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Who makes the most reliable new cars?

consumerreports.org

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Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#411

Post by purpleblue »

sharkweek wrote: post #213

My 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner is old enough to drink and outside of routine maintenance requires almost no thought. "It's time to get a new car" given that car safety has drastically improved and I have two younger kids in that thing a few times a week but I'm honestly having a really hard time giving it up, something so reliable and plainly functional. New cars with all their computers and smart technology only look lik…

I have a 2012 Honda Fit that they will need to pry off my cold dead hands. It's my favorite car of all time, it's everything that I want from a car. Except possibly a larger gas tank.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#412

Post by mlhpdx »

twelve40 wrote: post #51
mlhpdx wrote: post #21

I’m perennially baffled by CR’s ratings. They are a lagging indicator at best, and skewed/biased at worst. Does anyone actually use this information any more?

I really don't know much about the topic, but if you call this article essentially useless biased trash, it might be useful to explain why?

It's a lagging indicator - based on past manufacturing, past purchases, past support practices. This is unescapable, but when I buy cars (and stocks) the past is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

It's flawed/biased - the rankings are based on "member" surveys, which makes the sample biased (likely not representative of all car buyers, CR has never attempted to prove it is as far as I know), which is a flaw if you're using it to make (large financial) decisions. Using surveys rather than evidence is perhaps a more fundamental problem. Essentially this "ranking" is of the perception of quality among a subset of people rather than a serious, quantitative ranking.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#413

Post by ChumpGPT »

jandrese wrote: post #390

Edit: While I'm still dubious about these metrics I was ranting about an entirely different company here. Sorry. A very similar report has been making the rounds recently from JD Power, probably part of a marketing campaign of some sort. The JD Power list is even more hilarious because it is book-ended by two brands: Dodge and Chrysler. Also it suggests Alfa Romeo for reliability. https://www.cars.com/articles/2023-j…

They have KIA, Porsche, BMW and Mini in the top 10..hehehe....There are quite a few Youtube channels that are either Car sales guys or Mechanics that will tell you to stay away from all of them and if you buy them your stupid and deserve what's coming. Although I have seen some last a while, many are a horror story.

I really wouldn't turn to consumers reports for advice, Youtube is a better source for what to buy...

Just saying...

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#414

Post by dahart »

SkyPuncher wrote: post #346
sharkweek wrote: post #213

My 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner is old enough to drink and outside of routine maintenance requires almost no thought. "It's time to get a new car" given that car safety has drastically improved and I have two younger kids in that thing a few times a week but I'm honestly having a really hard time giving it up, something so reliable and plainly functional. New cars with all their computers and smart technology only look lik…

FWIW, the computers don’t tend to break. The things that do break are essentially the same as they were 20 years ago. The bells and whistles are mostly for creatures comfort. The mechanical components haven’t changed much. The only thing that I couldn’t fix on my own in my 2020 vs my 2006 was re-alignment of lane keep system after replacing the windshield.

The chips themselves don’t tend break, but wires and connectors and sensors all do tend to break, and they are effectively part of the computer system. Today, it’s practically moot where you draw the line. Something mechanical on my CRV broke somewhere, and the computer didn’t know what it was, and so the dealer didn’t know what it was, and the computer tended to shut down over unknown problems, and it eventually caused a cascading failure of physical mechanical components when the timing belt melted and it took out the alternator with it.

> The bells and whistles are mostly for creatures comfort.

This is increasingly (and rapidly) less and less true. Traction control, lane assist, adaptive cruise control, and emergency braking, are all things computer controlled (and things that are programmed to disable when the computer barfs. You can argue these are creature comforts, but in my experience they are becoming necessary modern safety features.

In a previous car, the sound system wigged out completely when it was only 5 years old. That’s a creature comfort, except really annoying to go without, and it was insanely expensive to replace, several thousands for a pretty basic stereo.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#415

Post by vwcx »

sharkweek wrote: post #241
rvbissell wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3rd gen is best gen

It's just a fact, can't argue with it.

Biggest material regret of my last 5 years was getting rid of my 99 Limited. I worried about some of the pillar rust compromising safety with my kid in the car, but you couldn't beat the 3.4, rear locker, etc. Take my vote to not sell yours.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#416

Post by calamari4065 »

I've had a regrettably excellent experience with my 2015 Mazda. Easily the most reliable machine I've owned.

