I think that there are more than enough stories with people that have owned every brand and swear one is more or less reliable, in their experience. Drawing generalities from a limited sample size that one usually has access to through friends and family can only be so reliable.
I have more than enough people that I know well that have had their F150s without any problems whatsoever.
While I don't take their recommendations on beer, the survey results that Consumer Reports compiles on reliability do carry weight in my book - more so than he said/she said or other personal stories. The fact that they rate Ford well above GMC and Chrysler was one (certainly not the only one) plus in my book. I think that when you use a larger sample size, you getter more accurate results.
OTOH, Lemon-aid - the local used car buyers guide lists Fords (and everything domestic) as absolutely terrible with reliability - across the board.
Who do you believe?
Does this mean that my truck is going to be more reliable than someone else's GMC or Dodge or Toyota?.... I have no clue whatsoever.
I put all the data down together, realized that I liked the look, fit and finish, lack of road noise etc. on the Ford more than any other truck, and bit the bullet.
There are also lemons in every brand. I think you just have have hope you have luck on your side.
For the record, my Honda Accord which I am going to sell is 10 years old and has 300000 km (~186k miles). Other than scheduled maintenance it has needed two rear bearings, tie rods for the front end, a fuel relay replacement. That's about it.
