J.D. Power & Associates

For anyone interested in J.D. Power's automotive segment, last week they released their annual Vehicle Dependability Status report.

You can read it here.

The article explores problems experienced by original owners of 3-year-old (2005 model year) vehicles. That's the only downfall of this article - insightful as it is, it explores cars that are 3 years old. Car brands could have improved vastly (or could have worsened) within a three-year time period, carrying us up to present date. Therefore, I would not recommend this article if you're currently out on the market looking for a NEW car. A lot can happen in three model years. Nevertheless, it's interesting to compare car brands and how their identities are competing.

You'll be just as surprised as I am to find that the Mercury brand came through as the surprise big-gainer in this study. Plus, Lexus ranks as the highest in vehicle dependability for the 14th year in a row.