Ford Loyalty Topped All Other Mainstream Automakers

[Texasota]

Ford tops the loyalty rankings:

 

https://fordauthority.com/2026/03/ford-loyalty-topped-all-other-mainstream-automakers-in-2025/?utm_source=fordauthority.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=ford-authority-daily-digest-for-march-2-2026&_bhlid=a4f216e9ec902c6379289507c456631be9719e3a

 

While there is plenty of ragging on Ford here in the Blue Oval Forums, most of us are Ford enthusiasts and bleed blue. Might be interesting if we tell some stories of why we are Ford loyalists.

 

For me, it is primarily two things. First, I greatly admired the company for not taking a government bailout during the great recession.  Second, I love the long Ford history and the enduring Ford family connection with the company that exists to this day.

 

My first car was a 1975 orange Pinto station wagon. It was my college car and wish I still had it. Lots of memories. After several more Fords,  I then foolishly strayed and tried some GM/Chrysler products but ultimately came back and have remained in the Ford camp. No plans to leave at this point and I'll still love the company even if they don't build a hybrid Ranger for me.

Edited March 3 by Texasota

[akirby]

So much for the entry level cars breed loyalty crowd.  Great vehicles breed not only loyalty but also conquests at all price points.

[akirby]

I've loved Fords since the 70s mustangs and F100s.  I just prefer Ford styling and features like the door keypad, racing heritage and race cars, Raptors and Mustang performance vehicles.

 

I've owned 2 rangers, 2 fusions, 1 f150, 2 explorers, expedition, aviator, lincoln ls, edge, escape, mkx and nautilus.  Plus 3 Focuses for the kids.  
 

 My favorite Fords are the 70 mustang boss 302 in grabber blue with black stripes, 77 F100 Ranger XLT SWB red/black and any Ford GT.

[probeGT]

My dad bought nothing but Fords, and the closest we ever came to really bonding was over talking about Fords and looking at Fords and watching Fords in NASCAR.

[DeluxeStang]

I think for me it's a combination of a lot of different things. It's the fact that a lot of people in my family owned Ford's. But it's also the types of cars Ford makes. Ford occupies a very special niche in the industry and that's affordable aspirational vehicles. 

 

There are other brands that make affordable cars, there are other brands that make dream cars. But there aren't a ton of brands that make dream cars most people can afford. Things like mustang and bronco, or fast Ford hatchbacks. 

 

It's also the diversity of cars Ford makes. No other brand makes an insanely futuristic mid-engine car, a muscle car, and affordable hybrid truck, a hatchback, and off-road vehicles under one roof. That diversity is an incredible strength at Ford. A few weeks ago I saw a mach-e next to a bronco raptor in a parking lot, and I thought it was so cool that Ford had such a wide array of designs, and vehicle ideas within their brand. 

 

Finally, it's the design language. Ford has a really good balance of making eye catching designs that are tasteful. That's a lot harder to do than people realize. It's not boring like vw, and it's not a visual mess like some Japanese designs. The diversity of their design language as well. A mach-e, bronco, maverick, and gt look nothing alike, but all look good in their own way. That diversity in design broadens their appeal, they aren't a brand that only works with one type of design language. 

[twintornados]

When I was a small boy, Dad had a Cadillac Sedan DeVille (late 60's early 70's) and the paint was pealing off the hood. Local Caddy dealer and regional rep told him "tough luck, you'll need to get it repainted and we ain't paying." Around the same time, he bought Mom a new 1972 Country Squire that made a persistent clunk while driving....we got a 1972 LTD Brougham 2 door in Ginger Glow metallic as a loaner while they sorted it out....turned out that the wagon had a cracked frame and Ford promptly replaced the car as "it should not have left the factory like that in the first place." (they did offer to fix the frame if Dad really wanted that wagon..he said no) but since he was driving the loaner as Mom was relegated to the old Caddy for shuttle duty with 6 kids, he ordered a 1972 LTD Brougham in Ginger Glow metallic and a 429 V8 PI motor because he could....that was it...this now 10 year old was hooked on the Blue Oval and it has been a parade of Fords, Mercurys, and Lincolns to this day with my 2025 Maverick Lariat hybrid in Eruption Green....man, do I love my Fords!! Also two current toys...my 1983 Mustang GLX convertible and 2006 Mustang GT Convertible....always on the look out for other toys....we'll see....in the mean time, I am (mostly) patiently waiting on CE1 truck to see if that will be my next Ford....time will tell.  

[rmc523]

This metric makes sense with F-series........I'm curious what the non-F-series brand loyalty looks like.

