Your car doesn't have to be luxurious for you to be happy with it, but, according to a new study at least, it doesn't hurt.

Slideshow: Which Car Owners Are Happiest?

Jaguar ranks highest in customer satisfaction for 2008, according to a new J.D. Power and Associates study. Luxury automakers held the top eight rankings in the study, including Hummer, Lexus and Cadillac, which joined Jaguar in receiving the maximum rating.

Mitsubishi ranked last in the study, accompanied by the likes of Mazda, Dodget, Jeep and Nissan.

"A poor customer experience over the phone, e-mail or at the dealership not only leads to a loss in potential sales, but also has a detrimental impact on repeat business," said Tom Gauer, senior director of automotive retail research at J.D. Power. "Ensuring a pleasant shopping experience is absolutely critical in surviving today’s challenging auto market."

Customers unhappy with their experience are nearly three times less likely to return to their dealer for vehicle service and tell an average of six people to avoid shopping at the dealership, Gauer said.

Buick was the top non-luxury vehicle in the study, coming in at No. 9. Mercury was the only other non-luxury car to crack the top 10. Saturn, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC and Chrysler all ranked above the industry average.

Despite gaining market share over domestic vehicles over the past few years and earning top rankings on award lists, many Asian brands failed to perform well when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Honda, Toyota, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki, Hyundai and Mazda all ranked below the industry-average customer satisfaction score in the study.

J.D. Power noted that overall satisfaction across the industry has increased for a third consecutive year. The improvement was attributed to "improvements in dealership facility and delivery process."

The study also found that while more three-quarters of people are now using the Internet for research before buying a vehicle, those car buyers are more likely to report a bad experience.

Gauer said that's likely because consumers who become more knowledgeable by using Web research are setting a level of expectation before they even set on a lot.

The 2008 Sales Satisfaction Index Study is based on responses from 35,805 new-vehicle buyers who purchased or leased vehicles in May 2008.