Detroit - Most vehicle surveys cover the beginning of the ownership experience, but seldom do they track the reliability of cars a few years down the line.
But there is a J D Power and Associates survey in the United States gets its data from owners of three-year-old cars and the results from the 2009 batch most recently surveyed shows an overall improvement of five percent from the previous year.
When study showed an average of 126 problems per 100 vehicles and the winning brand was Lexus, with a score of 71 problems per 100 vehicles.
THE WINNERS
Lexus - 71 pp100
Porsche - 94
Lincoln - 112
Toyota - 112
Mercedes-Benz - 115
Buick - 118
Honda - 119
Acura - 120
Ram - 122
Suzuki - 122
MID-FIELD
Mazda - 124
Chevrolet - 125
Industry average - 126
Ford - 127
Cadillac - 128
Subaru - 132
BMW - 133
GMC - 134
Scion - 135
Nissan - 137
Infiniti - 138
Kia - 140
Hyundai - 141
LOSERS
Audi - 147
Volvo - 149
Mini - 150
Chrysler - 153
Jaguar - 164
Volkswagen - 174
Jeep - 178
Mitsubishi - 178
Dodge - 190
Land Rover - 220
INDIVIDUAL HEROS
The Lexus RX was the most reliable individual model, with just 57 problems per 100 vehicles and J D Power also listed many segment winners.
The Scion XD was the most reliable sub-compact car, followed by the Toyota Yaris, while the Toyota Prius edged out the Ford Focus in the compact class.
The mid-sized title went to the Hyundai Sonata and the mid-sized premium title went to the Audi A6.
The Toyota RAV4 was the best compact crossover and Mazda's MX-5 topped the compact sporty vehicle list.
Emphasising the importance of vehicle dependability on sales, JD Power said that 54 percent of owners who don't experience any problems with their vehicles stay with that brand for their next purchase. That loyalty rate slips to 41 percent when three or more problems are experienced.
Sources: Reuters & J D Power and Associates