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J.D. Power Ranks Most Reliable Vehicles
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Who makes the most reliable cars on the road? And whose products are likely to leave you stranded on the side of the road? The results are in from J.D. Power’s latest Vehicle Dependability Study, and Paul Eisenstein, Publisher of TheCarConnection.com, has the story.
Responses (82 total)
By colorman | Posted: Oct 23rd 2007, 07:51:35 PM
If you think the domestic automakers don't make cars or trucks that are as good as the Japanese then you are about 3 years out of date. While I will admit there was a quality gap at one time the Americans have caught up and in many ways passed the imports. If you are adult enough and objective enough to test drive and compare some of the domestic vehicles you will see difference. If you have already decided the imports are better based on out of date information or someone elses opinion then don't waste our time with your hardheadedness. See for yourself or go away.
By Ian | Posted: Oct 23rd 2007, 05:46:47 PM
Edward aka Thor,
By now you've probably read that Consumer Reports has admited to 10 years of automatically recommending Toyotas without subjecting them to the same scrutiny of other makes. They have vowed to scrutinize them parallel to other makes due to the quality decline of Toyotas over the past few years. Please take a moment to eat your words. We all knew it all along.
Also, take a visit to TDIclub.com to see how long VW's last. I've gotten 340,000 miles on a 1999 VW Jetta TDI and currently have 40,000 miles on a 2006 Jetta TDI with no problems and returning 48mpg of Teutonic bliss!
Your comments all around are incredibly shallow and are clearly drawn from other people's opinions. You said it yourself (car mags).
You sure have a lot to say for someone with no credible personal experience.
By Tim | Posted: Oct 22nd 2007, 11:44:32 PM
I have a 2005 Pontiac G6 that has horrible steering, ratles, already had to have rotars turned at 18,300 miles. A friend who owns a used car lot turns all the rotars on Pontiac G6's as they are bad. It is a joke at retaining its value also compaired to Honda's or Toyota's. Until you have driven both you cannot tell me they are the same or the Domestics are better. No comparison in quality, materials or safety.
By Eric Hanson | Posted: Oct 19th 2007, 12:50:15 PM
In 1993, the Buick Century and the Oldsmobile Ciera, after ten years of constant refinement and substantive changes underneath their little changed exteriors, rose to the top of the J. D. Power rankings, for their segment that year; and they led overall that year.
I bought a 1993 Ciera l 4 door sedan with the 3300 engine. Our family of five ran this loaded metallic grey example out to 227,000 miles and then sold it two years ago, to a teenager who is part of our church family.
We installed a Reese hitch along the way and used the Ciera to tow our 15 foot, 40 hp. family boat. We also towed our old camper with it, but down hill stops got a little hairy, since the camper's own brakes no longer worked.
Bottom line is this: The Ciera was as good as gold. It alwasy was called upon for some fairly heavy duty, but it never had any major failure; none... We replaced the alternator, the water pump, and shocks. We had a couple of brake jobs in the more than 200,000 miles, but that is it! That is all. The hard working engine and tranny never did anything wrong. The interior was very quiet too, always.
On trips from South Paris, Maine to Houghton, New York for our daughter's college needs, and on any other trip, it reliably got 34 MPG, and around town back home, year after year it got 26 in winter and 28 in summer. We never had to add oil between the 3000 mile changes, using ordinary Wal-Mart Super Tech oil or Pennzoil 10 W30.
One big reason we bought it, was our previous Olds. Our 1987 Calais Brougham, also was a nearly perfect car. This loaded, slightly smaller vehicle, with the 2.5 liter Tech 4 and automatic, was similarly utterly reliable and returned 28 MPG in normal mixed driving and 37 on cruise control type trips to Boston and such. We sold it at 155,000 miles.
Both cars were very rust resistant compared to others here in South Paris, especially Subarus which turned to rust all around us.
When I hear some of the posters rant about how every domestic car is crap, I know that I am reading ignorance in print.
