Brand loyalty???

[Fawnbuster]

Are you saying your HVAC controls aren't illuminated like this?

Yes. At least not enough to see them at a glance, due to the down and back angle. My wife's Lincoln has same setup buy higher up and much brighter even if the display is dimmed at night. I will go out tonight and see if I can get em brighter without killing my night vision. I have the lCD on night mode all the time so my old eyes adjust back to normal after headlights pass. My Durango and Charger had independent brightness controls for the lcd and dash speedo etc, that was one thing I did like about Dodge.

Just got used to being able to darken down the interior lights so I could see when creeping along in the middle of the night catching people breaking into cars. Way Less than 5 mph I could either hang my arm out with the mag light momentarily on or brights flash to pass just to verify the road was clear. Caught several thieves and 1 burglar that way ?

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[NOVA_Ranger]

Yes. At least not enough to see them at a glance, due to the down and back angle. My wife's Lincoln has same setup buy higher up and much brighter even if the display is dimmed at night. I will go out tonight and see if I can get em brighter without killing my night vision. I have the lCD on night mode all the time so my old eyes adjust back to normal after headlights pass. My Durango and Charger had independent brightness controls for the lcd and dash speedo etc, that was one thing I did like about Dodge.

Just got used to being able to darken down the interior lights so I could see when creeping along in the middle of the night catching people breaking into cars. Way Less than 5 mph I could either hang my arm out with the mag light momentarily on or brights flash to pass just to verify the road was clear. Caught several thieves and 1 burglar that way ?

*hit voice command button* "set temperature to XX degrees." Eyes never leave the road.

 

[Fawnbuster]

*hit voice command button* "set temperature to XX degrees." Eyes never leave the road.

Had no idea that would work. I reset sync and got my display brightness to repopulate and have that turned down and on night mode, but I have to crank the dash lights way up for the hvac lights to really show. It's still daylight so the next time I drive (non pain pill day) I'll see how that looks.

In the last body style of caprice classics and some of the Dodge police pkgs we ran into the same issue, we either stuffed a towel over the instrument cluster for a short time as needed or used vinyl cling tinting. I have a roll of that stuff so I may put that on. Wife's Lincoln hvac is higher and angled better so you can see everything. Too many decades of night shift driving ?

 

[Trigganometry]

Over my lifetime I have owned about 20 different vehicles. Of that only 5 were foreign. The balance was American made. Dependability wise, Ford and Mercury won hands down. Some of those got in excess of 270K + without major repairs.

So for me, I’m looking more for dependability and value more than anything else as I get older. My last Ranger treated me right got 23 years and 278K. So why not stick with the winner at this point.

 

[Peter949]

Not much for brand loyalty here. Just the better product and what will help American jobs.

 

[Glocker]

I'm a little late to the conversation, but I am a Ford brand loyalist. It started when I was a kid and my mom's 5.0 Camaro RS took a crap on the family. I was keeping my fingers crossed that it was going to be my first car, but it started falling apart. My dad replaced my mom's car with a 1998 Mustang GT with a manual trans, and I fell in love with it. My dad eventually hashed that Mustang's transmission (he actually allowed me to do donuts in our cul-de-sac right before trading it in!) and traded it for a 2000 Mustang GT (auto) for my mom.

The first vehicle I ever drove was my grandfather's 1979 Ford F150 (errands around his farm). My first car was a 1986 Ford Tempo, that I drove the piss out of until it got handed down to my sister (who didn't put any maintenance into it). I eventually got it back from her but it was terminally sick and ended up scrapped. My dad started buying Ford Rangers for himself, and I liked those. My first new vehicle came in 2003 - a Ford Ranger XLT. I loved it and drive it for 189,000-ish miles, but deferred maintenance took a toll on it and my wife asked me to get rid of it. I took over her 2003 Ford Explorer in 2013 - it only had 43,000 miles on it! She got into a 2013 Ford Escape in 2013, and I drove that Explorer until I convinced her to let me buy a new Mustang in 2014! She's still in the Escape (she loves it) and I'm in a 2019 Ranger while the Mustang is a garage queen. For work I drive a Ford Expedition (unmarked). I had Crown Vic patrol car for many year, as well an unmarked Explorer, Ranger, and F150. My Dodge patrol car was a hunk of crap and ended up requiring an engine rebuild - like most of our Dodge fleet ended up requiring!

And there you have it; my history with Ford!

 

[Dunedain Ranger]

My dad was a GM guy - 1963 Chevrolet Impala Station Wagon
1966 Pontiac Catalina
1969 Oldsmobile Delta
1978 Pontiac Grand Safari Station Wagon
------------------------------------
My Car History
1976 Malibu Classic Station Wagon (used)
1971 Firebird (used) (had a '77 Formula 400 engine in it) my first love!! got rear-ended at a Rush Concert in Biloxi by 2 drunks in a Datsun B-210; they did not fare well as you could clearly see their head imprints in their windshield and their vehicle crumpled after hitting GM steel - I actually drove home in the 'Bird that night, but alas my frame was bent and I had just paid it off. Def a future lottery car.
1977 Cutlass Supreme (used)
1983 Mercury Capri (came with the ex...)
1989 Mazda 323 (purchased new - great little car)
1990 Acura Legend (used)
2006 Ford F-150 (5.4L Triton Engine also it was Motor Trend Truck of the Year) First Ford I purchased brand new (the Capri came with the ex) loved it - a female friend totaled it...another heartbreak (for the truck...)
1995 Honda Accord Station Wagon EX (still own - got it from my mom when she passed - too sentimental to get rid of it, close to 300K - but still kicking!!)
2020 Ford Ranger XL - 2nd Ford brand new - love it dearly - definitely a Ford guy now!! Side note: daughter purchased a 2014 Focus brand new - it was a nice little car, except for the tranny travails - Ford really shined for her (and me) in the way they handled the service issues.
My first lottery car will be a 1967 GT500 Shelby Mustang (along with the aforementioned Firebird, but we'll allow a bastard vehicle on the compound...)

 

[Jmarler]

I don't really have brand loyalty. 2006 Chevy impala was my first brand new car. Had a few gremlins in it. My dad had a 2004 and I liked the full size feel. I also had a 97 Nissan sentry, that car was almost flawless. Only had to change the starter once, probably because I had remote start in it. I had a 96 jeep grand Cherokee. I bought used at 192k. Loved it but I sold it when I got my impala. I choked up when I sold it. My wife got a 2016 mustang and it's been great so far which influenced me to go with the ford brand. I was leaning towards the jeep gladiator but I don't think it would fit in my garage. My old work place had ford Rangers and 350s. I liked the ranger alot. Perfect for me.

 

[viperwolf]

I stated in my post I never bought or owned a foreign vehicle.
Me and my wife where watching a review of the New Tundra, her facial expression was priceless. Anyway I was watching and the guy mentioned, designed in Michigan and built in Texas. I dont remember his exact quote, but I laughed a little bc of this thread.

 

[halligan1201]

Just to clarify.......people say "the big three" as far as American brands. Still true but now it's Ford, GM and Tesla. Chrysler (now known as Stellantis) has been foreign owned for years.

*Decades

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