I just got the consumer reports annual auto issue and was curious about their reliability data on my 05 dodge grand caravan, needless to say they rated all of the chrysler minivans bad for reliability in multiple years. What is the general opinion of consumer reports in regards to automotive reliability? I know they rate pretty much every toyota and honda excellent.
Consumer Reports annual auto issue-reliability
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I have just purchased a '98 Dodge GC and was leery due to the fact that is was on the "CR's do not buy" list. I have shied away from all of the cars on said list for years. Man, what have I been missing! My choices in my price range after my car was totaled were 2001 Windstar with 92K and a check engine light, a '99 Mercury Villager with 100K with a bad CV joint, and my '99 Dodge CG with 130K. No comparison. The GC rides like a dream. Is much more spacious, and I've been getting 21 mpg with 50/50 HWY/CITY mix. The only thing I've found wrong so far after a month of abuse...I mean use, is the driver side vent window does not work. I can tell she was abused as all of the fluids were overdue. I'm into short OCI's right now with the Trans and Oil and will Auto-RX next Month.
So, now I don't know about the CR report. I did have a '89 Chevrolet Cavalier that was on the "BAD" list that I ran into the ground to 225K. So, I don't know. Of course I had my 18 mo. alternator changes with that car due to bad design (Pep Boys Lifetime Warranty), but that was it. I got rid of it when the A/C finally gave out. She was running fine otherwise. That was in the DINO and FRAM days.
I think if you can do any repair work on your car yourself, the CR report (barring major Trans or Engine failure) is almost worthless.
So, now I don't know about the CR report. I did have a '89 Chevrolet Cavalier that was on the "BAD" list that I ran into the ground to 225K. So, I don't know. Of course I had my 18 mo. alternator changes with that car due to bad design (Pep Boys Lifetime Warranty), but that was it. I got rid of it when the A/C finally gave out. She was running fine otherwise. That was in the DINO and FRAM days.
I think if you can do any repair work on your car yourself, the CR report (barring major Trans or Engine failure) is almost worthless.
take consumer reports with a grain of salt don't mean much!!
JHZR2
Staff member
my 04 saab 9-3 is not rated well, yet I get 36-38 MPG and have had no problems. The car never ceases to amaze me in how well designed it is.
What does CR know?!?
That said, lets make sure this thread doesnt turn into another foreign vs. domestics fight with CR in the middle...
JMH
What does CR know?!?
That said, lets make sure this thread doesnt turn into another foreign vs. domestics fight with CR in the middle...
JMH
A horde of Chrysler mini-vans here in soccer mom heaven.The female steering wheel holders with the tassel of squalling brats in back, the cell phone glued to the likely empty head, semi-driving down the road with around 2-percent of their attention devoted to the driving act..... uhhhhhhhh
A lot of those vans around here and very rarely do I see them broken down on the roadside.... for whatever that's worth.
Hereabouts I don't hear the locals lambasting the Chrysler vans and folks keep buying them.
Guess they can't have too bad of a reputation or else the word would get out to shun the vans and buy sumpthin' else.
Living in the "richest" burgh in all of Nebraska...... dwelling in the minute ghetto-like area where us po' folk eke out an existence. The locals are mainly the well-to-do who work in nearby Omyhaw. Many locals consistently have new or newer vehicles. Don't see many 5-year-old vehicles; discarded for new ones. And, the monied ones keep buying those Chrysler vans. With the rapid turnover if the vans were problematic I would expect to see a declining number of them rampaging across the landscape, hauling the vile spawn to their activities, aloof to others using the public roads, consistently driving in an anti-social manner with little to no concern for the safety of themselves or, especially, others.
Can you tell I despise the self-centered cell phone-using buffoons infesting the roadways?
No statistics in this post, just a subjective opinion based upon casual observations but since when has Old Coot allowed non-scientific observations be cause for not poking at the keys on the board thing so as to quasi-enlighten those regarding key issues of our times. Really shoulda' been a politico; the qualifications are present.
Moseys off scratching bulbous belly and burping out a country music tune.
A lot of those vans around here and very rarely do I see them broken down on the roadside.... for whatever that's worth.
Hereabouts I don't hear the locals lambasting the Chrysler vans and folks keep buying them.
Guess they can't have too bad of a reputation or else the word would get out to shun the vans and buy sumpthin' else.
Living in the "richest" burgh in all of Nebraska...... dwelling in the minute ghetto-like area where us po' folk eke out an existence. The locals are mainly the well-to-do who work in nearby Omyhaw. Many locals consistently have new or newer vehicles. Don't see many 5-year-old vehicles; discarded for new ones. And, the monied ones keep buying those Chrysler vans. With the rapid turnover if the vans were problematic I would expect to see a declining number of them rampaging across the landscape, hauling the vile spawn to their activities, aloof to others using the public roads, consistently driving in an anti-social manner with little to no concern for the safety of themselves or, especially, others.
Can you tell I despise the self-centered cell phone-using buffoons infesting the roadways?
No statistics in this post, just a subjective opinion based upon casual observations but since when has Old Coot allowed non-scientific observations be cause for not poking at the keys on the board thing so as to quasi-enlighten those regarding key issues of our times. Really shoulda' been a politico; the qualifications are present.
