Dependable Used Cars

Used cars may represent one of the best values on the market today. Of course that holds true only if you're able to find dependable used cars. Interestingly, that's one of the nice features of buying used cars. Previous owners have already put these cars through a real world road test.

Dependability of Used Cars

By compiling the repair and dependability experiences of car owners, it's possible to assemble a list of the most reliable used cars. That's exactly what large research organizations such as J.D. Power and Associates does each year. They conduct surveys of car owners to determine their experience with mechanical breakdowns. This research allows them to understand whether or not some of the car's features seemed to "wear out" faster than expected. This information helps buyers of used cars to determine if the car is going to be dependable or not.

Used Car Research

Additional Resources

J.D. Power conducts used car research each year, and uses that information to publish used car ratings. The research they conduct is very comprehensive. They gather the collective experiences of nearly 44,000 owners of cars and light trucks via a questionnaire. This might sound like a lot of surveys, but when you think of all the combinations of car makes and models, they need a lot of information to be able to identify an undependable car from a dependable one.

When they conduct this research, they survey owners of three year old vehicles. In doing so, this survey takes into account the fact most of these cars are no longer covered by the original manufacturer's warranty. This also means that most of these cars have been driven enough miles to start to show signs of wear and tear. If they surveyed owners of cars that were only one year old, then they might not have enough repair history to provide meaningful results.

Dependability Rating System

The J.D. Power dependability rating is based on categories of problems or symptoms that the 2008 model owners are reporting. The categories in this rating system include:

Mechanical Dependability - the mechanical dependability score is based on reported problems with the car's engine, transmission, suspension, steering, and brakes.
Body and Interior Dependability - the body and interior dependability score is derived from reported experience with the car's exterior paint, interior fit and finish, noise from the wind, and rattles / squeaks.
Feature and Accessory Dependability - the feature and accessory dependability score is based on problems with accessories such as the air conditioner, radio / stereo and speakers, automatic door locks, and windows.
Performance - the performance dependability score is based on reported experience with the vehicle's power-train and suspension systems. This measure would include acceleration, handling, and brake performance.
Style - the style rating is based on satisfaction with the automobile's interior and exterior styling, distinctiveness of styling, and the exterior and interior color combinations.

Dependable Cars and Manufacturers

The J.D. Power used car ratings are actually broken down into three types of ratings. First they rate the corporation, then the nameplate or make, finally a model. For example, General Motors is a corporation, which owns the nameplate of Chevrolet, which makes the Malibu. The list below starts at the highest level (corporation), and closes with the most dependable used car models.

Dependable Automobile Corporations

The list below is a ranking of the most dependable automobile corporations. The ranking is stated in terms of the number of problems per 100 vehicles. This includes all of the nameplates and models owned by these corporations. This list was developed in 2004, and was the last time dependability ratings were published at the corporate level. All other data is for 2008 cars, published in the calendar year 2011.

Buick: 122 PP100
Jaguar: 122 PP100
Lexus: 126 PP100
Toyota: 129 PP100
Mercury: 134 PP100
Infinity: 142 PP100
Acura: 146 PP100
Lincoln: 147 PP100
Cadillac: 148 PP100
Honda: 148 PP100
Porsche: 150 PP100
Audi: 159 PP100
Ford: 159 PP100
Hyundai: 161 PP100
Subaru: 162 PP100

The industry average for all corporations was 170 PP100. If a corporation averaged 170 PP100, this tells us that all of the cars they make averaged 170 problems per 100 vehicles or 1.7 problems per vehicle.

Dependable Nameplates

Using a five star rating system for each nameplate, the following achieved both five and four star overall quality ratings:

Acura (five stars)
Lexus (five stars)
Mercedes-Benz (five stars)
Porsche (five stars)
Ford (four stars)
Honda (four stars)

At a more granular level, nameplates were ranked based on reported problems. Listed below is a ranking of the most dependable car nameplates, as determined by the problems per 100 vehicles.

Lincoln: 101 PP100
Lexus: 109 PP100
Jaguar: 112 PP100
Porsche: 114 PP100
Toyota: 122 PP100
Acura: 123 PP100
Buick: 125 PP100
Mercedes-Benz: 128 PP100
Cadillac: 130 PP100
Hyundai: 132 PP100
Honda: 139 PP100
Ford: 140 PP100
SAAB: 146 PP100
Infiniti: 151 PP100
Industry: Average: 151 PP100
smart: 152 PP100
Chevrolet: 156 PP100
Volvo: 156 PP100
Subaru: 157 PP100
Kia: 160 PP100
Audi: 161 PP100
BMW: 164 PP100
Scion: 166 PP100
Ram: 173 PP100
Mazda: 181 PP100
Nissan: 183 PP100
GMC: 184 PP100
Mitsubishi: 186 PP100
Suzuki: 190 PP100
Volkswagen: 191 PP100
Chrysler: 202 PP100
Dodge: 206 PP100
Land: Rover: 212 PP100
Jeep: 214 PP100
MINI: 221 PP100

Dependable Used Cars by Category

Finally, J.D. Power produces used car ratings by the category in which the car competes. The category is usually defined by the way in which a car is used, or the size of the car. For example, there are minivans, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), and there are compact cars. These are all categories of cars. Finishing up with the top cars, or the most dependable used cars, by category: