Why do we like the makes we do ?

[cobraman]

Not sure if this had been addressed before but I got to wondering why we prefer what we do. In my case I prefer Fords. That's not to say I don't like other brands because I do and in fact in my about 46 years of having cars I had many makes. But I do prefer Fords. Is it because that is mostly what my parents had when I was growing up ? I have had many and never had a bad one. Is it body styles ? Engines ? Past experience ? What draws you to your favorite make ?

[wayne swayze]

When I was young, we had no car. Eventually,  my Mom bought a used '53 Buick. After a variety of brands in the following years, my wife and I bought a new '82 Honda. It's been Honda ever since because of their dependability and good on gas. On my 6th as of last week. Very happy with that brand.

[Jantrix]

For me it is purely aesthetic. Certain models appeal to me, simple as that. I have no favorite brand though I do lean toward Mopar. 

[disabled modeler]

I think its because we grew up with them and there in-bedded in us for that reason for the most part.  I have owned many different brands in the past and certain ones stuck in my head for their style,performance,reliability,etc.  GM vehicles have always been good to me in the past...one when we sold it-it had 479,000. miles on it and ran great same engine.  I do like many vehicles offered by all the brands pretty much though.

[StevenGuthmiller]

It's funny, but my dad was a purely Chevrolet guy when I was growing up.

My mother was a Mopar station wagon freak.

When I was young, I was a GM/ Mopar guy with a distaste of Fords.

As the years went by, that all went away & I love all "classic" American makes.

As far as what my family drives, it's been all Honda for more than 20 years.

That just came from the trial & error of owning many different makes over the years & landing on Honda as being the most reliable vehicles that I have ever owned.

We no longer even look at anything else when we're looking for a car.

 

Steve

[Kit Basher]

Just based on what I have owned, I would say Ford. I've had a bunch of different cars, and I bought each one because it fitted a particular need and/or it was the best deal at the time. I've had seven Fords over the years, although two were Mazdas in disguise (Probes). Two F-150s, an F-350 dumper, and currently a Focus and an F-250. I've had a Dodge, a Toyota, a Subaru, a Buick, and an International Scout. All were excellent for what I wanted them for. I did not follow my parents, who were Dodge/Plymouth all the way, except for one Vega. I don't really think Fords are better than anything else, it just seems like when I go car shopping, I look at everything, and the best bang for the buck ends up being a Ford.

[gtx6970]

My parents drove whatever caught there eye at that time. So I was loyal to none. My first car was a 1966  Pontiac Tempest.  2nd was a 1967 Cougar. Then I found a Blue on blue 69 RoadRunner for $150 and drove it home , and its been all Mopar ever since. That was about late summer 1978.

It was all jacked up with L60-15 Kelly super Chargers  and it was fast and loud.

Edited January 26, 2016 by gtx6970

[1972coronet]

Being a visually-creative person , I was constantly checking out the design features of different cars throughout my youth (born in 1970) , and as I got older , I was attracted to pickups and Muscle Cars .

Seeing that my parents' car was a 1969 Dart Custom 2-door , I was almost certain to favour MoPars . The base hubcaps of that car looked so neat to me ! I was enamoured with them ; the finned-recesses with satin black paint ; the recessed circle with red paint ; and the "Fratzog" [sp?] in the centre of the 'cap . The AM "Thumbwheel" radio was fascinating , too . So unconventinal in its function !

A neighbour the next street up had a '68 Hemi Dart which he ran at Irwindale . I recall being about 4 years old when he fired that beast up ! Scared the "S" out of me !

Traditional Lowriders impressed me greatly . Where I grew up there were lots of sweet Trad lowriders ; candy paintjobs , Cragar S/S wheels , organ pipe speakers , etc. etc. Just absolute visual delights 1

GM's A bodies of '66/'67 , and '68-'72 were common in town , so I always loved them , their style .

Ford's F-Series was another , especially the '67-'79 . I loved the hubcaps' designs ; that crown in the centre was the coolest thing ever !

Long story short : I enjoy vehicles of all makes and models .

[JTalmage]

When I was young, I loved Mopars... the crazy colors and styling, and the massive engines. But my wallet at 17-18yrs old did not enjoy the prices of anything Mopar. So I always liked Fords. My dad has always had some cool cars growing up and still has his '65 Fairlane 500. I always liked Mustangs and my first car was a Mustang II. I love the foxbody mustangs because of their long life span and the ability to take parts from an '04 and bolt them to a '79 and it work perfectly... 

[Sixx]

I prefer Chevy...my Dad had a '69 Chevell when I was a kid. I myself have owned several brands over the years, own a Subaru Forester now with over 300,000 miles on it! And it still runs like a charm! Oh, I also have a 1985 Chevy Scottsdale, 2014 Silverado, and a 2005 Buick LaSabre...hummmm, GM products

[afx]

My Dad worked at a Ford dealership for 30+ years.  Fords were all he drove.  I have driven a Ford of one type or another every since I was old enough to drive.  I've owned other brands but I have always had at least one Ford in the garage.

As for my taste in vehicles I prefer smaller sport models and exotics, Cobras, Vettes, Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar etc.  I appreciate a cars handling as much or more than its out right power, but that mean nothing to me if I don't like the lines of the car.

 

[MrObsessive]

While I like all makes if it interests me, my Dad was a Chrysler man through and through, as that's all he owned until the last which was a Honda. I give my nod more to Mopars more than anything else as they were the most memorable to me as a kid growing up in the '60's and '70's. One of the MOST memorable cars that I can remember Dad having was a '57 Plymouth Belvedere circa 1965-66. Those fins were very hard to forget!

Interesting enough, at the end of '14 when I knew that I would have to spend the money to get another car, Dodge's Challenger was not on my radar at first, until a friend raved about this car that was at the dealer's just around the corner from him. 

Of course, I got nosy and well---------the Challenger came home with me!

Rarity might have a lot to do with why I like Mopars a bit more than anything else. You'll see GM's and Fords all day on a nice day going down the road, but you just don't see as many Mopars. They're out there, but not as prolific as the other makes, especially the vintage muscle cars. 

Edited January 27, 2016 by MrObsessive

[restoman]

My Dad drove Mopars and Fords, with a few imports thrown in along the way. I came home from the hospital in his '61 Beetle...

Growing up, he drove Mopars almost exclusively, so that might have been an influence. Following Nascar since the very early 70s and being a Petty fan contributed too...

All the cool kids at high school had GM products. Who the Hell wanted to be in that crowd? I was a Mopar guy all the way! Took a lot of ribbing, but being in with the in crowd wasn't my style... and Chryco products were readily available back then and cheap!

Had my own small resto shop and worked on and loved just about everything but Ma Mopar has been my favourite, though I do own a 74 VW Beetle

[THarrison351]

I grew up liking cars. My maternal Granddaddy was a Mopar man, my paternal Granddaddy was a Ford man. Dad drove whatever was cheap and worked and we had a lot of air cooled VWs. In his later years he started buying Hyundais. I decided to take after my Dad's Dad and like Fords. No special reason, it just seemed less people around me liked them so I picked them. I'm older now, I inherited the last Hyundai my Dad bought before he died 8 years ago( now a 10 year old Azera) and I bought my wife a Tuscon two years ago. I guess I'll just keep on sticking to the less than most normal car maker.

[StevenGuthmiller]

You know, it really amazes me to read the responses so far & to see how many Mopar "families" there are out there.

In the small town where I was raised, Chevy & Ford ruled.

Mopar fans were the ugly ducklings.

It just surprises me a bit to know that there are so many Mopar people out there.

 

Steve

[rctruk]

I am chevy guy.....all started when my Dad bought a new 56 chev 210 sedan with the power pack 265 and powerglide. I had that car in high school. It was a blast. The first vehicle I owned was a 57 chev pu with a 350 hp 327. I just have stuck with chevys ever since.

[Harry P.]

For me, it was my dad. A MOPAR man all his life, so all the cars I was exposed to were Plymouths and Dodges. And my very first car was my dad's 10-year-old '67 Belvedere.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess. As an adult, all of my cars have been MOPARS with the exception of my current one.

[JollySipper]

My old man, just like a lot of you guys, was the main influence on my taste in cars.......... He liked the Chrysler products, said they were the only thing that could handle his lead foot!

I've had Honda, Ford, Dodge, Several makes, but the one car that stands out to me is a little Mazda GLC (Great Little Car!) That when I finally retired it, had a Quarter Million miles on it.........!

