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5 car brands customers don't buy twice

Photo of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR
Photo of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR

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In today's auto market, competition is stiff. Every car seems built to last, which makes it difficult for automakers to tout reliability as their sole selling point. Consumers can shop nearly any brand, confident that they'll drive home in something that will hold up for years. That's led to the demise of brand loyalty -- especially among younger buyers.

But brand loyalty hasn't completely died out. Experian Automotive showed us that some brands do pretty well on that front, while USA Today compiled data from Kelley Blue Book to reveal that some automakers are doing...less well.

What car brands have trouble getting repeat customers? Which five inspire the least brand loyalty? We're glad you asked:

#5. Scion: 25.79% repeat customers

Scion FR-S
Scion FR-S

Scion is facing a number of serious problems. When the brand debuted a decade ago, America had begun to "rediscover" small cars, which hadn't consistently performed well since the oil crisis of the 1970s. Scion did fine for a while, drawing in Millennials who liked the brand's personality, and even older drivers who appreciated some models' fuel economy (especially during the Great Recession). But apart from the FR-S, Scion hasn't offered anything new or noteworthy for some time. Its vehicles also perform poorly in initial quality and below average in dependability. Meanwhile, its parent, Toyota, continues to inspire huge volumes of repeat business and to offer some very interesting new rides (e.g. the recent expansion of the Prius family), which could be putting a dent in Scion's sales.

#4. Jaguar: 25.45% repeat customers

Jaguar F-Type Coupe
Jaguar F-Type Coupe