AUTO QUALITY RANKINGS

Japanese cars took the 4 top slotsin a recent study of long-term automobiledurability. In the JD Power &Associates' (www.jdpower.com) surveyof owners of 1998-model newcars and trucks, Lexus topped the listwith only 159 problems per 100 vehiclesafter 4 or 5 years on the road.After Lexus came 3 other Japanesecars—Infiniti, Acura, and Honda.Seven automakers were in a virtual tiefor fifth place—Toyota, Porsche,Buick, Cadillac, Jaguar, Lincoln, andBMW. 1998 was the year thatMercedes launched its M-Class sportutility vehicle, and numerous problemswith that model pushed theGerman automaker's quality ratingsbelow the industry average of 355problems per 100 vehicles. Othercompanies that dipped below theoverall average were Volkswagen,Ford,and Chevrolet.