Does your dislike of BrandX keep you from possibly getting a good car?

 I'm in the market for another small truck and I'm primarily looking at yet another Ranger (would be my 4th). I keep seeing the GMC small trucks, but just can't get comfortable with the idea of even going to look at one. (A Slate (if/ when) would be perfect, but I'm too much of a cheap-ass to even think about one of those...). 

Anyone else have this issue?

yup - will never buy korean. 

I have preferences, but no brands that I will absolutely avoid, especially if looking at used. For a smaller truck I'd be looking at condition rather than the name plate.

I am absolutely shocked to know that I would really consider a 2012ish 5.0 F150 if I ever need a new truck.

Of course, part of that is that I can probably get one with bad intake valves at a super bargain price, but they just seem to be an appealing truck to me.  And contemplating a Ford is an unusual thing for me.

My distrust of some brands keeps me from possibly getting screwed 

I dislike brands not out of some weird tribal loyalty, but because they make crap.  Part of the fun of working on cars is getting to drive all sorts of different things.

Mopars suck.  All of them.  I may tolerate a 1st gen Neon but I know that none of them exist in any useful capacity anymore.  I used to like the first generation cloud cars but then I grew to despise those too.

I'd never own another Nissan.  They are way down the mediocrity scale now and the ones that were great aren't that special in hindsight. (Skylines do make interesting noises, but I wouldn't want to put any miles on a Nissan)

there is only one brand that I won't buy.  The reason is due to the CEO of said company consistently over promising, under delivering, and doing a bunch of other generally disgusting things.  All of that plus questionable quality control and terrible resale value means that brand is on my "do not buy list"

But other than that if it has 4 wheels, i have probably day dreamed of it in my garage.  

Mercedes, every modern Mercedes. I have no idea what people see in the modern models they just appear to be made purely to be leased and then sold at auction. 

I really like the GT coupes enough that I would actually buy one if I had space. 

I refuse to buy a car that doesn't drive well, or function, or isn't comfortable. But brand dislike? No. I cross shopped Tacomas(as a staunch Toyota disliker) before buying my Gladiator(and I don't like Stellantis).

Audi makes some really good cars, but I've heard so many horror stories from mechanic friends that I'd be very reticent to go there. That's about it. There are brands that don't offer anything that I like, but that's another matter.

Sometime in the 90s GM cornered the market in poor sight lines and unnecessary blind spots, since then they are very giving when it cones to doling them out.  Combined with the fact that their seating position always aggravates my knee and I have no real reason to search them out.

Nope.

I've owned two Chrysler products. 

Never again will I buy something from the auto industry's "D" student.

Have a look at the used truck lots. They're filled with unwanted Dodge half-tons. 

Mr_Asa said:

Sometime in the 90s GM cornered the market in poor sight lines and unnecessary blind spots, since then they are very giving when it cones to doling them out.  Combined with the fact that their seating position always aggravates my knee and I have no real reason to search them out.

 

GM SUVs are made for not very tall people.  I'm tall, and the A pillar is at least a foot wide up near the roof where I'm trying to see traffic so I can make a left turn out of a parking lot.

Speaking of knees.  I like the era of Honda where they made the beltlines low, except for driving them.  You HAVE to drive them with your legs straight because the dashboard is too low/bulky to drive with your knees up behind the steering wheel.  (In front of?  Between the wheel and the dash)   This forces me to drive with my back curled forward so I can reach the steering wheel and reminds me of one of the tortures used on residents of the Hanoi Hilton.

I like the cars, I just can't drive them.

I'll admit it. I'm a GM hater. My automotive "coming of age years" were the years of the Corsica, the Celebrity, the big "B body" pensioner transport units and the used market? Well I wasn't cosplaying as a 70s New York cop so.... what did that leave? Chevettes? Iron duked FWD trash? Maybe a Fiero?

And then I bought an Avalanche and it was even more hateful than I ever imagined it could be. 

2004-me said, "who would be foolish enough to pay $25k for  a Prius when the same/similar Toyota Matrix is only $15k?" "You'll never made up the $10k in savings!"

Then, 2018-me said, "how can I buy all the 2004 Prius!?"

In reply to John Welsh :

To be fair, that's when everyone assumed that being a hybrid meant that it would need an $8000 battery every 100k miles.  The Prius hadn't yet proven itself to be an automotive cockroach.

In reply to Trent :

Count me in on GM. They've made some models that I found fun but given there 80s stuff and the body control model fiascos I simply don't trust them.

The last two cars my folks owned were GM products and I found them hateful things to drive. 

I only buy used, and after they've been on the market for enough years for the ugly things to show up. I don't believe any vehicle is perfect, so I expect the occasional failures, but at least can know ahead of time what they are likely to be. I've owned 2.5 Subarus (head gaskets), a Jeep Patriot (avoid sunroofs and automatics), VW Jetta (2.5, NOT 1.8T) and endless Fiats (Fix It Again Tony). I've had great service from virtually all of my selections, because I could predict/avoid the problems.

Today? I won't buy any European cars. Too hard to work on/too expensive to fix. No Nissans, because...well, why would you? No Mitsubishis, because I expect the company to eventually become the next Isuzu or Suzuki and leave our shores. All the other choices are hit/miss depending on year/model/drivetrain. Gotta sift through the detritus to find that one model that has a good service record, has the features we want and isn't hideously styled (like 90% of all Lexus models). 

Possibly.  I will not consider a Subaru, or Toyota with a Subaru engine.  But that's more a dislike of Subaru engines than Subaru itself.

 

My hate for certain brands sometimes turned into love a decade later.  80s subarus with a tinny feel and no power made me a hater.  2000 outbacks were a staple for the family many years later.  Also hated the 2nd gen prius for along time but once they were 10 years old and had a great reputation I was a fan.  

But back to your truck thing, had rangers and s10s from the 90s and early 2000s and preferred the GM stuff.  But the condition of the truck really has more to do with the future reliability than a brand in this case.  

I think I've always remained pretty objective when it comes to cars. I just buy cars that I think are enjoyable to drive and are generally decent value. I think every brand/manufacturer has their "eras" to avoid.

Does your dislike of BrandX keep you from possibly getting a good car?

Of course it does.  They (X) haven't made a good car in years, and probably never will.

Insert whatever you want as X.

All things German. I have an irrational distrust of them, and when repairs come, and there most certainly will, the parts cost will be 3x the cost of Brand Y.

In reply to Appleseed :

So buy a Hyundai, where... everything is German.

I don't know...  I dislike/distrust everything about equally these days.  Vehicle shopping is an exercise in choosing a lessor of evils.