Top 10 Best Car Dealerships

Jaguar may be just starting to reinvigorate a conservative, slow-selling model lineup and appeal to younger buyers, but as it stands the brand's dealer experience is tops. Jaguar placed first overall in J.D. Power's combined surveys, with a strong first-place ranking of 912 on the SSI, 21 points above its closest competitor, Cadillac, as well as a closely ranked fourth place on the CSI. "Jaguar has traditionally scored very strong in the dealership facility itself, including the sales process and delivery," says J.D. Power's Gauer. These ratings are backed up by Strategic Vision results, in wh ***

Cadillac has a very strong showing in both the sales and after-sales aspects, with a second-place ranking in the SSI and a third-place ranking in the CSI. The other surveys also rank Caddy near the top: third in overall dealer experience by AutoPacific and sixth in overall dealership experience by Strategic Vision. "Cadillac has done a consistently good job over the years in the dealership experience area," says AutoPacific President George Peterson. The Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza says that Cadillac posts a consistently strong showing in the sales area because its sales force takes th ***

Lexus has seen top ranks in both sales and service since it shook up the business of how luxury cars are sold and serviced when it launched in 1989. Lexus' dealership facilities ***

Ford Motor Company's American luxury brand has quite consistently placed high in customer satisfaction with the dealership experience over the past several years. Lincoln even held first place in J.D. Power's Customer Service Index for 2005, and while it fell slightly in that post-sale category for 2006, it did even better with regard to the sales process (SSI). After a brief period of trying in vein to be a European-flavored luxury make, Lincoln has over the past several years refocused on its core buyers in middle America, who seek a very traditional yet stylish kind of luxury vehicle. ***

This General Motors mainstay has an especially aged demographic, a very traditional approach to luxury in its cars and, in general, a conservative dealership feel. But its appeal is well honed, and it shows in the figures: Buick ranks a commendable seventh in the SSI, and the brand shines in post-sale service, with a second-place finish in the CSI, above all brands except Lexus. The satisfaction also shows in the number of repeat customers, as the brand has boasted enviable owner loyalty ratings. ***

Saturn isn't a luxury brand, but it routinely ranks with them in terms of customer satisfaction at the dealership. "Dealerships are the foundation that the brand was built on," says Saturn spokesman Randy Fox. The GM brand ranks sixth and seventh, respectively, for sales and service in J.D. Power's findings. It's also the top-ranked non-luxury brand in the overall dealer experience, according to Strategic Vision. "No haggle pricing has kept Saturn at the top, and a lot of it is due to the customer treatment, as 'No Hassle, No Haggle' takes over the entire operation from sales through service," ***

How does this non-luxury brand that sells restyled versions of Ford vehicles do so well in satisfaction with the dealer experience? Just visit a dealership and the answer is obvious: Mercury often shares facilities, service bays and even salesmen with Lincoln. "That's one of the reasons to buy a Mercury over a Ford," says John Clinard, a Ford Motor Company spokesman, who agreed that, in effect, you're getting Lincoln service at a Ford price. Riding the coattails of a premium brand isn't so bad after all. ***

The racy German sports-car maker has long stood out for intimate post-sale service, and although the brand ranks 15th in J.D. Power's CSI, it ranks first in "experience with the service department," according to Strategic Vision. Despite rising sales and less exclusivity for the brand due to popular models like the Boxster and Cayenne, Porsche is still doing well to maintain satisfaction with the sales experience. "Porsche has made an effort to give a more uniform look to its dealerships and also offer more uniform customer treatment," says J.D. Power's Gauer. He adds that the brand continues ***

Volvo fell slightly in post-sale customer service for 2006, according to J.D. Power, and this is confirmed with an 11th-place finish in Strategic Vision's overall measure of satisfaction with the dealer experience as well as a 10th-place ranking in AutoPacific's assessment. That said, the brand continues to be regarded highly for the sales experience, with a stable, well-established network of dealerships and service that has arguably become better under Ford's Premier Automotive Group umbrella, despite the pressures of rising sales and an expanding model line. ***

Mini ranks as most improved for this year, jumping from a lackluster performance in J.D. Power's prior satisfaction surveys into the top 10. For 2005, Mini ranked around the middle of the pack in the SSI rankings and near the bottom in the CSI. Mini also rose up in AutoPacific's annual survey ***