroring other people's comments, so if you've read this far - I'm sorry, maybe? Lotta rambling, LOL. But I think it's a great thread and holistically agree that brand loyalty is silly. I wonder what my next car will be - I intentionally did not buy a car for like ten years, even when I could afford it, and then in the past seven years I've been through four of 'em. I guess I can write two of them off to being totaled by people (and those people not being me), but still. I certainly didn't need a 405HP two-door six-speed sporty motherfucker to replace it! Just wanted one. Happy with my purchase.
Drive on, folks. Enjoy the weekend!
This is well said.
I will adjust slightly to say that for people optimizing for reliability and "bang for buck" (both are essentially optimizing for value) - car loyalty is rational as far as people can make rational judgments on those elements and those rational judgments can persist over time.
For people optimizing for excitement or performance - rational judgments start going out the window. It becomes more of a preference.
Do you like Macallan 18 scotch or a top notch Barolo wine better? There is no right answer, just preference. And those preferences can change over time...or can shift back and forth every day of the week!
Enjoy the M2...I have other priorities in luxury goods...but I'm still jealous!
Glad to hear you’re still enjoying the M2. I drove a 2023 M5 recently (and by drive I mean floor it and treat the road like a red-headed stepchild) and it’s a good thing I don’t own one, otherwise I would be public enemy #1.
Was just talking to my buddy who flew down for the week about performance cars and how there’s a very small window of their performance you can legally view.
Love the writeup Stonks1990, hope life is well on your end. I couldnt agree or even come up with anything material to add to your response, because I think we are that aligned.
Love the commentary behind your car ownership history, and those 4Runners really cant be topped. I am really thinking about going Japanese on the next car because their engines are bullet proof and you can put so many miles on them before anything major breaks. And if it does? No sweat, even the full engine can be replaced for a few thousand, unlike our vehicles, where the engine would cost 40-60% of the MSRP (my engine is probably closer to 75% of my car's value).
Did I mention it has depreciated 10-15k in the 10k miles Ive added to it? I hope your M2 is treating you far better than my M3 is, because that car has spent more time in the shop than I care to admit.
Have you thought about getting a second car? I am seriously consider not using mine as a DD anymore as I am accumulating miles quickly and candidly 90% of the driving I am doing is bumper to bumper highway driving. Seems like such a waste to throw miles on a car that is already gaining "classic" status when I am not even enjoying the drive, and further am averaging 12mpg.... Would love to hear your opinion, from one enthusiast to another.
Cheers brother
Love Acura. Seriously underrated.
I'm going to preface my disagreement by saying that 80%, maybe 90% of cars on the road are interchangeable. they will easily get you from A to B comfortably with everything that you could possibly need to bring with you. The average car trip in the US has something like 1.2 occupants, and a negligible amount of baggage. Most new vehicles can easily do 150+MPH and haul more than you'll need in all but five instances during 10 years of ownership. From the cheapest Daewoo to the most expensive Mercedes, they'll all be functionally equivalent. This includes hauling things. I've got a buddy with a 30 year old Ford Ranger that costs maybe $5k. He hauls more with it in the average month than most F250 owners will in the lifetime of the truck.
That being said, there are several, mostly niche manufacturers that have markets so nailed down that they deserve loyalty. For the longest time Jeep was that way with the Wrangler. It could barely carry a beer cooler, and was so slow and unstable that it could barely get out of it's own way. (I once slogged a manual 98 TJ with the 4.0 up 120 miles of the GSP. It would barely do 70mph, and constantly felt like it would flip. It also had possibly the worst manual that I've ever driven) HOWEVER, it was the ultimate off-road car. It would go over almost everything stock, took mods like they were designed for it, and if you rolled it, just roll it back over and keep on going.
Another example is Mazda with the Miata. They realized that the Brits & Italians* had been onto something with the lightweight, fun to drive little sportscar. Not too much power, perfect suspension, and cheap to own. The Brits & Italians had killed it off with rising weight, prices and "unscheduled maintenance."
Mazda nailed it in 1989. 100-200hp. <2600lbs. front engine, rear-wheel drive, great manual transmission and perfect weight distribution, along with a folding roof for under $30k. (inflation adjusted) It's outlived several competitors, and right now only the FRS/BRZ competes with it. I'm currently on my third Miata, (a ND) and am most likely to switch to a city car for a bit, then buy another NA when I buy a house upstate in a few years.
Fun fact: Out of every car under $250k offered in the US with both a 3-pedal manual and an automatic, the Miata sells the highest percentage of manuals.
See this is a brilliant retort, as my title suggests Car Loyalty is broadly unwise. As you dig in a little deeper, my initial post does suggest that from a mid-tier luxury lens, loyalty is unjustified (which based on your response I would assume you don't strongly disagree with).
With that said, I think you call out the inherent benefits of loyalty toward specific brands for specific use cases. This is where I wholeheartedly agree with you. When you want the vehicle that you have the most fun driving under 70 mph and for under $35,000, look no further than the Miata. If you want to offroad, you would be unwise to buy something other than a Jeep (perhaps a short list of other cars like the 4Runner or the G Wagon could be grouped in).
My core thesis really surrounded the standard, generic business man cars that so many on this forum either drive or seek to drive one day. In this sense, I merely wish to say, if you think one brand is so superior to another, prove it. BMW / Audi / Mercedes all fight for the same market share and provide synonymous products. What is strange though is that unlike in other industries, car enthusiasts love to pound their chests and claim with the confidence of an 18-year old boy drunk for the first time, "My brand is vastly superior and I can prove it". Cue the eye roll, because the variances between these three interchangeable brands is largely non-existent.
Lastly, if you are a true enthusiast, one should appreciate the value and the strengths of Audi, Mercedes, and BMW alike, instead of blindly taking a loyal position to one of the three synonymous brands.
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