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Cars That Meet Buyer's Expectations
August 30, 2012
This week, Strategic Vision released their annual "Total Quality Awards" which ranks the quality of new vehicles based on the owner's total ownership experience.
What sets this study apart from others is that they measure things such as "owner reported delight", "future purchase intent", and "emotional attachment to vehicle". The study aims to gauge how well a car matches the buyer's explicit expectations.
Toyota led the study with the fewest reported problems per vehicle, but Volkswagen had the best overall quality. Here are the results:
| Segment | Winner(s) | TQI Score |
|---|---|---|
| Small Car | Fiat 500 Hatchback | 869 |
| Small Multi-Function | Volkswagen Golf | 874 |
| Mid-Size Car | Chevrolet Volt | 913 |
| Mid-Size Multi-Function | Honda Accord Crosstour | 879 |
| Large Car | Dodge Charger | 911 |
| Near-Luxury Car | Audi A4 Sedan | 917 |
| Luxury Car | Audi A8 Sedan | 942 |
| Specialty Coupe | Mini Cooper Coupe | 926 |
| Convertible | Volkswagen Eos | 902 |
| Premium Convertible/Roadster | BMW Z4 Roadster | 938 |
| Minivan | Honda Odyssey | 872 |
| Entry Utility | Volkswagen Tiguan | 877 |
| Mid-Size Crossover Utility | Ford Flex | 888 |
| Mid-Size Traditional Utility | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 888 |
| Large Utility | Nissan Armada | 900 |
| Near-Luxury Utility | Land Rover Evoque 5-Door | 928 |
| Luxury Utility | BMW X6 | 936 |
| Standard Pickup | Honda Ridgeline | 863 |
| Full-Size Pickup | Ford F-150 | 902 |
| Heavy-Duty Pickup | Ford F-250/350 | 874 |
| Premium Coupe | BMW 1-Series Coupe | 922 |
| Chevrolet Corvette Coupe | 921 |
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Select Vehicle to Get Local Pricing
Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
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About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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