By Chad | Posted: Oct 19th 2007, 01:39:21 AM
Nobody has the right to run Buick down before you drive one. I have owned 3 and they have been superior automobiles at an affordable price. My current vehicle is a 93 buick park ave with 225,000 miles. It runs like new and gets 32 miles per gallon on the highway and 28 in town. It runs flawlessly and has never required a major repair other than tires. I have owned it for 13 years. Sure it doesnt attract the attention that a Lexus does, but then again it didnt cost $60,000. Buick is the working man's Lexus. You can have your Honda's and Toyota's. I will take a Buick anyday.
By vincent | Posted: Oct 18th 2007, 03:47:59 AM
Just my 2 cents. 1992 Saturn Sl1-Went 135 k before dying
2000 Ford Mustang 200k and still going on orig engine and tranny.(starting to slip just a bit)
By charles6 | Posted: Oct 18th 2007, 01:51:09 AM
Peoples Stop all the car fus' Buy what you like and i will doe the same."When the Camry & Hondas came to the( USA) They was junk just like the Hundai and others cars that cross the pond in to the america soil.'I have driven american made cars for over fifty years.'Now i am driving daewoos & hundia."Will I Drive are Buy American made cars again' wating on the (2008 malibu) chevrolet. OK'
By Edward | Posted: Oct 14th 2007, 04:43:25 PM
" Hardy Douglas Says:
October 13th, 2007 at 1:08 am
It is my observation that the GM of today is a lot different than the GM of only three years ago."
I agree that GM made major strides under BOB LUTZ, but much is still to be improved. GM is sure t he best positioned of the big 3, and Ford must be the worst, unless they have Several Home Runs under their sleeves. Chrysler under Cerberus is a Question mark. We'll see what "Superman" Bill Press will do for them, aftger they paid him $50 million to defect from Toyota upper mgmt.
Exterior styling is also far better in some GM products than even some Acuras, Hondas and Toyotas, and sure better than Subarus and Mitsus! Interior, I'm not so sure, but I'll see if you have abandoned the accursed fake woods and hard plastics and tiny, wimpy gauges, that were unacceptable in $35k buicks and $50k Caddilacs!
The interiors in the last 18 months have seen a similar improvement.
"So it may surprise you that I agree with most of the negative comments about the domestics over the last 20 years, I genuinely think that in the last 18 months that General Motors has proven to me, that they are finally back in the game after a 30 year decline. "
You may be surprised that I agree with you here, but I will watch carefully for all the reviews, both the enthusiast mags (such as Car and Driver Comparison tests) AND Comsumer Reports.
"So I would ask you fellows to do me a favor. Go give the new Malibu, our Trucks, new Cadillacs, and new Lambda Cross Over Vehicles a look."
WHy are the crossovers so effing heavy? Thje BUick Enclave Coke bottle weighs over 5,000 lbs, and it is not even a real SUV but a crossover. WHY? I see no justification.
Same for the small Saturn VUe, the new version, being a German Opel Design, looks far better (exterior), but weighs 4.300 lbs, as much as a 7 series BMW!!! Amazingly the Hybrid version makes 32 mpg highway under the NEW EPA stricter rules! Did you game the system here? It must be the 2wd version anyway...
" Not to buy one, but a real critical hard look. Examine the fit and finish, and look at the expressive design, and I think you will find that the product itself will convince you that General Motors is now finally awake again."
Exterior design is sure better. I saw the new, huge Honda Accords at the dealer, and their exterior designs are not that good from some angles. Hondas and Toyotas have not had as good exgteriors as VWs. On the other hand, VWs are utter crap reliability -wise, and their components are designed to fail after 60k due to wearout.
As far as Caddilacs, I like the exterior styling still, after all these years you came up with it, but I have driven a manual CTS prior Gen, and the interior was unacceptable for an allegedly luxury car, hard plastics etc, the kind you find on Chevys and Kias! Why would I pay $40k for this instead of a 3- series? or MB-C class? And the very expensive STS has zero rear room, and even in China, they build long-wheelbase STS's, but here they don't? Please!
