Buick ties with Acura as "most dependable".

[Charger_Fan]

This is GOOD news for a US automaker. Hopefully the 'most dependable' title will spread to the Ford & Chrysler camps soon too & help dispel the myth too many people use, that American cars are crap.


http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/aug2007/bw2007088_579346.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives

General Motors (GM) has had enormous difficulty coming up with a marketing idea to wrap around its Buick brand, changing ad strategies five times in six years. For the next year, though, the automaker can claim "most dependable brand in America," according to J.D. Power & Associates.

The research firm's annual Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures consumer complaints and ratings over three years of ownership, places Buick in a tie with Lexus for top honors. It's the first time in 12 years that any brand has scored high enough to tie quality juggernaut Lexus.

Oldies But Goodies
What does this mean for consumers? The study specifically looks at 2004 Buick models and how they rated with consumers over the past three years of ownership. Two of those models—the old Century and Regal—are vehicles Buick no longer sells. The Century and Regal were old in 2004, and had benefited from years of tweaking the things that bothered buyers earlier in their lives. That makes those vehicles especially good used-car buys for consumers who value reliability above all else. But it doesn't speak specifically to the LaCrosse and Lucerne sedans Buick sells today.

"Quality is a key hallmark of the Buick brand," says Jim Bunnell, general manager of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. "Buicks have long been regarded for craftsmanlike quality, attention to detail, and library-quiet interiors. Our owners can feel confident that they have a high-quality, quiet vehicle that is now a recognized leader in dependability."

Another factor to consider is that Buick, especially in 2004, was attracting a largely older (over 65) buyer. Even GM executives admit that their research shows that older customers are much less harsh in rating cars than younger buyers. Does that mean Buick didn't earn the top honor? Not at all. But for anyone renting those cars in the past few years, seeing them atop the reliability list with Lexus demands some explaining.

Rankings Rundown
Following in the study's top five ranking are Cadillac, Mercury, and Honda Motor (HMC), respectively. "With three nonpremium nameplates—Buick, Honda, and Mercury—ranking within the top five, and particularly with Buick tying with Lexus for the top rank, consumers seeking a vehicle with strong dependability have good choices at various price levels," says Neal Oddes, director of product research and analysis at J.D. Power. "Consumers don't necessarily need to pay premium prices to obtain high quality and dependability."

J.D. Power names three vehicles per vehicle industry segment, based on dependability. Lexus garnered five segment awards—the most of any nameplate in 2007—for the GS300/GS430, GX470, LS430, LX470, and SC430. Toyota Motor (TM) follows with four segment awards for the RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, and Tundra. Ford Motor (F), Honda, and Oldsmobile (which GM has since shuttered), each captured two awards.

GM's Hummer brand, while still ranking below industry average, was the most improved brand since the 2006 study. Nissan (NSANY) fell the most since last year, dropping 28 problems per 100 vehicles. Oddes says that Nissan was especially beset that year with vehicle launches of the Titan pickup, Armada SUV, and Quest minivan. And the Nissan Altima sedan, he says, saw one of the biggest drops in dependability. "We have long seen a trend that when a company launches a lot of models in a year, it stresses the system, right down to the build quality on the line," says Oddes. Chrysler, Suzuki, Acura, and Mercury were among the declining brands year over year.

Issues of Longevity
Still, adds Oddes, the biggest issues tend to be design-related problems that bother customers over time. "We have seen some manufacturers emphasize design quality a lot in the last few years because if you get it wrong at the start, it can drag you down for years," he says. Overall, a majority of brands improved in vehicle dependability.

There are differences between the top-ranked brands and cars in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study and its Initial Quality Study, which reflects consumer input in the first three months of ownership. Subaru, for example, ranks well below industry average in IQS this year, but above average in VDS. That's because Subaru's engine and transmissions, as well as other durable parts of the car wear extremely well with customers over time. But the company's lack of attention to design issues such as instrument panel, cup-holders, wipers, and the like, prove irksome in the early days of ownership before a customer has time to get used to them. Even Buick this year lags the industry average.

This year's IQS also takes into account models that weren't on sale three years ago. Car buyers can go to www.jdpa.com to view the firm's rankings of vehicles in IQS, as well as VDS, over the years to see how brands and certain models perform over time.

In an era of falling real estate value and rising interest rates and gas prices, consumers are apt to try and hold onto their cars a little longer than they used to. The cars that will last longer with the lowest repair costs and headaches are not so hard to find.

Now we just need to get to where at least 90% of the vehicle's parts are being made in US or Canada again & we're back in business.

[Brock Samson]

  I find it especially interesting that the lexus vehicles (GS300/GS430, GX470, LS430, LX470, and SC430) which are gussied up Toyotas are compleatly and substancially different from the more plebian winning Toyota conterparts, and that most of the Toyotas named are either trucks or cute-utes,.. (RAV4, Sequoia)  which is the name given to "truck-like" SUVs baised on regular sedan type automobiles...
with the exception of the  Tacoma, and Tundra which are basicly the same vehicle and actually designed as a "Truck".


Edit: i am sometimes confused by the alphabet soup of model designations and i belive the Lexus LX-470 maybe actually a gussied up Tundra.. 

"J.D. Power names three vehicles per vehicle industry segment, based on dependability. Lexus garnered five segment awards—the most of any nameplate in 2007—for the GS300/GS430, GX470, LS430, LX470, and SC430. Toyota Motor (TM) follows with four segment awards for the RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, and Tundra. Ford Motor (F), Honda, and Oldsmobile (which GM has since shuttered), each captured two awards."