heyholetsgogrant Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 This story is a few days old, but I didnt see that anyone posted it through a search...I'll be the first one to admit this list is a joke, I wonder how their getting paid by japanese car makers...by no means are japanese cars bad, but come one dosent this list show some slant? Sedan, less than $20,000 Honda Civic Sedan, $20,000 - $30,000 Honda Accord Sedan, $30,000 - $40,000 Acura TL Luxury sedan Infiniti M35 Fun to drive Subaru Impreza WRX/STi Small SUV/SUV, less than $30,000 Subaru Forester Mid-sized SUV/SUV more than $30,000 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Minivan Honda Odyssey Green car Toyota Prius Pick-up truck Honda Ridgeline http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/autos/consumer_reports/frameset_cnn.exclude.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinva Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Nope...Detroit just puts out a below average product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyholetsgogrant Posted March 3, 2006 Author Share Posted March 3, 2006 Nope...Detroit just puts out a below average product. No BMW? No Ford f-150? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexRS Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 If you have between $0 and $40,000 to spend - get a Honda... got it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
england Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 we have the chrysler 350c on sale over here looks a nice piece of kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Consumer report is a non-profit organization. They don't gain anything be picking one car/appliance/what have you over another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinva Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 No BMW? No Ford f-150? Japanese cars are just as well made as the Germans and they are cheaper...that's why they'll rank higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 No slant at all. Consumer Reports is as honest as any organization in America. They call it like they see it, they take no advertising. That list looks pretty accurate to what people I know say. Honda and Toyota make very well constructed cars. The Subaru Forester is the best vehicle my sister has ever had, by a mile. Why would you assume that a BMW is better than an Infiniti? Why would you assume that a Ford F150 is better than a Honda? Fact is, right now, the best quality cars are coming from Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCsportsfan53 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Nope...Detroit just puts out a below average product. Ding ding ding, we have a winner! Detroit's cars have consistently not been as good as the foreign competition ever since Honda started selling cars here in the 70s. Instead of actually trying to make a good car they try to sell them with incentives and features like onstar to distract people from the fact that the competition's cars are more reliable, more advanced, less pollutant and more feature laden. Then, instead of trying to improve the product, they whine to the govt asking for help and for taxes on imports. Hmmm...kinda reminds of small market NFL owners who don't want to spend on players but want Dan's money so they don't have to do the work themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCsportsfan53 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 No slant at all. Consumer Reports is as honest as any organization in America. They call it like they see it, they take no advertising. That list looks pretty accurate to what people I know say. Honda and Toyota make very well constructed cars. The Subaru Forester is the best vehicle my sister has ever had, by a mile. Why would you assume that a BMW is better than an Infiniti? Why would you assume that a Ford F150 is better than a Honda? Fact is, right now, the best quality cars are coming from Japan. It's been a fact for a long time though I would argue that American still fall short of most European ones as well. Detroit is full of some cheap ass, cost cutting at the expense of the consumer ****s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyholetsgogrant Posted March 3, 2006 Author Share Posted March 3, 2006 Ding ding ding, we have a winner! Detroit's cars have consistently not been as good as the foreign competition ever since Honda started selling cars here in the 70s. Instead of actually trying to make a good car they try to sell them with incentives and features like onstar to distract people from the fact that the competition's cars are more reliable, more advanced, less pollutant and more feature laden. Then, instead of trying to improve the product, they whine to the govt asking for help and for taxes on imports. Hmmm...kinda reminds of small market NFL owners who don't want to spend on players but want Dan's money so they don't have to do the work themselves. Haha, I like your last sentence :notworthy :applause: -Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 The following is from an online chat with Warren Brown on the Wahington post website. Washington post Anonymous: I've noticed a common thread in a number of your recent articles in which you've complained that a lot of car-buyers aren't giving American-branded cars a fair chance. You make it seem as though we're illogically biased against the American brands. However, if you've ever looked at Consumer Reports' frequency-of-repair records, you'd see that the Japanese brands far outperform the American ones. It seems pretty rational to me to opt for a more reliable car over a less reliable one! Warren Brown: There is unreasonable bias against American-brand cars. But it's understandable, given the history of those cars in the late 1960s through the 1980s. And I read and disagree with Consumer Reports. To wit: What do we mean about "frequency of repairs"? Is the