Porsche and J.D. Power

[gregdacat]

The forum seems to have taken a negative turn of late. So, I have posted some good news. . .


Porsche® Brand First in J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Initial Quality Study

Receives the Highest Marks for a Manufacturer - And Porsche 911 Highest Initial Quality Among All Vehicles Surveyed

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Porsche continues to meet and exceed the quality demands of consumers in its largest export market, the United States. Porsche recorded the top ranking of all brands surveyed in the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates “Initial Quality StudySM”. This makes it three consecutive years that the Porsche brand had the fewest problems per 100 vehicles in this prestigious brand ranking. The scores were based on interviews of 81,500 new car owners from across the country.

Incredibly, not only did the Porsche brand come out on top, but the legendary Porsche 911 has the highest initial quality of any vehicle in the study. According to J.D. Power and Associates, the Porsche 911 has the fewest quality problems in the industry, with just 67 problems per 100 vehicles.

Every year, J.D. Power and Associates assesses the level of satisfaction among buyers of new cars after the first 90 days of vehicle ownership. On this basis, a customer is asked to fill out a survey containing 228 criteria regarding quality and workmanship.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, GA, and, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. (PCC) in Mississauga, Ontario, are the two separate importers of Porsche sports cars and Cayenne sport utility vehicles for the United States and Canada respectively. They are each wholly owned, indirect subsidiaries of Dr. Ing.h.c. F. Porsche AG. These two subsidiaries combined, PCNA and PCC employ approximately 250 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for its 200 U.S. and 12 Canadian dealers. They, in turn, provide Porsche owners with best-in-class service.

[Brucelee]

No offense but the initial quality survey has nothing to do with the issues we have been discussing. Yes, cars that retail for over 50-100K SHOULD be trouble free for 90 days, no?

[JCL12]

I think these JD initial quality surveys are bogus. If I recall, mercedes was 4th and they make some of the crappiest cars in Germany. Frankly, initial quality over the first 90 days doesn't mean much to me. What I care about is good quality both initially and 7 years down the line.

Is a car really "quality" if it is defect free for the first 90 days and then the engine blows up after 25K miles? However, I will admit it is nice to see PCar on this list so that non-owners have the perception Porsche produces well made cars.

[baseball]

Agreed, 90 days of reliability is not impressive. But JDP also has a predicted reliability rating based on trending 3 years of data:

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/Porsche/Boxster/2007/Convertible/ratings

Based on this data, JDP gives the Boxster 5 stars for predicted reliability.

Consumer Reports long term data also gives the Boxster a "Better than Average" rating for dependability.

If the Boxsters are as brittle as some have characterized them lately, I wish someone would point to a long-term study that proves it.

As W. Edwards Deming said - "In God we trust; all others bring data."

[rick3000]

I could see the Boxster getting an average, or above average rating in a long term study.
You just have to put it all into context. A Boxster is going to cost more to repair than your average car, and I am sure everyone who bought one new that before they bought it.

Second, all the RMS and IMS failure reports are not representative of all Boxster's.
There a lot of Boxster's that have never had problems. Looking on the internet alone, will not give you clear results, because someone with a problem is more likely to search the internet for an answer vs. a person who has never had a problem. So you get more reports of problems on the internet, but not in proportion to all the Boxsters in the world.
If that makes any sense!

[Jaxonalden]

I agree with Gregdacat, "The forum seems to have taken a negative turn of late."
Brucelee says "cars that retail for over 50-100K SHOULD be trouble free for 90 days, no?" Well, Highest in Initial Quality means what it says. It doesn't say trouble free, it means fit & finish. What's up with people on this forum? Be proud of Porsche for achieving that level in the world they operate in. Where it's dog eat dog and the raising cost of materials are forcing other car company's to take short cuts and using cheaper materials. Yea these car are expensive, but not as expensive as some that are real pieces of crap. As a matter of fact, for the performance, these cars (Boxsters) are a a great bargain.

To everyone that complains about the Boxster, sell it and buy a Pontiac Solstice or a Saturn Sky. Then you'll really hear the wining about quality! Performance and handling, forget about it.

I also desnorkled today, big difference going from sucking air through a 2.25" x 3" hole to a 3" x 4" hole.

[husker boxster]

I've been very impressed with the quality of my LE. After 5 mo and 5500 mi, there hasn't been anything I've needed replaced or adjusted by the dealer. There aren't even any niggling issues. It's been perfect. My salesman even sent me an email and said it's OK to stop by and say HI. This is the 5th new car I've purchased (1st new Porsche) and it's been the best initial quality of any of them. Should a $60K automobile have a higher quality std than a $20K car? Yes, but we all know some premium manufacturers are better than others.

I was at a party Fri night and someone mentioned the high ranking by JD Power. I was unaware of this, so I could neither confirm nor deny it. But casual car people seem to be noticing Porsche's good grades. As BruceLee says, it's a survey on initial quality, let's see how it holds up in 3-6 yrs.

BTW...
I gave the kids at the party a ride around the neighborhood. A 6 yr old boy jumped out of my car and proclaimed, "That's the best 5 min of my entire life!"

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by Jaxonalden

I agree with Gregdacat, "The forum seems to have taken a negative turn of late."
Brucelee says "cars that retail for over 50-100K SHOULD be trouble free for 90 days, no?" Well, Highest in Initial Quality means what it says. It doesn't say trouble free, it means fit & finish. What's up with people on this forum? Be proud of Porsche for achieving that level in the world they operate in. Where it's dog eat dog and the raising cost of materials are forcing other car company's to take short cuts and using cheaper materials. Yea these car are expensive, but not as expensive as some that are real pieces of crap. As a matter of fact, for the performance, these cars (Boxsters) are a a great bargain.

To everyone that complains about the Boxster, sell it and buy a Pontiac Solstice or a Saturn Sky. Then you'll really hear the wining about quality! Performance and handling, forget about it.

I also desnorkled today, big difference going from sucking air through a 2.25" x 3" hole to a 3" x 4" hole.

I'don't know. Are the GM cars grenading their engines? They are a bit cheaper t buy, no?