And the much-vaunted consumer reports lets respondents decide what is a serious problem, rather than defining it themselves. So the bucking transmission in my parents' Toyota they don't consider serious, yet I get worked up about spending 10 minutes and $0.02 having to clean a sensor after 100k miles...
That, and the fact that mechanically identical cars get vastly different ratings (see Dodge Magnum V8 vs. Chrysler 300 V8, Honda Passport v. Isuzu Rodeo, Mercury Mariner v. Ford Escape) brings into question how significant a gap between their average and "much better than average" is. Many times, it means that the owner faces just a 10% chance of seeing the dealer one extra time in 3 years. And it doesn't consider the cost of the visit.
Check out msnautos.com for reliability info and register on truedelta.com to help get better info out on the street....
You know, I wonder if another factor isn't ego? I mean, if I buy a Japanese car known for reliability and have problems, well I'll blame the manufacturer and bitch at them. But if I buy from an American car brand that is (perhaps unfairly) known for poor quality/reliability, and it turns out to have problems, I'll be kicking myself and probably taking a few shots from friends, too, who'll be wondering why I bought a known poor quality/reliability brand. Of course, this is a minor and silly reason to base a decision on, but people do make decisions based on such minor, silly concerns.