Edited March 3 by rmc523

[Taurus SHO]

There's always been at least one Ford in my family.  My dad picked Crown Victorias (92, 96, 01) as his work car, and one Grand Marquis (08).  We also had a 97 Taurus, which I hated at first because it meant getting rid of our old Astro van.  I grew to love it and especially that generation SHO.  My dad later bought a 98 F-150.  The Taurus was my first car and I drove it for over four years until the transmission gave up at 230,000 miles.  I also helped my dad find a 2013 Taurus and 2018 F-150 that my parents still have today.  As for me, I sadly have not had a Ford since the Taurus in 2016.  I drove my grandma's 89 LeBaron after that until 2019.  I test drove a number of cars, including a Taurus SHO.  My dad kinda talked me out of it as it was few grand more with about 25,000 more miles than my Impala that I ended up purchasing.  I will say I love my Impala.  It's an amazing car that I wanted since it debuted in 2013, but at this point I'm not sure I'll ever own a SHO, which I had always wanted as a kid.  Maybe someday. 

 

Aside from that, I did guide my now wife into a 2020 Fusion when they were trying to get them off the lots in 2020, so I do still drive a Ford pretty often!  She loves the Explorer, so that'll probably be the next purchase down the road.  She wants one now as our first kid is due in June, but I don't see the need for it until maybe after a second kid.  I'm pretty set on the rumored Mustang sedan, should it be in budget.  I never planned to keep my Impala more than a few years, but I guess I'll have had it over 10 years at that point.     

Edited March 3 by Taurus SHO

[DeluxeStang]

29 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

This metric makes sense with F-series........I'm curious what the non-F-series brand loyalty looks like.

I'd imagine loyalty is also very high with other icons like mustang and bronco. As for the other stuff, I really couldn't say. 

[akirby]

53 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

This metric makes sense with F-series........I'm curious what the non-F-series brand loyalty looks like.

For 2024 Ford trucks (all light trucks) were 65%.

[twintornados]

47 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

This metric makes sense with F-series........I'm curious what the non-F-series brand loyalty looks like.

 

17 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

I'd imagine loyalty is also very high with other icons like mustang and bronco. As for the other stuff, I really couldn't say. 

 

Despite my brand loyalty to Ford - when my Daughter was in the Air Force stationed in Hawaii (2013-16) and looking for a small car to get for her travels...I directed her away from the Focus since I knew the issues Ford was having with the DSG powershift transmission....I co-signed her lease of a 2014 Honda Civic 4 door since as I advised her, "What you buy on the island, you will need to take with you." Of course, her being 18 years old at the time, she tended to be a little "harsh" on her car and when the deployment was over and the lease was up, she had many dents and dings enough to take a big hit upon turn in....so, she bought it out of the lease and the Air Force shipped it stateside...she still has that car with close to 150K on the clock, is married, with two dogs and that little Civic just keeps on rollin' along....of course it has many more battle scars but it is reliable and she is thinking about maybe getting a C-RV.....

[Schpark]

I have bled Ford blue my entire life in part due to my parents having several Ford conversion vans for ski trips and misc travel.  My mom had two cars as I grew up, a Chevy vega (pos) and an 82 Escort which I was able to borrow as a teenager.  My dad at one point tried a Chevy blazer but had a large power train issue (4x4 transfer case maybe, can't remember) and that was it for non-Fords for him.  He steered me to my first vehicle; a locally made 1985 Ford Ranger 4x4 with 5 speed manual and no air conditioning.  It had a gutless 2.8 V6 which and a carb. 

 

Since then I have bought only Fords due to my family and company history, and to support an American iconic company and American workers.  My purchases are listed below and I have never owned an F series pickup.  Most of my favorite Ford's (*) have been canceled and I should probably buy another Ranger while I can as it is the only current Ford that interests me.

 

85 Ranger

89 Tempo AWD (then moved to Texas so I may have had the only AWD Tempo in the state)

91 Explorer Sport

*97 Taurus LX

01 Expedition

03 Taurus SES

*08 Focus SE Deluxe

*13 Flex

*16 Fusion SE (daughter's current)

*18 Escape Titanium (wife's current vehicle)

2x Bronco Sport (son's current)

 

I have a younger daughter that I would have liked to buy a Fusion or Focus to help her continue with our Ford tradition and she will likely be the first to stray. 

[rmc523]

My list is shorter than y'alls, but my garage history includes:

 

-2009 Flex

-2018 Mustang

-2022 Bronco

 

But my dad's always had an F-150, and my mom had a Cougar, 2 Expeditions, and an Explorer ST in there.....she's currently in a BMW X7 (she made that jump because of issues with her 2020 Explorer), but has had some issues with it recently and is considering an Aviator.

[fordmantpw]

My list is in my sig...

[DeluxeStang]

14 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

My list is shorter than y'alls, but my garage history includes:

 

-2009 Flex

-2018 Mustang

-2022 Bronco

 

But my dad's always had an F-150, and my mom had a Cougar, 2 Expeditions, and an Explorer ST in there.....she's currently in a BMW X7 (she made that jump because of issues with her 2020 Explorer), but has had some issues with it recently and is considering an Aviator.

Solid choices, how's your flex holding up reliability wise? Have you replaced the water pump?

[Texasota]

I was sometimes a rebel. My parents and maternal grandfather were diehard Buick loyalists. My dad was not bashful in letting me know he did not approve of my Pinto Wagon purchase. And I didn't make any points with him when he bought a Chevy S-10 and I told him be bought the wrong truck. Oh boy!

