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IF you are shopping for a used car, reliability is likely to be a top priority. A new study may provide some guidance about which vehicles have held up best over the last five years.
The survey, the 2002 Vehicle Dependability Index Study by J. D. Power & Associates, is based on responses of more than 30,000 original owners of 1998 model vehicles. The survey covers 137 potential problems.
This year's survey, the 13th of its type by J. D. Power, a market research firm in Westlake Village, Calif., found that 8 of the 15 most reliable brands were Japanese. Lexus topped the list for the eighth consecutive year, followed, in order, by Infiniti, Acura, Honda and Toyota. Of the other Japanese companies rated above average, Subaru was 13th, Nissan 14th and Mazda 15th.
Four of the 15 most reliable brands were domestic: Buick in 7th place, Cadillac in 8th, Lincoln in 11th and Mercury in 12th. Three of the top-rated brands were European: Porsche 6th, Jaguar 9th and BMW 10th.
Detroit's automakers have made big improvements, but they will have to do more to catch the best of the Japanese, said Brian Walters, director of product research at J. D. Power. He said the perception of strong long-term durability could result in high resale values. In addition, more than half of new-car buyers say long-term durability is an important factor in their purchases.
J. D. Power bases its rankings on the number of problems for each 100 vehicles. The average in the latest survey was 355 problems per 100 vehicles; Lexus, at the top, had just 159 problems per 100 vehicles.
J. D. Power does not release scores for companies that rank below average, although Automotive News published the entire survey list, citing industry sources. According to Automotive News, these brands ranked below average:
Ford and Mercedes-Benz (each with 364 problems per 100 vehicles), Saturn (365), Saab (373), Oldsmobile (376), Pontiac (389), Audi (392), Chevrolet and Chrysler (393), Volvo (402), Suzuki (405), Dodge (410), GMC (415), Plymouth (422), Hyundai and Jeep (449), Mitsubishi (461), Volkswagen (489), Isuzu (500), Land Rover (585) and Kia (709).
Mercedes fell below average for the first time since the survey began in 1989, according to Automotive News, dropping to 16th place from 10th last year.
Chart: ''Dependable Used Cars'' lists features and specifications for selected used cars
