Does It Even Matter If You Make A GREAT, RELIABLE Product Anymore Or Does It Just Need To Stir EMOTIONS?

Customer satisfaction doesn't necessarily correlate to quality, but it does correlate big time to how the customer is treated and his emotional connection to the car. Follow-up surveying of customer opinions of their interactions with a dealer are pretty standard these days. Teslas could be even more marginal for build quality and reliability than they are and they would still place well because (1) the owners cannot admit that their future car is flawed because if you do, the Teslarati will crucify you and (2) Tesla coddles the Teslarati.

The term should be more like “Teslarista”, blind fanatics. True believers Tesla must succeed so we can save the planet

That they do!

From what I've seen though it seems to not matter if the door handles don't work or the vehicles, overall, aren't reliable. People are hypnotized.

Except Tesla has an above average reliability based on latest consumer reports data.

I think people misunderstand one major thing, that thing is that while Tesla gets a lot of publicity, that publicity works both ways. Aka, you see a lot of people who have issues put up videos and blog about it because that makes up Tesla's user base. In that sense, you get a distorted feel for issues because every issue makes headlines. But there is no actual indicator said issue is something that reflects the majority vs a loud minority.

You guys are really grasping at straws if you really believe that.

Either all of the data is correct or it is all false. If it were really about stirring emotions, other brands would be on this list in the top 10 that are absent. Therefore every brand in the top 10 has earned its way there whether or not you are a fan of it or not. Personally seeing both Chrysler and Genesis on this list is an eye opener, but good on them for earning a place on it.

Perhaps what matters more is how the problems are resolved rather than the problems themselves.

Touché!

I believe that there is something YOU do not know or maybe say - that speaks volumes on this issue. IE - IT is not the reliability RATINGS of cars today - it ignores that cars are inherently far more reliable than they were just 20 years ago - ALL cars.

The fact is - it has been almost 20 years since Electronic issues replaced Mechanical issues as the most troublesome. IF you look around -look at AAMCO transmissions - (Where I have first hand knowledge) - there are less of them - they are having problems making money - and they have been reduced to doing general repairs to survive - WHY? - Because Automatic Transmission fail far less often - nearly 80% less than they did 40 years ago. YOu might see more failures in Dual Clutch or CVTs than regular automatics - but in fact - most of the problems generally turn out to be SOFTWARE problems that do not require Mechanical repair today - just a Software update. And that means going to the dealer - because the do not provide that to the general repair market.

THAT also means that repairs that once took days - are replaced with software updates that now take MINUTES. So - while a car today may still rate very low in reliability in comparison to other cars "today" - that car might have been #1 not that long ago. Among the issues MOST complained about are the Media Systems in the cars - and while certainly a problem - they rarely disable a car.

Now - this does create a problem coming - once the Warranty is over - you really need a mechanic who understands the Electronics - and has the money to afford the equipment to test them. THE old general mechanic - with LOTS of heavy equipment and tools - covered in grease - is gone. ANd along with that - the need to be intelligent enough to understand how to fix these cars means that a higher level worker is needed too. So while the fixes might be quicker - they will be charging like they are Medical Professionals.

Tesla's high customer satisfaction ratings exist in spite of their average or worst than average defect numbers. Tesla fans love their Tesla because... it's a Tesla. I don't know how much "stirring the emotions" play a part in it. Are die-hard Apple fans committed to Apple because their products stir the fan's emotions, or is it more a "state of mind" sort of thing?

I think any way you slice it there are emotions tied to the purchase. Tesla adopters may not be have the same emotions as an auto enthusiast that loves the sound of the exhaust note but the vehicle makes them feel SOMETHING. And that's what it's about.

Same deal with Apple.

Broadly speaking there are two kinds of car buyers. Those who want a transportation machine where reliability matters, and its not an emotional buy. The second kind are emotionally driven, being "car people" or someone who views a vehicle as making a statement about them. Reliability is a lesser factor in what they buy. The latter group is not going to admit their choice has flaws, as to do so would make them look stupid.

Indeed, you are correct. Given how many people cannot afford the car of their dreams, they buy the car they can afford and that is largely unemotional.

Conversely, the gotta-have-it people will pay anything because they are mesmerized.

I'm definitely a car guy, but paradoxically I have very little emotion about it. I'll sell it in a heartbeat. When the 2015 Mustangs were in the pipeline, I reserved a GT for myself that never went onto our waiting list. I had it less than a week and someone offered me well above list for it, so I sold it. I did a 914 --> 914-6 conversion for spits and giggles because I really wanted a 914-6. Someone made me an offer and it was gone. To be honest, I'd rather have the profit.

Matt

How difficult was it to shoehorn the 6 into the 914? I always liked the 914 -especially the slant nose version and would love to do a project like that one day when I get my garage back. I would also like to do a small block chevy or ford V8 into a 944 if I can't get a deal on a 914.

The conversion is virtually a bolt-in operation. You'll want to change motor mounts though, but that's easy for a body shop to do. Because I have access to a body business, doing flips and conversions are easier for me to consider. Ever thought of a 2.3 Ecoboost in a 944? :)

Those Ecoboost are $7800 for a crate engine and slim pickings in the bone yards. 5.0 are much more plentiful and cheaper. Besides a 500HP 5.0L 944 would be a hoot and should have pretty decent balance and much greater reliability than the Porsche mill.