2018 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS)
Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 477
Likes: 36
From: TX
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,285
Likes: 311
From: ON/NY
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,226
Likes: 222
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Opel-based Buicks are, in fact, very well-built and reliable. That is not a fluke. Something else that contributes to Buick reliability is that, in general, they are owned by conservative drivers who do not stress their vehicles much.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 6,137
Likes: 442
From: Long Island
well i've encountered a brand new unsold C-HR where the electric parking brake (only option) broke and wouldn't turn off lol, and the new camry just doesn't seem like it'll still be golden in two decades whereas a nice 1998 camry still feels great assuming it's not beaten to hell
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,226
Likes: 222
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
well i've encountered a brand new unsold C-HR where the electric parking brake (only option) broke and wouldn't turn off lol, and the new camry just doesn't seem like it'll still be golden in two decades whereas a nice 1998 camry still feels great assuming it's not beaten to hell
I examined a new C-HR not long ago, sitting on the lot, where the entire lower-dash plastic trim panel (which was almost paper-thin plastic to start with) had been misaligned and sprung during assembly. One end of it hung out into space, and partially covered the engine start/stop button. I tried to repair it myself, but couldn't...I didn't have my tool box with me.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,309
Likes: 31
From: Canada
I examined a new C-HR not long ago, sitting on the lot, where the entire lower-dash plastic trim panel (which was almost paper-thin plastic to start with) had been misaligned and sprung during assembly. One end of it hung out into space, and partially covered the engine start/stop button. I tried to repair it myself, but couldn't...I didn't have my tool box with me.
I have frequently seen Buicks with driver and left-rear passenger doors terribly misaligned, so much so that I would be afraid that door seals would be misaligned and leak, yet Buick is constantly high up the reliability ratings, as you like to constantly point out.
ClubLexus Stories
Celebrating Lexus & Toyota from Around the Globe
Top 10 Lexus & Toyotas to Drive Before You Die!
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Lexus/Toyotas With The LEAST 5-Year Depreciation
Joe Kucinski
Lexus LC500 Convertible Auction: A Preview of Rising Values?
Brett Foote
GX 550 vs TX 550: Best 3-Row Luxury Lexus Family Hauler
Michael S. Palmer
9 Best Lexus Models You Can Buy for Half Price (And 1 You Shouldn't!)
Joe Kucinski
2026 Lexus NX Buyer's Guide: Models, Features, Prices & More!
Brett Foote
Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Lexus TX 550h+ (& 3 Reasons to AVOID!)
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Lexus & Toyota Models of the 1990s RANKED!
Joe Kucinski
10 Great Toyotas That Could Have Been Lexus Models
Joe Kucinski
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,226
Likes: 222
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
One (and just one) C-HR that you saw with a loose dashboard does not mean that the C-HR will be an unreliable vehicle, or that Toyota, as a brand, is going to h&ll in a handbasket, reliability-wise. Did you ask why the dashboard was loose? Perhaps the dealer had removed the dashboard to access something behind it and did not properly re-install it?
Look, I'm not just picking on Toyota here. It is true that any new car can have defects.....but, in my experience, stuff like that today is rare. And Toyota prides itself on quality....so there's not a whole lot of excuse for it. Contrast that to what I saw from Chrysler Corporation in the late 1960s and early 70s....or, say, the GM X-Body cars and Pontiac Fiero of the early/mid-1980s. If I described those lemons to you, you would probably not believe it. You would have had to have seen those cars for yourself...and, of course, that's a topic for another thread.
I have frequently seen Buicks with driver and left-rear passenger doors terribly misaligned, so much so that I would be afraid that door seals would be misaligned and leak, yet Buick is constantly high up the reliability ratings, as you like to constantly point out.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,285
Likes: 311
From: ON/NY
Not likely, but possible.....Still had some of the factory-wrappings on it, and I don't recall it having a VA safety-sticker (which all new cars get when they are unloaded of the truck and go through the state-required inspection process that makes them legally ready for a test-drive).
