Reliable Used Cars – News: Independent market research firm J.D. Power & Associates recently released the findings of its latest Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures problems experienced by 47,620 original owners of three-year-old vehicles. The top five brands in the 2006 study were, in order: Lexus, Mercury, Buick, Cadillac, and Toyota. Mini and Kia posted the most improvement in this year’s study, though both still rank below the industry average. The least dependable brands in the study were, in order: Land Rover, Saab, Suzuki, Kia, and Hummer. See the top picks in 19 categories on the following pages.