Do Lower Mainlanders really have no loyalty towards the US/Canadian auto industry?

[Harvey Specter]

I was over on the Camaro forum and I came across this comment regarding the Genesis coupe;

When I first heard about this car they were talking about the V8 being in it but then it was dropped. Don't know why.

I'm not considering this car. I really don't like the way it looks.
I just thought I'd post this because I can tell you out where I live on the coast in B.C. there are a lot of people who feel no loyalty to the US/Canadian auto industry and there are many of these people who are considering this car and not considering a Camaro at all. I've had friends visit from back east and they can't believe the number of imports around here. We don't have any factories around here and we have a lot of Asian immigrants. Add in the domestic's quality rep., even if not valid nowadays and you end up with this situation.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13528

I really don't understand the loyalty nonsense in general. Toyotas are built in Canada so aren't we supporting Canadian workers? I just find it funny how people are quick to judge someone who buys an import over a domestic. I doubt most people are thinking about the loyalty factor when they walk into a dealership, the only thing on most people’s mind is what car fits their budget and needs and what car manufacture can offer the best deals.

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

or watever doesnt break down, certain brand image, quality, best bang for the buck, resale. styling, power, performance

[Great68]

I have a couple uncles that have bought GM trucks all their lives, and will continue to buy GM trucks for as long as GM makes them.

[GLOW]

yes

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by Jah Al Zawahiri

I really don't understand the loyalty nonsense in general. Toyotas are built in Canada so aren't we supporting Canadian workers? I just find it funny how people are quick to judge someone who buys an import over a domestic.

Considering 1/4 of Vancouver is Asian, there's going to be a bias.

Japan has strict import laws on foreign cars that makes selling NA cars there very difficult. This is unfair trade practice where Japan can sell cars here easily and we cannot sell there.

Some Toyotas may be made here, yet many we buy are not. Look at the dock yards for an estimate of how many are imported, its a LOT.

Originally Posted by Jah Al Zawahiri

I doubt most people are thinking about the loyalty factor when they walk into a dealership, the only thing on most people’s mind is what car fits their budget and needs and what car manufacture can offer the best deals.

GM and Ford have next to 0% financing, are offering tons of incentives (free maintenance, huge discounts), and are building great cars (Malibu was COTY). Yet people are still not buying. They'd rather pay more, higher rates, and get less from Toyota/Honda/Mazda.

For instance the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. They are the same car with different clothing, checkout the price differences and options and tell me which would you take. Then do a poll and see which most people would take.

Prediction: Financially the Pontiac wins, yet in the poll the Toyota will come ahead by far.

People just are not smart car shoppers.

[MR_BIGGS]

My dad bought a Toyota Corolla in 1990 and he bought another one in 2003. Loyalist through and through.

I hear the domestic / import chatter all the time..often, the people who buy imports will argue - "I would buy a ford if they built one like an import (I guess in terms of gas milage, bang for buck, dependabilty etc).....for me - when I buy a car - chances are I'm going to buy an import.
WIth that being said, like the post above me - cars made these days - are pretty close to each other in terms of factors people look for. I think that import car companies have put more money in research and development and therefore have adapted to changes whereas domestics have not..just a thought

[BlackZRoadster]

^ factor in resell value of the vibe and that scares away buyers

[BNR32_Coupe]

Originally Posted by taylor192

Considering 1/4 of Vancouver is Asian, there's going to be a bias.

Japan has strict import laws on foreign cars that makes selling NA cars there very difficult. This is unfair trade practice where Japan can sell cars here easily and we cannot sell there.

Some Toyotas may be made here, yet many we buy are not. Look at the dock yards for an estimate of how many are imported, its a LOT.

GM and Ford have next to 0% financing, are offering tons of incentives (free maintenance, huge discounts), and are building great cars (Malibu was COTY). Yet people are still not buying. They'd rather pay more, higher rates, and get less from Toyota/Honda/Mazda.

For instance the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. They are the same car with different clothing, checkout the price differences and options and tell me which would you take. Then do a poll and see which most people would take.

Prediction: Financially the Pontiac wins, yet in the poll the Toyota will come ahead by far.

People just are not smart car shoppers.

I think the car buy you is associated with image. People feel safe about their image in a Toyota. Cars are just like clothes, if TnA or lululemon made jeans for men, and they're the exact same as Diesel pair of jeans but with a cheaper price tag, guys will still pay premium for the Diesel name.