Look, I'm not just picking on Toyota here. It is true that any new car can have defects.....but, in my experience, stuff like that today is rare. And Toyota prides itself on quality....so there's not a whole lot of excuse for it. Contrast that to what I saw from Chrysler Corporation in the late 1960s and early 70s....or, say, the GM X-Body cars and Pontiac Fiero of the early/mid-1980s. If I described those lemons to you, you would probably not believe it. You would have had to have seen those cars for yourself...and, of course, that's a topic for another thread.
Buicks aren't perfect. I never said that. I also said (if you've bothered to read my posts) that Buicks are often bought and driven by people who tend to drive conservatively and not put a lot of stress on engine, transmissions, suspensions, and brakes. Contrast that, of course, with many of those who drive V8 Mustangs.
Look, I'm not just picking on Toyota here. It is true that any new car can have defects.....but, in my experience, stuff like that today is rare. And Toyota prides itself on quality....so there's not a whole lot of excuse for it. Contrast that to what I saw from Chrysler Corporation in the late 1960s and early 70s....or, say, the GM X-Body cars and Pontiac Fiero of the early/mid-1980s. If I described those lemons to you, you would probably not believe it. You would have had to have seen those cars for yourself...and, of course, that's a topic for another thread.
Buicks aren't perfect. I never said that. I also said (if you've bothered to read my posts) that Buicks are often bought and driven by people who tend to drive conservatively and not put a lot of stress on engine, transmissions, suspensions, and brakes. Contrast that, of course, with many of those who drive V8 Mustangs.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,497
Likes: 251
From: Illinois
Lead Lap
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 4,892
Likes: 14
From: Virginia
I'm pretty sure all OEMs take these surveys seriously due to the marketability and perceptions that they create (for better or for worse). I doubt that there is a manufacturer out there that DOESN'T pay for the detailed survey results. I'm sure even tiny Mitsubishi forks over the subscription/data fee.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,226
Likes: 222
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
With at least some reason. Like it or not, since Cadillac is decreasing in importance, it has (arguably) become the prime American-brand Lexus-competitor.....though Lincoln is making some major steps forward, especially with the Navigator.
Though, I'll admit....Lexus does a wider range of vehicles than Buick, and Buick has no direct competitor for some of them....for instance, the Lexus LS.
I do find it interesting that old LaCrosse made the list of most dependable but the Opel based models are nowhere to be found. Unless I missed it
With Consumer Reports, the rebadged Opel-Buicks have significantly more reliable ratings than the Lacrosse and Enclave, though I notice that, with Buick, Consumer Reports seems to be up and down on the reliability...other vehicle brands tend to be more stable, either good or bad.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,285
Likes: 311
From: ON/NY
I give Buick more street cred than the others on here, almost everyone will tell you Buick is not a luxury brand. I think it is but I am not willing to say it is on the same level as a Lexus. Maybe an Acura. I would argue Lincoln is far closer to Lexus than Buick is.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; Feb 15, 2018 at 07:57 AM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,226
Likes: 222
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
I'm pretty sure all OEMs take these surveys seriously due to the marketability and perceptions that they create (for better or for worse). I doubt that there is a manufacturer out there that DOESN'T pay for the detailed survey results. I'm sure even tiny Mitsubishi forks over the subscription/data fee.
I'm honestly surprised that Mitsubishi is still in the American market. They are down to three basic products....and one of them, the Mirage, is basically a toy. Like Isuzi and Suzuki did before they left, They've let their dealership numbers sink down to next to nothing....you often have to travel quite a distance just to look at or test-drive their products. They didn't even show up at the D.C auto show...though, for that matter, Cadillac and Mercedes didn't either, and Mitsu did have a small display at Detroit.
You have complained, before, that I don't admit being wrong often enough. Well, Mitsubishi did surprise me. Several times now, I've commented that I'd be surprised if they lasted another year in the American market. Well, each year, so far, they have, indeed, managed to do it....at least on paper.