Here’s Why Some People Keep Buying Subarus: COTD

“Love. It’s What Makes A Subaru, A Subaru.” If you’ve watched a YouTube video or any TV you almost certainly know about Subaru’s memorable marketing campaign. Subaru wants you to think that people keep returning to its dealers because of all of the things people love that they can associate with their cars, be it charity, pets, safety, or adventure. Unless your name is Matt Hardigree, it seems like there’s a lot of love for Subaru.

But is it real? Is it just marketing? As Matt wrote last week, data shows that Subaru isn’t really the best at anything, but that doesn’t really matter. The brand has devoted fans, which is fine! TheCoryJihad gives one explanation:

As someone who used to work in a Subaru store, I can fully say that it is a cult on the level of Volvo and Saab. In fact, we traded a fair number of late model Volvos on new Outbacks and Ascents on a shocking scale. We were also cross-shopped with Volvo more than any other brand, even when similar sized vehicles had a $10k pricing discrepancy.

The owners were all well monied, high credit, highly educated and typically knew all about the brand’s commitment to animal and conservation charities.

I’ve worked for Honda, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Nissan, Kia, Lincoln and Ford, but none of those brands come close to the level of love that Subaru owners genuinely feel towards that brand.

As does Alexander Moore:

Easy. Subaru sells cars how we remember them. Slow, low windowlines with lots of glass, decent ground clearance, and relatively comfortable. In contrast many other brands are going all-in on sporty styling, stiff suspensions, and gunslit DLOs. I think marketers are totally out of touch and don’t realize that most people just want the same car they already have, only slightly nicer and newer. They don’t want something totally radical and different.

Jason wrote about how his legendary ‘Marshall’ Ford truck is back on the road. In that piece, he jokes that he’s never been invited to lunch by a deer. Chronometric makes a funny point:

You might get invited to a deer luncheon if you stopped driving into their kinfolk.

A. Barth:

“I was just standing there, minding my own business, and PAO!!”

Chronometric again:

Bambi, are you hurt?
No, but I’m not O-Kei.

Mike Harrell made me laugh too much with this one:

But rocks are dense! Dense and heavy.

Among the more valuable lessons I learned in grad school is never to offer to help a geologist move. It ends up being mostly boxes of rocks and boxes of books about rocks.

In my case, also car parts, but that really doesn’t help matters.

I also have the answers to last week’s Only Fanbelts. If you’re a member, we showed you a bunch of 2024 music rewinds and asked you to match them to the author. The answers are:

1. Thomas
2. Matt
3. Mark
4. Griffin
5. David
6. Me
7. Jason

That’s right, I spent most of my year listening to German symphonic metal bands, some Linkin Park, and a lot of bro-country. For that last part, I was really into songs about trucks.

Have a great evening, everyone!

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