[rmc523]

2 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

Solid choices, how's your flex holding up reliability wise? Have you replaced the water pump?

 

Sorry, should've clarified.....I only have the Bronco now.

 

I sold my Flex privately in January of 2022 with 150-something thousand miles on it.  I had reserved/ordered the Bronco and its delivery was on the horizon, so I took advantage of elevated car pricing at the time and got like $7,800 or something like that......I felt that was pretty good for a 13 year old vehicle!

 

I then traded the Mustang in on the Bronco when I got it in March of '22.  It wasn't paid off, so it wasn't worth keeping to have 2 car payments like that by myself at the time.  I miss its lovely noises though haha.

[DeluxeStang]

17 hours ago, akirby said:

I've loved Fords since the 70s mustangs and F100s.  I just prefer Ford styling and features like the door keypad, racing heritage and race cars, Raptors and Mustang performance vehicles.

 

I've owned 2 rangers, 2 fusions, 1 f150, 2 explorers, expedition, aviator, lincoln ls, edge, escape, mkx and nautilus.  Plus 3 Focuses for the kids.  
 

 My favorite Fords are the 70 mustang boss 302 in grabber blue with black stripes, 77 F100 Ranger XLT SWB red/black and any Ford GT.

Would you ever consider buying a mustang with how much you like them, either a 1970 or something more modern? We've discussed how Ford could evolve the mustang's design moving forward, and I believe you said you would like to see s750, or whatever it ends up being called, pull styling cues from the 69-70. 

 

I could see that direction working well if they execute it the right way. 

[rmc523]

11 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

Would you ever consider buying a mustang with how much you like them, either a 1970 or something more modern? We've discussed how Ford could evolve the mustang's design moving forward, and I believe you said you would like to see s750, or whatever it ends up being called, pull styling cues from the 69-70. 

 

I could see that direction working well if they execute it the right way. 

 

I'd consider another down the road.  It just wasn't a practical vehicle to have as a single vehicle.....it worked fine when I had the Flex (which was long paid off) for "usefulness" like getting larger items, but on its own it didn't make sense to have, and the Bronco offered sort of a combo of an SUV and convertible.  I don't recall ever specifically mentioning a 69-70 (might be mixing me up with someone else), but that could be a neat idea.

[DeluxeStang]

30 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

 

I'd consider another down the road.  It just wasn't a practical vehicle to have as a single vehicle.....it worked fine when I had the Flex (which was long paid off) for "usefulness" like getting larger items, but on its own it didn't make sense to have, and the Bronco offered sort of a combo of an SUV and convertible.  I don't recall ever specifically mentioning a 69-70 (might be mixing me up with someone else), but that could be a neat idea.

I was responding to Akirby, but I see where you're coming from. A 2 door coupe definitely isn't gonna be the most practical thing in the world. 

[akirby]

50 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

Would you ever consider buying a mustang with how much you like them, either a 1970 or something more modern? We've discussed how Ford could evolve the mustang's design moving forward, and I believe you said you would like to see s750, or whatever it ends up being called, pull styling cues from the 69-70. 

 

I could see that direction working well if they execute it the right way. 

I'm definitely considering a 70 boss 302 if it wasn't priced outrageously and I figure out where to park it.  Saw one at GAA auction go for $100k.  I'd love to do a restomod with a coyote 5.0 and 6r80.   The 77 f100 would just replace my current f150 which I only use for hauling lumber and other stuff a couple times a month.

[fordmantpw]

4 minutes ago, akirby said:

I'm definitely considering a 70 boss 302 if it wasn't priced outrageously and I figure out where to park it.  Saw one at GAA auction go for $100k.  I'd love to do a restomod with a coyote 5.0 and 6r80.   The 77 f100 would just replace my current f150 which I only use for hauling lumber and other stuff a couple times a month.

 

I've got a spot in my garage for that 70 Boss if you need a place to park it.  The kid's car can sit outside...

 

The drive from GA may be a bit far for you, but I promise to take it out regularly to keep it in shape!

[akirby]

47 minutes ago, fordmantpw said:

but I promise to take it out regularly to keep it in shape!

Well it's not a Ferrari you know..... 😎

[rmc523]

1 hour ago, DeluxeStang said:

I was responding to Akirby, but I see where you're coming from. A 2 door coupe definitely isn't gonna be the most practical thing in the world. 

 

My bad, I swore that that was a quote of my post lol.

[mackinaw]

3 hours ago, akirby said:

I'm definitely considering a 70 boss 302 if it wasn't priced outrageously and I figure out where to park it.  Saw one at GAA auction go for $100k.  I'd love to do a restomod with a coyote 5.0 and 6r80.   The 77 f100 would just replace my current f150 which I only use for hauling lumber and other stuff a couple times a month.

 

During my summer as a student intern at Ford, I briefly got to drive a '70 Boss 302.  My boss was with me, so I had to tread lightly.  Still, for a few fleeting moments, I was Dan Gurney.