Likewise, (example only) I prefer to be seen driving in a Toyota because I heard Toyota has a good name. I don't want to seem like a fool for stepping away from the crowd and buying a Pontiac.

btw, Obama's team prefers imports: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...902230327/1148

[Ikkaku]

for a construction/rugged vehicle, my father would never consider anything import, however, for a family car he would never consider anything domestic.

I guess it really is about catering to your needs or the images portrayed by the brand. I think for my father, domestics (well, jeep, vans and trucks) will always be the solid, rugged, powerful, gas guzzlers.

For japanese cars, he goes for reliability and fuel economy. Euro-brands he just goes for the name

[Eclypz]

- My dad's old car was a domestic and it was ridiculously unreliable.
- My first car was a domestic and it also was ridiculously unreliable.
- My grandma owns a domestic and surprise...it also was unreliable. (although it was the most reliable of the domestics we've had).

And its because of those reasons, our family refuses to buy domestic again. Call it bad luck, but until we run into bad experiences with imports, I doubt we'll be going back to domestic.

[unit]

Originally Posted by Jah Al Zawahiri

I doubt most people are thinking about the loyalty factor when they walk into a dealership, the only thing on most people’s mind is what car fits their budget and needs and what car manufacture can offer the best deals.

that is simply not true. if it were, why are people buying cars like the RSX-S, civic si, and other $30k sports coupes instead of cars like cobalt SS, srt-4, etc...? Hmmmm, not fully loaded acura TL, vs fully loaded buick lucerne? brand loyalty is huge in the car industry.

[MR_BIGGS]

Originally Posted by unit

Hmmmm, not fully loaded acura TL, vs fully loaded buick lucerne? brand loyalty is huge in the car industry.

Who would want to buy a Buick though?

I know for a fact when it comes to my dad - he would only buy an import. He drives an import, his friends drive imports, his friends kids drive imports and so on and so on..His friends who drive domestics always have the car in the shop, or are always complaining about has milage...granted that we're east indian and most folks from Asia are loyal to imports...

I don't think it's the safe choice in terms of image..maybe it is..cause everyone else is driving them...but could it be that there better cars>? and to change this would be a step back ?? Theres nothing out there for my dad that suggests he should change his buying patterns..

You have a domestic hybrid in the ford focus and the honda hybrid...which one is my dad going to choose?

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by BlackZRoadster

^ factor in resell value of the vibe and that scares away buyers

That's only compounding the same problem. Why would you pay more for a used Toyota that is the SAME CAR as the Pontiac?

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by BNR32_Coupe

I think the car buy you is associated with image. People feel safe about their image in a Toyota. Cars are just like clothes, if TnA or lululemon made jeans for men, and they're the exact same as Diesel pair of jeans but with a cheaper price tag, guys will still pay premium for the Diesel name.

Likewise, (example only) I prefer to be seen driving in a Toyota because I heard Toyota has a good name. I don't want to seem like a fool for stepping away from the crowd and buying a Pontiac.

Of course its associated with image, that image needs to change to say "I'm dumb for paying too much" rather than "bling bling yo".

As for steeping away from the crowd... well sheep do flock together, yet I'd prefer not to be called a sheep.

I made the mistake of buying a car on brand name, and its been very unreliable. My next car will be much more researched.

[MR_BIGGS]

Originally Posted by taylor192

That's only compounding the same problem. Why would you pay more for a used Toyota that is the SAME CAR as the Pontiac?

The Toyota Matrix is manufactured in Cambridge, Ontario where as the Vibe is assembled in Fremont, California?? Just a thought.

[BoneThug]

Originally Posted by taylor192

Considering 1/4 of Vancouver is Asian, there's going to be a bias.

Japan has strict import laws on foreign cars that makes selling NA cars there very difficult. This is unfair trade practice where Japan can sell cars here easily and we cannot sell there.

Some Toyotas may be made here, yet many we buy are not. Look at the dock yards for an estimate of how many are imported, its a LOT.

GM and Ford have next to 0% financing, are offering tons of incentives (free maintenance, huge discounts), and are building great cars (Malibu was COTY). Yet people are still not buying. They'd rather pay more, higher rates, and get less from Toyota/Honda/Mazda.

