The average age for cars on US roads is 9.4 years for cars and 7.6 years for trucks. For a car consumer durability and brand loyalty mean the most and they go hand-in-hand to increase the roadworthy years of a car. Reliability and durability are the deciding factors that make an automobile desirable.
A latest vehicle dependability study shows how important reliability is the factor that puts the following car brands sold in the US on the forefront for the greatest general dependability:
- The top most dependable cars: Buick and Jaguar
- Lexus, Toyota and Mercury are in the top five
- Suzuki Volkswagen and Land Rover were the last three brands on the list
To determine the most dependable vehicles on the road today, the first owners of three-year-old cars were asked to report in eight categories, the type of problems the vehicles developed over the previous year for:
- Driving experience
- Engine
- Exterior
- Features/controls
- Heating/ventilating/cooling
- Interior
- Seats
- Audio/entertainment/navigation
Final rankings were based on the problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) score. The lower are the scores the higher is the quality of the vehicle.
The top most dependable cars are as the following:
- According to the senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports, Lexus is reliable, very luxurious and comfortable, with the latest technology
- Toyota’s reputation for both reliability and Eco-mindedness makes it highly valued by consumers, according to the New York-based market research company
- The LS 430 sedan scores 61 PP100, the lowest of any model in the study
- The Lexus SC 430, a $66,805 coupe, scored below 100 and beat the Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette in the premium sporty car category
- Consumer Reports ranked the LS 460 sedan the best overall vehicle of 2009
- GM’s Buick is a routine leader in dependability studies and ranked among the top 10 names since 2003
During the purchase of a car, what really matter is its reliability and ownership cost making it a ‘real world’ picture of car ownership. A car that does not let down its owner is important to every motorist.
There are two major factors that influence one’s version of reliability:
- How often it goes for repairs
- How much it costs you to fix it
A car could break down five times, but only cost you $50 each time to fix, or it could break down once and cost you $1,000.