Alan

The results of the 1999 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study 2 are given in the August 1999 issue of Automobile magazine (p. 21). The rankings by car maker, in terms of problems per 100 vehicles during the first three months of ownership , are as follows:<p>Jaguar 110<br>Buick 114<br>Infiniti 118<br>Acura 124<br>BMW 125<br>Lexus 131<br>Toyota 135<br>Honda 137<br>Cadillac 139<br>Chrysler 148<br>Nissan 149<br>Lincoln 150<br>Mercedes 151<br>Volvo 155<br>Plymouth 164<br>Porsche 164<br>Audi 167 <<<<<<<<<<<<br>Mazda 167<br>INDUSTRY AVERAGE 167<br>Ford 169<br>Saab 171<br>Saturn 171<br>Subaru 173<br>Olds 174<br>Dodge 175<br>Mercury 185<br>Pontiac 185<br>Chevy 192<br>Hyundai 194<br>GMC 199<br>Mitsubishi 199<br>Land Rover 200<br>VW 223 <<<<<<<<<br>Jeep 234<br>Isuzu 242<br>Suzuki 299<br>Kia 333<p><br>Jaguar, Buick and BMW are surprises at the top of the pack. I am kind of disappointed at the average placement by Audi and flabergasted to find VW having a lower score than Hyundai, Land Rover and practically all domestic automakers. By the way, this survey is based on some 41,000 owners of 1999 model-year vehicles.<p>I guess the superior fit and finish of late-model VW and Audi cars does not translate to fewer problems. <br>

Tom Serrago

I have owned Audi's for 15 years now and this represents a quality improvement, though there is much more work to do. The recent posts of the A4.ORG readers with their list of problems confirms this. <br>These are still great cars, manufactured by one of the worlds most innovative car companies. Do not lose sight of what makes driving any Audi car just a bit diffrent from the rest of the crowd. <p>Tom S<br>99.5 A4 1.8TQMS<br>85 5000S Avant (190k miles and still going strong)

Scott G

Everything being equal most of these products are the same with some minor exterior pieces. How is it that these three brands that are one have such a large disparity between them. This also goes for Ford/Lincoln and all GM brands. I wonder if people answer these things honestly. It doesn't make sence if you compare sister brands, now does it?