Fortunately for used-car shoppers, finding a quality used vehicle is getting easier each year. Vehicle history reports, manufacturer certified pre-owned vehicle programs and third-party quality ratings such as those available on JDPower.com can take a lot of the guesswork out of buying a used car or truck. And with new-vehicle quality improving each year, the prognosis for used-vehicle quality is good. After all, high-quality new cars typically become high-quality used cars.
In addition to its extensive research on new-vehicle quality, each year J.D. Power and Associates surveys owners of three-year-old vehicles and asks them to report the types of problems they’ve experienced with their vehicle during the preceding 12 months. The problems are grouped into nine categories:
- Ride, handling and braking
- Sound system
- Features and controls
- Seats
- Engine
- Transmission
- Heating, ventilation and cooling
- Vehicle interior
- Vehicle exterior
Consumer survey responses are then tallied using a “problems per 100 vehicles” (PP100) measurement, which is a straight average of the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (a lower PP100 score is better). According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS),SM overall quality of three-year-old vehicles improved by 10 PP100, or five percent, compared to last year, maintaining a trend of three-year-old vehicle quality improvement over the last six years. This year’s VDS results are based on survey responses from over 52,000 verified original owners of 2005 model-year vehicles. Vehicles must be registered for personal use. Some highlights of this year’s study:
- Of 38 nameplates included in the study, 27—which account for 61 percent of U.S. auto industry sales volume—improve this year.
- The industry improvement occurs across most of the categories included in the study. There is improvement in seven of nine categories, while the other two categories (vehicle exterior and sound system) remain unchanged from last year.
- Among the 19 award segments included in the study, Midsize Premium Multi-Activity Vehicle (MAV) shows the most improvement, with owners reporting 36 PP100 fewer than last year.
- Lexus earns six model awards and Toyota earns five, combining to capture more than half of the segment awards. Lexus is also the highest-ranked nameplate in the study, and has ranked highest each year since becoming eligible for the VDS in 1990.
- Ford and Honda each receive two awards; and Buick, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Mazda, and Mercury earn one award each.
- Of the 27 nameplates that improve in the 2008 VDS, eight improve by more than 40 PP100. Saab is the most improved nameplate in this year’s study, improving 65 PP100 compared to last year. Mazda (61 PP100 improvement) and Porsche (59 PP100 improvement) also make large quality gains.
- Nameplates showing the greatest decline in three-year-old vehicle quality include Subaru (an increase of 36 PP100), Jeep (34 PP100), and Scion (23 PP100).
- In general, the longer a vehicle is owned, the more problems that will occur. The degree to which the level of problems increases will affect the level of owner loyalty.
More Research
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Subcompact and Compact Cars
Midsize and Large Cars
Premium Cars
Sporty Cars
Multi-activity Vehicles (MAVs)
Premium MAVs
Pickups and Vans
