What is the most reliable car maker?

A GM executive once said to me in my taxi, "All manufacturers have the ability to build a car that is reliable for life; only the Japanese have mastered the art of doing it consistently."

It's largely true. If you want reliability above all else, then you would be a fool to look beyond Honda, Toyota, Mazda (mine still goes sweetly after 243k miles), Nissan, Mitsubishi. That said, Korean cars are catching them up fast so Hyundai and Kia are not to be ignored.