frequency affected by things that should be done, but that are left undone on Japanese models because of the illusion that those models are somehow invincible? Why do CR readers give favorable ratings to one vehicle, say the Toyota Matrix, and a less-less-than-favorable rating to another, say the Pontiac Vibe, when they are exactly the same vehicle made by the same workers on the same assembly line in the same factory by the same joint-venture Toyota-GM company? And why the heck don't you use your name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyholetsgogrant Posted March 3, 2006 Author Share Posted March 3, 2006 The whole Honda Ridgeline in its first year winning truck of the year, is what gets me...does anyone know how good it is? -Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Japanese cars are just as well made as the Germans and they are cheaper...that's why they'll rank higher. Your first mistake is thinking that the Germans build quality automobiles. No country has churned out bigger lemons for a longer period of time. Sure they're nice looking, perform well, and expensive... but NEVER mistake that for quality. I should note that I currently own 2 German cars, and I between my immediate family there are 12 German automobiles. None of us have any illusions about their quality... although we like them very much for how they drive, perform, and look. But very, very, very high maintenance. Things break on them all the time. Don't believe me? Buy one. .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Don't believe me? Buy one. .... I own one. A '94 BMW 325i. 260,000 miles on it. Other than routine maintenance, never a problem. The BMW service dept, thats another issue.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyholetsgogrant Posted March 3, 2006 Author Share Posted March 3, 2006 I own one. A '94 BMW 325i. 260,000 miles on it. Other than routine maintenance, never a problem. The BMW service dept, thats another issue.... Dont they give you free maintance for the first 3-5 years, that covers everything from the engine to oil changes?(for new cars of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rictus58 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Dont they give you free maintance for the first 3-5 years, that covers everything from the engine to oil changes?(for new cars of course). That I don't know. The service at the BMW dealership near me (BMW TOWSON) has lied on numerous occassions. I caught them the first time AFTER the work was done and they refunded the charges, the 2nd time I caught them BEFORE the work was done, and spoke with the owner of the dealership and basically said all BMW has is their reputation, and i will never return to his shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo21 Posted March 3, 2006 Share Posted March 3, 2006 Most-Reliable Luxury Cars 2006 Dan Lienert, 02.21.06, 12:30 AM ET Acura RSX coupe Base price: $20,325 Received top marks from: J.D. Power (overall quality) Acura's RSX coupe is the brand's entry-level model. ------------- Infiniti FX sport utility vehicle Base price: $37,800 Received top marks from: Consumer Reports Infiniti's FX is one of our favorite SUVs. It is attractive, comfortable and sporty--closer to a sports car, in fact, than a typical SUV. --------------- Infiniti M sedan Base price: $40,840 Received top marks from: Consumer Reports Infiniti's M sedan is one of the most exciting luxury cars on the market, with a handsome, well-built interior and outstanding driving dynamics. ---------------- Jaguar X-Type sedan and wagon Base price: $32,995 Received top marks from: J.D. Power (overall quality) An under-performer in the showroom as well as a lackluster vehicle compared with such competitors as BMW's 3 Series, Jag's X-Type gets a bit of redemption from its high J.D. Power rating. ------------------ Lexus GS sedan Base price: $43,845 | Received top marks from: Consumer Reports and J.D. Power (overall dependability) Lexus' GS sedan recently became much sportier and more dynamic-looking following an overhaul. A gas/electric hybrid version of the car is due out this spring. ---------------------- Lexus GX sport utility vehicle Base price: $47,330 Received top marks from: J.D. Power (overall quality) Lexus' GX is an outstanding midsize SUV based on Toyota's 4Runner. --------------------- Lexus IS sedan Base price: $30,580 Received top marks from: Consumer Reports and J.D. Power (overall quality) Like the GS, Lexus' IS sedan was recently overhauled and is now much sharper, as well as faster. ------------------- Lexus LS sedan Base price: $57,220 Received top marks from: Consumer Reports and J.D. Power (overall quality and dependability) Although Lexus sold more SUVs than passenger cars in 2005, the LS sedan is still for many people the symbol of the brand. Its reliability, reasonable price and beautiful interior make it the Lexus that many dream of owning. ------------------- Lexus LX sport utility vehicle Base price: $68,090 Received top marks from: J.D. Power (overall dependability) Lexus' old-but-good LX flagship SUV is not the sportiest ride, but it is quiet and relaxing, and will last as long as a luxury car can last. ---------------------- Lexus RX sport utility vehicle Base price: $37,400 Received top marks from: Consumer Reports and J.D. Power (overall quality) J.D. Power has singled out both the gasoline and the gas/electric hybrid versions of Lexus' RX SUV as having exceptional quality. ------------------------- LexusSC convertible Base price: $66,050 Received top marks from: Consumer Reports and J.D. Power (overall quality) Known in the auto business as more of a woman's car than a man's car, the Lexus SC should more appropriately be called a smart person's car, given its track record for durability. ------------------------- LincolnTown Car sedan Base price: $42,875 Received top marks from: J.D. Power (overall dependability) No wonder so many livery