Reliability ?

Just read the 2011 J D Power survey on the most reliable cars on the road today.  Makes for interesting reading.

It covers everything from reliability through performance handling and practicality to give a car an overall score.  And who comes out in the top two ?  The Skoda Superb and Yeti.  Its a long way from the Skodas of old which used to be the brunt of  all the jokes.

At the other end of the scale the bottom two come in with the old Ford Ka at 100 and the Fiat Grande Punto at 99.  The Fiat is no surprise, but the old Ford I thought would have been put together better.

We all have tales of cars good and bad that we have owned, and as a great believer in German technology I thought I couldn't put a foot wrong.  I was sort of right.  My Audi A6 has been a wonderful all rounder with only the cost of parts taking the shine off ownership. I still think £56 to change a light bulb is a bit steep if Aston Green Audi are reading this.

By the same measure the worst car I have owned, and for some reason still do, is a Mercedes ML270.  Bits keep dropping off and going wrong, broken turbos, sunroofs & various sensors.  Then you have the cost to get them fixed, which comes out at huge for a clunky old Merc.

Friends have also had their horror stories with cars that have proved less than reliable, including Land Rover Freelander, Range Rover Sport, and a couple of Minis. Not the sort of cars you would think of as giving grief.

On the manufacturing front the top three are Skoda, Lexus and Jaguar.  So you can choose safely whatever your budget.  And the three down the bottom are Fiat, Smart and lastly Chevrolet.  Not a good result for Smart who are competing in a more difficult market thanks to the Fiat 500 and Toyota IQ.

So next time you are out spending money on a shiny new car don't just think about how much money you can save buying it, but take into consideration which one gives the best ownership experience.  Skoda anyone ?