My neighbor's 15-year-old Toyota pickup changed my view on brand loyalty

I was helping him change the oil last month and he told me he's put over 300,000 miles on it with just basic maintenance. He said 'I don't need a fancy badge, I need a truck that starts.' That stuck with me because I was saving up for a new truck from a 'cooler' brand. His old Toyota has outlasted two of my friend's newer trucks that had major issues before 100k miles. It made me question why we pay more for brands that don't last. What's the oldest or highest-mileage vehicle you've seen someone stay loyal to?

3 comments

3 Comments

graygonzalez1mo ago

Brand loyalty is just expensive marketing.

willow40727d ago

Honestly I think about car tires of all things $300 for a set of Michelins versus $150 for some random brand. Sure the Michelins might last 60k miles but that's still a big upfront cost and the cheap ones might get you 40k anyway. Brand loyalty in stuff like electronics is even worse you're paying for a logo on the same parts they use in generic models. It's crazy how much we pay just for the name on the box.

kim9631mo ago

But it can save you money in the long run.