Perhaps, in some ways Honda reliability is not what it used to be. I think for the most part, though, there is actual data out there that one can look at, which is quite good when it comes to comparing between brands, models and model years.
I'm referring to things like Consumer Reports, JD Power, and that recent British car reliability survey posted on this site. While you may disagree with how any one of these organizations gets its results, the fact that they generally corroborate each other makes it tough to really argue with their results.
The bottom line is that Honda, Toyota, Subaru and their derivatives are generally the makers of the most reliable cars, with Hyundai either nipping at their heels or actually catching up in some cases, and Mazda also doing very well recently.
Well behind, but also catching up are the American manufacturers, all three I believe, who are now putting together very good quality products. In the rear, for the most part, are the European manufacturers, with BMW and Mercedes-Benz actually having gone downhill over the past several years, but still ahead of the second-tier Euro makers. CU concluded over a year ago that the Americans, which had been behind the Euros as long as I can remember, had improved enough to surpass them.
CU also reports that overall reliability is improving, despite increasing complexity and the use of lightweight materials like plastics where there used to be metals, etc. Actual number of problems per vehicle in all areas have gone down substantially in the past five years, ten years, or whatever timeframe you care to consider.
Of course there are always problems endemic to any one particular vehicle, chassis, engine, etc, and it remains true that auto trannies are among the most trouble-prone components in general. Fortunately the internet is here to alert us to particular problems a given car may have, and for my own part I just avoid auto trannies.
Finally, a last thing to consider is that some cars may tend to have minor troubles, but still have very durable drivetrains, whereas others may have few problems but still have less actual capacity for overall longevity.
Okay, one more thing. There is one manufacturer who's products seem to be substantially better than everybody else's in every reliability survey I've ever looked at. That is, no surprise, Toyota/Lexus. If I weren't a car guy and could be happy driving something like a Camry or ES300 or whatever, I'd own nothing but.
Dammit, one more thing I have to say. With many American cars being much better these days and in fact very good, but still suffering from a customer perception of low quality and undesirability, they are now so cheap in comparison to the admittedly-still-better Japanese offerings that they probably represent the best value for money for many people, and maybe even a little bit of a bargain.
Okay. You can go now.
- Glenn