The best cars failed to notice to date – Part 2

I was intrigued by this apparent disconnect and decided to dig a little further to try to identify cars that might be getting a bum rap. I looked at the top-scoring vehicles in J.D. Power’s dependability study, and compared the results to the worst-scoring brands in the avoider study. I also asked J.D. Power to compile a list of the most-improved vehicles on the dependability study between 2008 and 2012.

Unlike J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study, which measures problems that occur in the first three months of ownership, the Vehicle Dependability Study measures how many problems show up three years down the road. So it’s a better indicator of how well cars hold up under normal usage.

Cars in this year’s dependability study, then, were sold in 2009, during the depths of the economic crisis. Cars in the 2008 study were sold in 2005, when the industry was booming.

The analysis suggests there are a lot of good cars on the market that might be worth a second look. The $22,000 Mitsubishi Galant, for example, isn’t typically on many shopping lists, but among midsized cars, a 2009 Galant is more reliable than a 2009 Toyota Camry. And you can get a good deal on a new one: the 2012 Galant is currently being offered with a $3,500 rebate or 0% financing.

Here’s another surprise, perhaps: a three-year-old Hyundai Genesis is rated more dependable than a three-year-old Mercedes E-class. Hyundai and its Korean sister company, Kia, have been steadily climbing up the quality surveys, and it’s beginning to show in long-term reliability now, too.

The point is this, says Osborn: “These days, all the dogs are out of the market, so you should go into vehicle consideration with an open mind. There are 240 vehicles on the market, and 30 more coming out. Do your homework. Don’t cross anybody off your list.”

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Feb 28 2012. Filed under Automobiles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.