Another of J.D. Power and Associates' annual string of customer surveys was released earlier this month. The 2007 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout study (APEAL) which measures "owner delight with the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles," during the first 90 days of ownership.

It comes on the heels of the Initial Quality Survey. What's the difference? Basically, APEAL measures things that went right. IQS measures things that went wrong.

But the real question is, with people owning their cars longer than ever before, an average of about six years according to a R.L. Polk survey, and the average vehicle lasting more than nine years according to Polk, is 90 days really a true reflection of things gone right or wrong?


Wall Street Journal Auto Editor Joe White wrote a recent column that seemed to ask a similar question following the release of the IQS survey.

White's conclusion -- and one we share -- is yes, 90-day surveys still matter, but not nearly as much as they did when Power launched the first one 20 years ago.

The auto industry has made huge quality strides in the past 20 years. As White points out, the number of problems per vehicles has been cut in half since the survey first started. In recent years, there has been very little change in industry averages. Individual companies, brands or models may rise or fall, but the industry as a whole has been stable.

For some companies the news can be a good indication of which direction they're headed. For example, Ford's excellent performance in IQS and Scion's big jump in APEAL are good indicators for those two brands.

So what's a buyer to do? We believe the longer term durability studies provide a better indication of what consumers can expect during their ownership experience. Several organizations, including J. D. Power, and leading consumer publications, provide such information and those will be released later this year.