I’m very interested in finding out how the A4 made it onto the list.

Average ownership duration depends very much on incentives and technical progress. If I can get a new car for the same monthly payment as for my present one, and it consumes less fuel, then I’d buy it — even if the present one is just fine.

Durability: people keep cars that are durable — but only if they are inexpensive to repair and service. There are few 20-year old S-class Mercedes on the road over here, but plenty 20-year old VW Golfs. This does not mean the Golfs are more durable — they are only more economical keepers.

And: to base a decision on what car to buy on 15-year-old data sure sounds speculative to my ears.

In the end, we all have to work with incomplete information. We used flawed data, look at anecdotal evidence and rely on trust in a brand when we buy a car.

Another data set that is popular over here in Germany is the 100k / 200k km test. Magazines drive certain models like hell for 12 months. The results, in most cases: Japanese cars are magnificent, French and Italian miserable. And German ones used to be seriously flawed with plenty electronic glitches and minor-but-expensive mechanical failures. But they seem to be improving rapidly. Auto, Motor & Sport just took a Mercedes A-Class to 100k without any unscheduled repair, for example.

Let’s wait and see.

A real durability index: How many of the cars (percentage wise) are still registered after 15 years.

Everything else is just pure speculation…

Oddly, the most frequent source of breakdowns/call for assistance is a car’s battery. Second most frequent problem is tires… Obviously, not exactly brand-specific matters. Ignition and electric problems follow. Difficulties with the engine amount to about 8%, fuel injection about 7%, cooling and heating 6%, fuel system also about 6%.

90 models from the past 6 years were included in the statistics. Cars could only be included that were manufactured three years in a principally unchanged fashion, and registered sales of at least 10,000 units per year.

What about manufacturer’s roadside assistance programs, as Pch101 asked above? ADAC says that since basically all makers offer these, statistics are not influenced by them.

If anyone says, all this looks mighty flimsy, then I might agree.

On the other hand, the ADAC results are not really counter-intuitive for the greatest part. The losers are the ones I most often see on roadsides, waiting for help: Alfa Romeos, Fiats, Peugeots. On the other hand, the Audi A2 is a car I really miss, since it was both advanced and has a rep for being extremely reliable. Basically, the top ten are pretty well-made cars, except for the Mini: I haven’t the foggiest how that fashion accessory ever got its good rating.

Actually, I do. In Germany’s home market, they’ve been losing sales and transplants are making inroads. Now, all of a sudden, Japanese cars are losing their reliability and Germans are top dog?

Seems a bit too convient to me…..

Also, do any of these manufacturers offer roadside assistance programs that allow owners to get a tow without ADAC knowing about it? If so, that could have an effect as well.

Also you can’t pick and choose to use CR when it is convenient. Certainly some, models of american cars are very good but when the stinkers show up then CR is discounted as biased.

Japan – “Our cars are the best, as a matter of fact our cars are the only ones you can buy here in any kind of real volume (did we say that our cars are the best?) They also don’t burn any gas or harm the environment”.

Germany – “Our cars are the best. Yes, you can buy a few of those ‘furrin cars’ but – ve have vays to make you rate our autos the vay ve say you should rate dem. Oh, and I-drive is the greatest auto invention of all time, and that little replacement knob part is a steal at $200, that’s quality German plastic, you know”.

United States – “Our cars SUCK! Don’t listen to JD Powers or Consumer Reports (unless they say our cars SUCK!, ’cause then they’re telling the truth. Don’t buy a Buick or Mercury, they SUCK! too, no matter what the surveys say. Please, go and buy an import or transplant. Remember, our cars SUCK!, S-U-C-K !!!”.

Firstly, GM and Ford have been saying that their reliability is now on par with the Japanese, so where are they in this survey? They still sell cars in Germany, don’t they?

Secondly, pardon my cynicism if I don’t believe a German survey saying that German cars are more reliable than Japanese, when in UK surveys and US ones, German cars are taking a right royal battering over their reliability (Mercedes-Benz, anyone?).

Finally, not only is Toyota not in the top ten of this list, but neither is Honda. Anybody else think this survey might be, shall we say, a little bit uneven….?