[Mike_G]

My old man, just like a lot of you guys, was the main influence on my taste in cars.......... He liked the Chrysler products, said they were the only thing that could handle his lead foot!

I've had Honda, Ford, Dodge, Several makes, but the one car that stands out to me is a little Mazda GLC (Great Little Car!) That when I finally retired it, had a Quarter Million miles on it.........!

I'm still driving my '80 Ford Fiesta with 465,000 miles

 

 

[1972coronet]

You know, it really amazes me to read the responses so far & to see how many Mopar "families" there are out there.

In the small town where I was raised, Chevy & Ford ruled.

Mopar fans were the ugly ducklings.

It just surprises me a bit to know that there are so many Mopar people out there.

 

Steve

The first brand new car that left an indelible mark on me was a 1974 Dart Sport 360 Hang 10 ! It was on display on the showroom floor of the local Dodge dealer in Spring 1974 . I was but 4 years old at the time , and that car's outrageous looks grabbed my attention ; the "hangers"  with all of the "Hang 10" splashes ; the surfboards peeking-out of the open trunk ; and that wild blue engine with its bright orange air cleaner ! WOW !

I , too , have embraced the esoteric , underdog appeal of the MoPars . I totally geeked over the numbers and codes and engine combos ... especially the much-scoffed-at 1972 & later models .

[lordairgtar]

My favorite has always been Buick. This was because my grandfather had them. Although I did not own many Buicks, the ones I did have were always dead reliable but rusty. I had a 64 LeSabre four door sedan and a 64 LeSabre four door hard top. Both cars were purchased for $50 each. I drove the hard top to California from Wisconsin with no problems even though it had a broken motor mount. Served me well in Cali until I gave it away to a guy who needed a work car after a lady gave me a 66 Mercury Comet Capri with a 289 V8. Next Buick was the 69 Special DeLuxe with 350 V8. Another very reliable car, again bought for about $100 and drove it from Wisconsin (again) to California. I also gave that one away as I had two other cars, a 73 Eldo rag top and a 54 Chevy Bel Air 4 door sedan. An older woman who had a skin condition that caused her hands to tighten up and curl in borrowed my car to go to LA to see family. She came back raving how nice it was to drive for her as I had a thick padded steering wheel in it which made it easy for her to drive. I asked if she truly liked it and she said yes. I said "It's yours" and handed her the pink slip. I even eventually had an Opel GT that I had painted black. Second to those Buicks would be the various AMC cars I've owned...66 Rambler wagon with 287 V8. 76 Hornet X V8, 78 Concord with a six, (hated that one, tried to kill me numerous times) A couple of Gremlins and a 73 Matador four door sedan ex Santa Barbara detective's car with a 401 V8.

[moparfarmer]

My uncle had a Chrysler/Plymouth/Fargo truck dealership in a smaller town..I would spend my 2 months summer holidays at his dealership..I've had Chrysler products all my life..Even my family drives Chrysler products..They have never been bad but I did have a 70 Challenger that had a lifter problem..Got it fixed and never looked back..MOPAR all the way..

[Canso65]

When I was a kid my dad was a GM man. We had Pontiac and Chevy cars throughout. My neighbours were Ford fans. As kids we would argue over which was the best, me of course GM, and the neighbour Ford.

Now, I drive and prefer Fords, and he prefers GMs.

Go figure! 

[Deathgoblin]

Growing up, we had a bit of everything.  My parents were both driving GM's when I was born, but the earliest cars I remember were a Volkswagen Bus and our 1973 Dodge Charger.  Later on, we had other cars: 1978 Ford LTD Wagon, 1981 Plymouth Horizon, 1985 Chevy Nova and Monte Carlo, etc.  My brother's first two cars were Chargers, the old family '73 and he later bought a '71, and he drove Pontiacs, had a Mercury Cougar among others.  Even my own car collection has been all over the place.  I don't really have a specific brand I prefer.  Just anything with four wheels that goes.  

[slusher]

My dad was a Chevy and Pontiac guy. My second vehicle was an 80 Dodge pickup in 82. I enjoyed it and the service and have been driving Mopars ever since except for a couple Fords. Ford is my second choice but I prefer Mopar..