Best regards,
Edward
By Hardy Douglas | Posted: Oct 13th 2007, 05:08:55 AM
I can certainly appreciate everyone's point of view, but I would like to offer a different one.
I am a corporate product trainer with GM, have been for 13 years. I drive the imports for about a week and of course our own products for about the same time. I can't be a 'homer' in this job or my course participants would call me on it.
It is my observation that the GM of today is a lot different than the GM of only three years ago. Let me give you one example. In terms of fit and finish of exterior metal panels, GM went from poor to excellent. Examine the fit on the GMT 900’s, Lambda vehicles, 2008 CTS, and the stunning metal work on the new Malibu. We took micrometers to these vehicles and compared them to the Acura MDX, BMW 3 series, Tundra, and the SE Camry. I use this example because it is pure data based, and the truth is the GM products had narrower, more consistent panel gaps than each of these competitors.
The interiors in the last 18 months have seen a similar improvement.
So it may surprise you that I agree with most of the negative comments about the domestics over the last 20 years, I genuinely think that in the last 18 months that General Motors has proven to me, that they are finally back in the game after a 30 year decline. So I would ask you fellows to do me a favor. Go give the new Malibu, our Trucks, new Cadillacs, and new Lambda Cross Over Vehicles a look. Not to buy one, but a real critical hard look. Examine the fit and finish, and look at the expressive design, and I think you will find that the product itself will convince you that General Motors is now finally awake again.
Best regards,
Hardy Douglas
By Edward | Posted: Oct 11th 2007, 05:50:13 PM
" Demetris Says:
October 10th, 2007 at 1:21 am
I can’t believe some people are so biased against American automobiles."
That is a TOTAL LIE, imports buyers decide based on the FACTS of the Superior Quality, Reliability, Fun to Drive, and resale value of the imports, but it is the die-hard domestic buyers that are 100% BIASED, and no matter HOW MUCH BETTER the imports are, they NEVER BUY THEM.
" It’s that mind set that could kill the American automotive industry and possibly take down the rest of America with it."
NOT AT ALL, what will kill the US auto industry is Generations of Arrogant, Incompetent and vastly overpaid CEOS, in bed with theh corrupt UAW LEadership, that have been producing INFERIOR PRODUCT for 3 decades in a row.
" So all ya’ll that drive your little Hondas, Toyotas and other imports"
Your ignorance SHOWS. In fact, the market for mid-priced cars is doing FAR BETTER than the market for LUXURY cars, where it USED to be 90% US, but now Caddilac and Lincoln have only 17% of this market, the LOWEST of ALL MARKT SEGMENTS! And BMW, lexus and Mercedes, the top 3 luxury imports, EACH are bigger than all domestic luxury makers COMBINED. AND, more important, the profits per luxury vehicle are several TIMES the profits of an Accord or Camry.
" are basically killing a NATION whose keystone industry is slowly dying and seemingly no one cares."
NO, IT IS THE CORRUPT, INCOMPETENT UAW so-called leadership and your VASTLY overpaid CEOS, the arrogant FOOLS that TOyota and Honda AND BMW AND Mercedes have been beating at HOME GAMES for 35 years in A ROW! And programs like the "JOBS BANK" where YOU LAZY UAW workers get FULL PAY without working even for ONE MINUTE every day, will be the final straw!
"PS: Over 50% of Toyota’s vehicles sold in the U.S. are imported."
SO WHAT???? WHO THE EFF CARES???? And 80% of HONDAS are made DOMESTICALLY, but your DISHONESTY does not let youmention this, right? AND where are your precious Ford Fusions made? IN MEXICO!
Give me a break!
PS IT IS THE PRODUCT STUPID! Build a SUPERIOR domestic product, and in 10 years you may REGAIN YOUR GOOD NAME you SQUANDERED with decades of poor quality, poor reliability, poor performance and handling POS you have been making!
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