Are there actual reliable figures available for the public-at-large? Are JD Power and Consumer Reports actually accurate?
I think for the average buyer it comes down to what they know based on what they see around them. I tend to prefer German cars but there is one German brand I'd never buy, because I have 3 friends who each bought one new over the last 12 years... a small chassis car, a medium chassis luxury car, and the luxury SUV, and they were so damn awful right from driving them off the lot, and the buyers were treated so bad by the dealer, that I value that brand at about 1/2 to 2/3 their price... it would take a 33-50% price drop to make me think the risk was worthwhile.
I think everyone has a bad story about a new car being a lemon, and it can have long term impact. My family bought only GM cars/trucks for about 18 years, and accepted the declining quality through the late 80's and then got fed up. Once the mid 90's hit, and some of us started buying other products, the rest followed and no one has bought a GM since. I think GM has turned things around but still, when I see them on the road I think "junk".
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