Consumer Reports car reliability survey results

[Barklessdog]

http://www.freep.com/article/20111026/BUSINESS01/111025063

What I find intersting is how far the Korean Companies have come in such a short time. Ford really dropped. VW is doing a lot better.

[dadagoboi]

http://www.freep.com/article/20111026/BUSINESS01/111025063

What I find intersting is how far the Korean Companies have come in such a short time. Ford really dropped. VW is doing a lot better.

Ford dropped mainly due to problems with their integrated electronics package that shows a bunch of crap on a touch screen.  Serves them right. 

It's pretty scary when FIAT (Chrysler) is making the highest ranked 'American' cars.  Viva Italia!

[Dave W]

I wouldn't trust CR on anything, especially on cars. These are the people who deliberately rigged the Suzuki Samurai test.

The Korean cars have come a long way, though. A friend who owned an early Hyundai used to say that the difference between a Hyundai and a Jehovah's Witness was that you can close the door on a Jehovah's Witness. It's not that way at all now. But I'd still rather have a Ford.

[gweimer]

I remember when Hyundai first came over here.  Early '80s?  I looked at one of their cars.  Really low quality.  Things like carpet and hub caps were options, and not standard.  A friend of mine has a new Sante Fe, and it's a really nice car.  Hyundai also has, I believe, the world's most state of the art production facility running right here in the States.

[dadagoboi]

I remember when Hyundai first came over here.  Early '80s?  I looked at one of their cars.  Really low quality.  Things like carpet and hub caps were options, and not standard.  A friend of mine has a new Sante Fe, and it's a really nice car.  Hyundai also has, I believe, the world's most state of the art production facility running right here in the States.

Cost $12k in the late '90s.  The Yugo of the era.  It really is amazing they didn't go under but they're an outstanding value now.

[Dave W]

Wasn't the Yugo really an older Fiat model made in Yugoslavia? Or am I remembering wrong?

[dadagoboi]

Wasn't the Yugo really an older Fiat model made in Yugoslavia? Or am I remembering wrong?

Yes, a 124.  They just shipped all the tooling to Yugoslavia and the Yugoslavs continued the Italian faith based rust prevention technique and cut some other corners.

[Pilgrim]

I'm convinced that there is considerable user bias in the way people report car repairs and problems to CR.  When they have a US made car, many of them expect it to be a POS, so they report every flat tire and bad wiper blade as a repair.  When they drive a BMW or Volvo, they tend to overlook lesser issues with their "fine yurropeen machine" that they would report as substantial repairs otherwise.

I have owned two cars that CR would think cause cancer and nuclear war (1977 Monza Spyder and 1981 Citation), and both of them served very well.  The Monza was in my family for 25 years.

[dadagoboi]

I'm convinced that there is considerable user bias in the way people report car repairs and problems to CR.  When they have a US made car, many of them expect it to be a POS, so they report every flat tire and bad wiper blade as a repair.  When they drive a BMW or Volvo, they tend to overlook lesser issues with their "fine yurropeen machine" that they would report as substantial repairs otherwise.

I have owned two cars that CR would think cause cancer and nuclear war (1977 Monza Spyder and 1981 Citation), and both of them served very well.  The Monza was in my family for 25 years.

I agree, try telling people their Range Rover's a POS.  People who buy a high end Euro car (or even a Honda, ever seen their recommended maintenance schedule?) are more likely to have it serviced and only keep it for a few years.  OTH a Chevy is just supposed to run, period.  The Monza was a basically a Vega.  I owned 3 of those: a coupe, a SW and a panel wagon, they definitely had design flaws.  The cars and parts were cheap, they were easy to fix and you could fit a lot of gear in the panel or station wagon.  Along with them the X body cars are considered some of GM's worst.  But in a lot of cases bad owners make bad cars by not taking care of them.  Looks like your family knows how to take care of stuff.

[gweimer]

I've got a 2002 Saturn Vue, and I've done the routine maintenance religiously for 170K miles.  It's had a few smaller problems, but the powertrain is solid.  My oil consumption is zip, and my mileage is pretty much the same as it was the day I got it.

[Barklessdog]

My brother owned a Camry that was a POS. We rented a a Hyundia a few years back on a business trip & the trunk would not shut, so the guy I work with, tried slamming it shut, that did not work but the trunk lid deformed from the slamming. The sheet metal was paper thin.

[Aussie Mark]

We're pretty happy being a 2 car Mazda family.  Both our CX-9 and Mazda3 have been great cars.

[TBird1958]

 Subaru is the only car I'll ever own.

[gearHed289]

I'm still driving the '97 Thunderbird they wanted to give me $500 for on trade in when I bought my Mustang 4 years ago.  Great "beater" for winter. In fact, I'm going to brave one more winter with it. The Mustang hasn't had any problems whatsoever. And a 2000 Explorer gets me to most gigs. PS - yes, it is pure coincidence that they all have guitar names. 

[patman]

I've got a 2002 Saturn SC2 with 150K miles...burns a little oil, but I just check it often and top off...get it changed every 3000 miles.  Been a good car.

I buy 'em used and drive 'em to death.