[lumberjim]

It's funny, my aunt recently asked me what kind of car to look at that she could expect 10-15 years from and I had to tell her to check out Subaru... I like Nissan, but suspect that I am biased. I did like them more than Honda and Toyota before I worked here.... But I also liked vw better than most other cars back then.... So i can't really be trusted, because vw is really crap with quality....

If I look at it from the actuarial view point... Meaning, in my Nissan warranty book for Non-Nissan vehicles , .... which cars are the cheapest to put warrantees on.... Class 1 being cheapest, up to class 9....

(if I recall correctly, which after 3 beers I may not).....Subaru impreza and legacy are class 1, as is Honda civic, and fit. Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord, Subaru forrester, Hyundai elantra, I think maybe Ford fusion, surprisingly enough, are class 2. Camry is class 3, as are most make's entry level cars, like cobalt, caliber, sonata, optima....

Mazda 3 starts at class 4 and they go up from there... Which is troubling because they give you a 5-60 bumper to bumper. Vw are all class 6 and above... Jeep liberty is a 5, all others 6. BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar Audi, Cadillac etc. populate the higher tiers. Lexus are mainly 3-4 which is a coup because high line cars carry high line labor rates....

I am doing this purely from memory, and may be off on one or two items... I should scan the clas guide to illustrate this point. It might be a reliable indicator of cost of ownership....

remind me tomorrow when I'm at work, if you're interested in seeing that