Most/Least reliable cars for 2011

[jbi]

It's an American list but it gives a good indication how the folks across the pond see some of the more hallowed European brands (e.g Audi and BMW) based upon owner satisfaction.

I noticed several of the most reliable cars are not even sold here.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/26/2010-consumer-r...

[TheRoadWarrior]

article said:

Mercedes has six of 13 models receiving below average ratings and Audi got the same ratings for 75 percent of its lineup.

...Because 75% of it's lineup is the same

[300bhp/ton]

article said:

Reliability for European cars has always been an journey filled with ups and downs. The 2010 reliability scores are no exception. Porsche and Volvo are near the top of the industry while Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are among the worst.

Who'd have thought it!

[G_T]

I'd love to see how the data for those figures is achieved.

I don't believe for a second that Porsche is producing more reliable cars than Honda.

Also doesn't seem to fit well with what reliabilitindex.com is saying about the top 100cars with the lowest warranty claims;

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100

[soxboy]

G_T said:

I'd love to see how the data for those figures is achieved.

I don't believe for a second that Porsche is producing more reliable cars than Honda.

Also doesn't seem to fit well with what reliabilitindex.com is saying about the top 100cars with the lowest warranty claims;

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/top-100

LIke many of these surveys, it is one of extremes. Those who have unreliable cars shout about it, those who have very reliable cars shout about it too. Those in the middle don't care. It is only when the car is not what it is pervceived to be that people shout about it.

I take these surveys with a pinch of salt. The people with problems on Audi, Merc etc are unhappy and want to bang on about it as this is not what was expected from the marque whilst the others keep quiet because their car does as expected, hence the responses are not fully representative.

At the upper end of the scale, people buy cars like Kia, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda in many cases because they want a reliable white good - reliability is the key redeeming feature of the car and they are willing to shout about it (particularly if they have been let down by other manufacturers previously).

Perhaps with Porsches, they are as relaible as the owners expect them to be and reliability is not one of the key reasons for purchase, hence owners do not bang on about it. Therefore other marques score higher.

[300bhp/ton]

soxboy said:

I take these surveys with a pinch of salt. The people with problems on Audi, Merc etc are unhappy and want to bang on about it as this is not what was expected from the marque

No I don't agree with that. Just because in the UK some people are brainwashed into thinking these car makers do no wrong ever, doesn't mean that other countries share the same view.

I can't personally vouch what opinion is like, but I do and have talked to lots of guys in the US on other forums and the like. And as a rule marques like BMW are not well respected for reliability. In fact some claim never to buy one out of warranty as they are such money pits (something I've seen posted numerous times on different forums).

So in my view, their expectations are not one of reliability at all.