For instance the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. They are the same car with different clothing, checkout the price differences and options and tell me which would you take. Then do a poll and see which most people would take.

Prediction: Financially the Pontiac wins, yet in the poll the Toyota will come ahead by far.

People just are not smart car shoppers.

thats cause domestics have had such a bad rep for the past decade and a half. its going to take a LONG time before people start to feel good about them again, but that time will come.

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by MR_BIGGS

Who would want to buy a Buick though?

I know for a fact when it comes to my dad - he would only buy an import. He drives an import, his friends drive imports, his friends kids drive imports and so on and so on..His friends who drive domestics always have the car in the shop, or are always complaining about has milage...granted that we're east indian and most folks from Asia are loyal to imports...

I don't think it's the safe choice in terms of image..maybe it is..cause everyone else is driving them...but could it be that there better cars>? and to change this would be a step back ?? Theres nothing out there for my dad that suggests he should change his buying patterns..

Many many Chinese like Buicks, its about the brand name and Buick did well lining up some high profile celebs to drive Buicks.

There's nothing to suggest changing his buying patterns? Hmmmm Toyota's declining reliability, Honda's increasing price, both Honda and Toyota increasing the size of their "small" cars, both charging high finance rates and unwilling to negotiate prices, ... compared to GMs improved reliability and cheap financing?

My GMs of the 80s were bullet-proof (while Honda and Toyota were making garbage small cars), the GM cars of the 90s were unreliable rust buckets (while Civics/Camrys were selling like hotcakes). Things change, don't let attitudes keep you stagnant.

[BoneThug]

Originally Posted by BNR32_Coupe

I think the car buy you is associated with image. People feel safe about their image in a Toyota. Cars are just like clothes, if TnA or lululemon made jeans for men, and they're the exact same as Diesel pair of jeans but with a cheaper price tag, guys will still pay premium for the Diesel name.

Likewise, (example only) I prefer to be seen driving in a Toyota because I heard Toyota has a good name. I don't want to seem like a fool for stepping away from the crowd and buying a Pontiac.

do people honestly buy toyotas for the name?

thats like bragging to your friends about getting a frigidare fridge.

"cool appliance man. glad you enjoy it"

if cars are like clothes toyotas are walmart branded.

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by MR_BIGGS

The Toyota Matrix is manufactured in Cambridge, Ontario where as the Vibe is assembled in Fremont, California?? Just a thought.

Good point!

[L-S-D]

dude taylor the fact of the matter is toyota > pontiac in every way.. the name , the quality... the whole line up of cars they have to offer .. and the reliability, end of story.

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by BoneThug

do people honestly buy toyotas for the name?

thats like bragging to your friends about getting a frigidare fridge.

"cool appliance man. glad you enjoy it"

if cars are like clothes toyotas are walmart branded.

Awesome!

Devil's Advocate: Lexus doesn't exist overseas, everything is a Toyota. So loyalty is with a manufacturer, not a made up luxury brand.

[taylor192]

Originally Posted by L-S-D

dude taylor the fact of the matter is toyota > pontiac in every way.. the name , the quality... the whole line up of cars they have to offer .. and the reliability, end of story.

What "fact" would that be?

Fact is the Vibe and Matrix are the same car. Please tell me the "facts" that make the Matrix more reliable.

[Domani]

aren't half of the german/japanese lux suv's u see on the streets built in alabama anyways, inclouding the new rx in ont.

[L-S-D]

Originally Posted by taylor192

What "fact" would that be?

Fact is the Vibe and Matrix are the same car. Please tell me the "facts" that make the Matrix more reliable.

that maybe so but in the end both those cars are crap, u get what u pay. those cars are like 15 gs my rims cost almost that much, and in the end ppl would still rather have a toyota over a pontiac becus of the name and reliability rep of it, name 1 car by pontiac that has been around for over 10 years like a camry through the 90's and had a rep till now ???

[TracerFX]

Originally Posted by BoneThug

do people honestly buy toyotas for the name?

thats like bragging to your friends about getting a frigidare fridge.

"cool appliance man. glad you enjoy it"

if cars are like clothes toyotas are walmart branded.

QFT.

unless of course you are getting an 90's Supra, then its like that super awesome old fridge that was the first to come up with the instant ice maker w/ water dispenser combo or something lol