Which is unfortunate because it's a soulless, joyless shitbox and I hate it. It just starts every single time, but it's not fun to drive. I see dozens of the exact same model on the road every day and they're all boring. The interior is fine, the handling is pretty good, the power is fine, fuel economy is fine. It's just okay all around. Except for the *five hundred dollar* alloy wheels, that really sucks. It's fine, it's boring, it gets me from A to B every time.

My prior car was the first one that I really enjoyed driving. It was fun, it had personality, it was a little car with a lot of pep in its step. It truly was a joy to drive. It burned all of the fluids and had plenty of mechanical problems, but I lovingly maintained everything I knew how to.

Honestly I'd take the fun troublesome car over the bland, boring box on wheels I'm stuck with now. At least troublesome is interesting.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#417

Post by BeetleB »

SkyPuncher wrote: post #346
sharkweek wrote: post #213

My 3rd Gen Toyota 4Runner is old enough to drink and outside of routine maintenance requires almost no thought. "It's time to get a new car" given that car safety has drastically improved and I have two younger kids in that thing a few times a week but I'm honestly having a really hard time giving it up, something so reliable and plainly functional. New cars with all their computers and smart technology only look lik…

FWIW, the computers don’t tend to break. The things that do break are essentially the same as they were 20 years ago. The bells and whistles are mostly for creatures comfort. The mechanical components haven’t changed much. The only thing that I couldn’t fix on my own in my 2020 vs my 2006 was re-alignment of lane keep system after replacing the windshield.

Do computers last 20+ years in cars?

As others have mentioned, sensors and stuff related to safety fail all the time. I recently paid $800 to re-enable the safety systems in my (newer) car after a part failed. I've never had such expensive repairs on my 20 year old car.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#418

Post by BenjiWiebe »

underlipton wrote: post #367
denvaar wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> extremely mechanical 4Runner Same sentiment for my washer/dryer. Bought an older (used) set for $300, They have lasted 7 years so far, which is in addition to however long they were in use before: I would guess at least 7 more. Seems like lots of people lament how things like cars, refrigerators, washers, etc. are becoming less mechanical and more electronic. Maybe there's a market for "bespoke" mechanical items.

Electronic stuff is still reparable. Probably even more cheaply, in some regards (certainly material cost). We've just been made to become accustomed to viewing electronic devices as disposable/primarily replaceable. And while most people have turned a wrench before, knowing how to use a soldering iron/heat gun/magnifier effectively is not a common skill. Could be, though.

Electronic stuff can be incredibly hard to repair, when the manufacturer doesn't share any information or even actively encrypts/locks it down.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#419

Post by chrisco255 »

carabiner wrote: post #398
jandrese wrote: post #390

Edit: While I'm still dubious about these metrics I was ranting about an entirely different company here. Sorry. A very similar report has been making the rounds recently from JD Power, probably part of a marketing campaign of some sort. The JD Power list is even more hilarious because it is book-ended by two brands: Dodge and Chrysler. Also it suggests Alfa Romeo for reliability. https://www.cars.com/articles/2023-j…

This is Consumer Reports, not JD Power, and they said they surveyed for issues in the first 12 months. It's about "new" cars after all so you can't go further back than that. They also weigh issues for their severity. Where are you seeing that their methodology is the same as JD Power? https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-reliability-owner-s... > Every year CR asks its members about problems they’ve had with thei…

> It's about "new" cars after all so you can't go further back than that.

> This year we gathered data on over 330,000 vehicles, from the 2000 to 2023 model years, with a few early-introduced 2024 model years.

Re: Who makes the most reliable new cars?

#420

Post by sgarman »

kemayo wrote: post #308

Given the relative simplicity of the drive train for EVs, it's a shame that the dedicated electric manufacturers like Rivian and Tesla aren't much higher on this list...

(Rivian owner) It's painfully obvious rivian is stuck playing the american capitalism game where if they don't meet certain numbers of sales each quarter the stock goes down so nothing else matters. I'm sure they would rather invest in service, reliability or something but they can't stop for a second on trying to move new vehicles out the door. The future doesn't matter, only next quarter matters.
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