Does It Have To Be A Camry?

Last Saturday, my husband and I took our youngest son shopping for a reliable used car. He already has had a year behind the wheel, in his 1995 blue Honda Accord station wagon that has more than 165,000 miles on the odometer. We are passing this first car on to our youngest son's older brother, also a college student, who is much less interested in driving and more concerned with creating video games and playing "World of Warcraft" on the computer. He solely needs a car to commute to and from school.

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08:48 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Will you buy a Chinese Car?

Mike Cooperman

As long as you didn't wake up from your summer hibernation today (I know, most animals hibernate in the winter, but it's better than the old living under a rock cliche'), you probably have noticed that Mattel had yet another toy recall last week, their third well-publicized recall in the past few months.

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16:02 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does Initial Quality Still Matter?

Dave Greene

Recently, J.D. Power and Associates released results of the 2007 Initial Quality Study (IQS), an annual report of new vehicle quality. The report cites the industry average as 125 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) sold in the United States, or 1.25 problems for every new vehicle, on average. Problems can vary from defunct engine sensors to mousetrap-like cup holder designs. The bottom line is: a problem is a problem.

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07:55 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wind Noise Significantly Impacts New-Vehicle Owner Satisfaction, Recommendations

Dave Greene

Wind noise reduces ownership satisfaction significantly more than other problems in new vehicles, according to data from the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality Study^SM (IQS) and 2006 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout Study^SM (APEAL).

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08:00 | Permalink | Comments (2)

What a Girl Wants: Better Vehicle Quality

Dave Greene

Among vehicle owners, females experience 14 % more vehicle quality problems than do males, according to data from the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). Additionally, troublesome vehicle designs plague female owners much more frequently than male owners.

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10:42 | Permalink | Comments (2)

What is "Quality"?

Dave Greene

Quality means different things to different consumers. To some, quality means a problem-free experience with a product or service. To others, quality means value, or a perception of getting what you paid for ("bang for the buck"). To yet another group of consumers, quality has more to do with aesthetics, in which things are judged on their design, visual appeal, or tactile characteristics ("look and feel").

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07:47 | Permalink | Comments (0)