So much for Jap cars

Knocking Lexus and Infiniti out of their accustomed places atop the J.D.
Power and Associates Customer Service Index Study, Lincoln and Buick
finished one-two in the annual market research poll. What's more, six of the
top 11 brands in the survey were domestic.

 

So much for Jap cars? You must be the same guy who writes the misleading
healdines for the New York Times.

I wouldn't run out to buy stock in Ford and GM right away based on that
survey. Customer service has more to do with the qualitiy of the dealership
management than the quality of the vehicle. And since you didnt actually
report the *whole* top of the list, I'll add it here to correct the wrong
impression your subject would leave. 1. Lincoln 2. Buick 3. Infinity 4.
Cadillac 5. Lexus 6. Saturn 7. Acura. Hardly "so much for Jap cars", but
it's certainly nice to see the US brands improving.


Bob

 

I am glad that domestic auto quality has improved over the years.
Don't you have to acknowledge though the fact that the quality of foreign,
particularly Japanese, automobiles pushed that of domestic ones?
I doubt that, without being punched in the mouth by Japanese quality,
domestic auto makers would have been motivated to be where they are now.

I am glad to hear there are domestic auto makers who can compete with
Japanese in quality. Better quality. More choices. Consumers win.
Thank you, Japanese auto makers!

 

Its good to hear Ford and GM are showing signs of re-discovering customer
service. Its about time.

 

This survey only rates the dealership service, not the quality and
reliability of the cars themselves, so it's pointless at best, if not
misleading. I remember another pearl coming from J.D. Another customer
satisfaction survey placed Saturn first, but they did not mention it was
only for the first 90 days of ownership. I guess if you change your cars
every three months this would be a great rating system, and Saturn the
best car to buy, but most people keep their cars for more than three years.

Enjoy owning your "domestic" car after the warranty period expires. I'm
sure you'll love the dealership's great service while spending money on
repairs. I wrote "domestic" because most "jap" cars are at least
assembled if not completely manufactured within N America.

I think I'll stick with Honda's poorer service. I can count on one hand
the number of times I actually needed their service with my old 94
Accord. My 01 Prelude has yet to give me any trouble, but at only 20k
miles only time will tell.

Cosmin

 

Edb,
You may not be aware of it but American cars contain many parts made by
foreign companies. There are no new cars that only have parts made in
America. I seem to recall reading that some American car companies have
plants located in Mexico. Am I right about this?
Jason

 

My japanese import was manufactured in Marysville, OH. Those damn foreign
manufacturers.
<http://world.honda.com/news/2003/c031125.html>

They even produce the Honda Odyssey in the far off land of Lincoln, Alabama
<http://www.hondacars.com/info/news/article.asp?ArticleID=20010104001184&bhc
p=1&BrowserDetected=True>
"Honda currently builds products in nine manufacturing plants in North
America, with three major research and development centers in the U.S."

 

Absolutely. My friend was driving a 2002 or 3 Yukon, made in Mexico.
If the VIN starts with a 3, regardless of make, it's made in Mexico.

 

I love my '92 Acura Integra, & my mom loves her 2000 Honda Accord SE.

 

My experience is that if you keep your cars for 3 years only (the
typical warranty period), then this survey results may be useful,
only to a point -- as other pointed out this survey is not truly
about reliability. But if you keep your cars for 7 to 10 years
(like I), it does make sense to purchase a Toyota, Honda, Lexus
or Acura.

Sure GM and Ford make good products, fun to drive, and ofter
cheaper then the Japs. They also have little or no problems in
the first 3 years of their life. However, they seldom age as well
as jap cars/minivan. I had nothing but trouble with my 2000
Chevrolet Venture since 3 years warranty passed. My 91 integra
has had nothing wrong. It is 13 years old! Nothing, Nada, Rien!

I prefer looking at Consumer Reports long term owner survey to
determine what car is more reliable. They provide long term
trouble index spanning over a few years.

My 2 cents.

 

[snizzle]

True---true. Plus, they (Jap. cars) seem to have great resale value, to say
the least..