Posted on 06/30/2005 3:53:59 AM PDT by mark502inf
DETROIT (AP) - Almost every automaker made significant strides in vehicle dependability in a new survey, J.D. Power and Associates said Wednesday. General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Co., the world's three largest automakers, were top performers. The closely watched survey, published since the late 1980s, measures dependability by questioning owners of three-year-old vehicles about problems they're experiencing, such as wind noise or excessive brake wear. This year's survey questioned 50,635 owners of 2002 model-year cars and trucks. Chance Parker, executive director of product and research analysis at J.D. Power, said the industry showed a 12 percent improvement in this year's survey. The industry average was 237 problems per 100 vehicles this year, compared with 269 problems per 100 vehicles in 2004. Parker said manufacturers fixed a variety of problems in the 2002 model year. "Almost every manufacturer got better this year, and we don't always see that," Parker said. "Manufacturers have already picked all the low-hanging fruit, so now they have to tackle every little thing."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.moneycentral.msn.com ...
Good news for the home team.
With the Pontiac Solstice coming up, GM's sure to get a hit like Ford has with the Mustang. Normally bitter journalists are keeping hush-hush on GM's secret plans they've seen. June sales are looking to be up as much as 30% thanks to employee discounts for all. I think this is finally the turning point to get GM back into shape.
" of three-year-old vehicles about problems they're experiencing, such as wind noise or excessive brake wear."
What good are brakes ...who worries about wind noise ...when one is waiting on the side of the road for a tow truck ?
BUMP
Excuse me, but why should I care whether GM "gets back into shape".
My first thought was that we can thank the Japanese automakers for the improvements in American cars. There is nothing like competition to make products better.
Competition is good.. If GM cars improve, then I might consider to buy one... That is only if.
GM cars have improved--their reliability record is tops according to the latest intial quality survey and the study shown in the article. but you are right about competition--if the Japanese hadn't cleaned the clocks of US carmakers in the 80s/90s with better-built cars, GM & Ford would not be putting out the products they are now.
I also agree with the poster above who commented that "perception lags realilty." The Japanese reputation is still higher even though the reality is that US built cars are now doing better in both initial quality and maintenance reliability.
That is why I think if we had put higher tariffs on Japanese cars in the 80's and 90's Ford and GM would have been producing crap cars....
My son rented a Chevy Cobalt for a few weeks. I can honestly say I thought it was equal to the Corolla in many respects and was better than it in others.
It is head and shoulders above the Cavalier.
On the other hand, I've owned three Toyotas, one pickup and two 4Runners, and they've been incredibly reliable and utterly unkillable. I'm working on a deal to buy a used 2002 Sequoia 4WD right now, and the Windstar is going on the chopping block.
Wife's 14 year old Honda is better built than daughter's 2 year old Saturn.
GM saves 2 cents by going to cheaper gaskets and the consumer pays $1000 in repairs the day after it goes out of warranty. Thinner brake rotors save weight and 3 cents but warp under warranty.
The ONLY GM I have ever owned in my life dropped its transmission in the middle of nowhere with about 60,000 miles on it... it was in and out of the shop constantly before that .... I babied that car more than any car I have ever owned, and it was a piece o crap. I will never own a GM vehicle again.
The two best cars I've had in my life thus far, have been a full size Ford Van.. and a VW Fox.
We own and drive trucks. No cars. Have had everything that's built: Fords, Dodge, Chevy's. Bought a 4X4 Chevy Duramax crewcab 1ton duelly two years ago and we call it our "Cowboy Caddy". Flawless performance, Perfect body fits, Wonderful ride, power and great mileage. It is the best we have ever had and will buy more.
My wife and I are looking to move up to a Sequoia from a '91 4-Runner due to the increasing number conservative clones she is producing. I was hoping the high gas prices would bring the prices down. I think I'm starting to see that happen now.
I have a 1999 ... check the drivers' side door panel, bet yours is made in Canada.
If I remember correctly, Japanese cars did not have a higher tariff but rather the Japanese automakers chose to have voluntary import quotas.
The worst car I ever owned in terms of reliabilty was a BMW I bought while stationed in Germany--brakes went out on the autobahn(!), transmission failed, and both the power door locks & windows kept malfunctioning. My most maintenance free vehicle was a plain vanilla, no frills Ford Escort that just ran & ran & ran for twelve years.
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