drivers and executive chauffeurs depend on Lincoln's Town Car: because they can. At least they can depend on it more than they could depend on nearly any other premium sedan. -------------------------- Porsche 911 convertible and coupe Base price: $71,300 Received top marks from: J.D. Power (overall dependability) Porsche learned manufacturing techniques from the Japanese. Like Japanese automakers, the company practices kaizen, or constant improvement, in its manufacturing processes. The 911's reliability speaks to Porsche's success in building cars that last. ------------------------ ToyotaLand Cruiser sport utility vehicle Base price: $56,215 Received top marks from: Consumer Reports Toyota's Land Cruiser flagship SUV is a down-market version of Lexus' LX 470. If you are considering either vehicle, note that the Toyota costs almost $12,000 less. Quote: When David Murry prepped his Porsche 911 for 2004's One Lap of America race, he knew competitors would be bringing trailers full of spare parts, spare tires, tools and racing fuel. But Murry, a professional race car driver, brought only a tire-pressure gauge and some Windex to clean the windshield. "It's a Porsche," he would say, according to his co-driver, Boston Globe auto columnist Royal Ford. "We don't need no stinkin' tools." Calling themselves "Team Squeegee," Murry and Ford took third place in the race, which involves driving across the country as well as competing on racetracks. Click here for the slide show. This story illustrates how modern luxury cars can take care of themselves. While some luxury automakers, such as DaimlerChrysler's (nyse: DCX - news - people ) Mercedes-Benz and Ford Motor's (nyse: F - news - people ) Land Rover subsidiary, have endemic reliability problems, other upscale brands, such as Nissan Motor's (nasdaq: NSANY - news - people ) Infiniti subsidiary, are increasingly becoming known for quality. The slide show that follows this introduction lists the 14 most-reliable luxury cars on the market, including Murry's favorite, the 911, which receives J.D. Power and Associates' highest marks for dependability. (Murry currently rides with Synergy Racing in the Grand AM GT Rolex Series, where he drives a Porsche 911 Supercup.) But the real story in the slide show is the dominance of Toyota Motor's (nyse: TM - news - people ) Lexus subsidiary, whose cars take up half of the slots in the slide show. Lexus' LS flagship sedan, the oldest Lexus nameplate (along with the ES sedan), is the most-reliable luxury car on the market--the only one with top marks in quality and dependability from J.D. Power, as well as the highest possible "predicted reliability" rating from Consumer Reports. Since its introduction in 1989, the LS has gone through three generations, and a fourth is due out sometime around October. Lexus says the LS has garnered more awards for quality than any other luxury car, and has won J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Index study every year it has been eligible. But every Lexus vehicle except the ES sedan is in the slide show--a testament to what Lexus stands for. The company's old slogan was "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection," and it wasn't just lip service. While the company has world-renowned manufacturing methods, "the pursuit of perfection" is inculcated so vigorously into Toyota's corporate culture that Lexus' trademark reliability is engineered into cars before they ever hit the factories. Quality is monitored every step of the way. Failure is not accepted. All major automakers build preproduction prototype models to iron out design, engineering and manufacturing wrinkles before mass production. In recent years, Toyota became known for building around one-tenth the amount of prototypes per production model that automakers such as General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) would. The only way Toyota and Lexus could do this was by learning to engineer parts that don't fail. Toyota has built a reputation for constantly fine-tuning its engineering and design, but in our research, we were surprised to find that several other luxury cars compare favorably with Lexus models, despite being issued by companies that are hardly Toyota-like. Jaguars, for example, have always had the durability of potato chips, but the company's X-Type sedan and wagon are now receiving J.D. Power's highest marks for quality. Lincoln's Town Car sedan is another example of a top-rated luxury car from a parent company not known as a paragon of reliability. For the X-Type, the Town Car and the other vehicles in the slide show, the ratings in question concern ratings for new models. In preparing our list, we excluded from consideration all nameplates that are headed for discontinuation. Not every luxury car has reliability ratings. Such new cars as Audi's A3 hatchback need to be on the market longer in order for customers to generate information on problems the vehicles may be having. And such blue-blooded cars as Maybach and Bentley models tend not to have reliability ratings because their volumes are too low to make for effective studies. The cars in the slide show received the highest marks from Consumer Reports or J.D. Power, or both. If we have cited a model as receiving top J.D. Power marks, that means all derivatives of the model received top marks. The difference between J.D. Power's "overall quality" and "overall dependability" scores is that "quality" concerns owner-reported problems in the first 90 days of ownership, and "dependability" concerns owner-reported problems after three years of ownership. Please follow the link below to see the results of our research--to see what luxury cars you could race across the country without bringing any tools. http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/veh...221feat_ls.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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