I'm going to say this as the former owner of both a 3 Series and a Scenic (both 2001 cars, which I onwed at the same time): you have to be very, very wary of owner satisfaction surveys.
Interviewer 1: Gromit, are you satisfied with your €10000 "ultimate driving machine" on which you've had to replace the coolant tank and had a recurring engine fault light (which hasn't stopped the car running).
Gromit: Um, not really, I paid top money for German build quality and I've had no better than I'd expect from any small family hatch from it.
Interviewer 2: Mrs Gromit, are you satisfied with your €5000 "ideal family MPV" on which you've had to replace the coil packs annually and had random electrical faults (which hasn't stopped the car running).
Mrs Gromit: Yes, I'd buy another. Its never left me at the side of the road, it does every job I ask of it and it cost half what Mr Gomit's transport did.
Renault 1, BMW 0.
Now compare that with the ADAC's surveys based on number of failures, number of cars recovered at the roadside and the cost of each breakdown. There: BMW, Toyota, Ford = 1.
Even then, were these three better built than other makes, or were the BMW/Ford/Toyota owners a more careful breed who looked after their cars better? Are current BMWs not as well built, or are they being run more by fleets or drivers who bought them because of lower leasing costs and flog them to minimise the spend on maintenance?
Last edited by: Gromit on Thu 7 Nov 13 at 09:52
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