Moseys off scratching bulbous belly and burping out a country music tune.
Has anyone seen any reports on how well CR, JD Power and the like actually do on estimating problems ? Did either forecast the sludging, transmission, ball joint, etc., problems on their favored makes, or quickly report on such issues that ended up lasting more than one model year ? My impression is that they didn't.
Keep in mind that people who fill out questionnaires may have an ulterior motive, and they are more likely to fill them out if they are dissatisfied.
On the subject, though, I have a '94 GC that's on it's third transmission but have not replaced other components that frequently fail on other models. The 3.3L is a good motor, too bad they linked it with a #@$%! transmission.
On the subject, though, I have a '94 GC that's on it's third transmission but have not replaced other components that frequently fail on other models. The 3.3L is a good motor, too bad they linked it with a #@$%! transmission.
CR reliability reports are based solely on feedback from their "informed" members who are biased against American nameplates. Want proof? We had a 1988 Chevy Nova and it was rated lower than the 1998 Toyota Corolla that was built in the same NUMMI plant in CA by the same workers using the same parts. The same was also true with my 1991 Ford Probe that was built in the same Flatrock, MI plant as the beloved 1991 Mazda MX6. Go USA!
Around here, I usually see RX330s, Odysseys, and Siennas. All < 3 years old.
Anyway, I think you have your own answered. You said that you rarely see > 5 year old vehicles. Most cars are fairly reliable when they are new and also under warranty. Problems, if any, are quickly resolved by the dealership and owners are kept happy. Only when cars get older and problems start popping up and owners are forced to pay do people begin to care.
There are stats on warranty problems on new cars , also Consumer Reports sends out surveys to their subscribers. Consumer Reports are very accurate. As I have posted before buying a car is a gamble sometimes you get lucky some times you don't. Ever heard this, Show me the numbers.
Buick92, As a minivan owner (my friends called me soccer mom when I bought it), I will tell you that the transmission is a weak point on most any brand of minivan.
I have a '96 windstar with just over 180K miles on it.
I bought it in '99 with just under 38K miles on it.
I replaced my original transmission at about 100K miles.
Since then, I have added a nice big auxillary transmission fluid cooler, and change my fluid each year with a synthetic fluid (that meets the specifications listed for my vehicle).
If you plan to drive it for a long time.....as I STILL plan to do with my windstar, I would look into an auxillary cooler, and frequent fluid changes.
My listed tranny fluid change interval is 30K miles (21K miles for "severe service), which is about a year and a half..
The bottom line, the transmission in our minivans, is the same as used in cars.
HEAT is a real killer for the fluid, which breaks down, and then problems follow.
I could go out an buy a car any time....but I don't like to waste the money, just to try to impress people....
It is real nice only having a house payment..........
As other's have mentioned, CONDITION is the big factor when buying a used vehicle.
I have a '96 windstar with just over 180K miles on it.
I bought it in '99 with just under 38K miles on it.
I replaced my original transmission at about 100K miles.
Since then, I have added a nice big auxillary transmission fluid cooler, and change my fluid each year with a synthetic fluid (that meets the specifications listed for my vehicle).
If you plan to drive it for a long time.....as I STILL plan to do with my windstar, I would look into an auxillary cooler, and frequent fluid changes.
My listed tranny fluid change interval is 30K miles (21K miles for "severe service), which is about a year and a half..
The bottom line, the transmission in our minivans, is the same as used in cars.
HEAT is a real killer for the fluid, which breaks down, and then problems follow.
I could go out an buy a car any time....but I don't like to waste the money, just to try to impress people....
It is real nice only having a house payment..........
As other's have mentioned, CONDITION is the big factor when buying a used vehicle.
Go to http://www.truedelta.com -- the guy who runs this website is collecting reliability information in a way that doesn't have what he sees as the shortcomings of CR's method.
JHZR2, you might consider enrolling your Saab 93 in his panel so he can start collecting reliability data on it--he doesn't have many Saabs yet. I've already enrolled mine.
JHZR2, you might consider enrolling your Saab 93 in his panel so he can start collecting reliability data on it--he doesn't have many Saabs yet. I've already enrolled mine.
Consumer reports is about as good at rating autos as they are dishwashers...
My father's GC with the 3L(known as a smoker because of the valve stem seals) hasn't had one major issue since it's purchase 5 or so years ago.
The transmission still feels fine too. I do thing he is due for a fluid change though, I think it the fluid has about 30k on it.
My father's GC with the 3L(known as a smoker because of the valve stem seals) hasn't had one major issue since it's purchase 5 or so years ago.
The transmission still feels fine too. I do thing he is due for a fluid change though, I think it the fluid has about 30k on it.
years ago most everything i bought and was rated #1 in consumer reports always turned out to be the worst products i have ever used...i never go what consumers reports says about anything!!
Kestas
Staff member
This study is a classic case among the statisticians, who refer to it case as proof that people's perceptions and biases can skew the facts.
I noticed CR didn't make the same mistake with the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. You think maybe they fudged the results? I say this because I know that people don't change and suddenly get wiser. The average car owner is a moron when it comes to their vehicle.
CR rated the 03 V6 4Runner way down and put it on the do not buy list becuase of a voluntary recall to adjust the fuel control and rated the same 4Runner with a V8 as a recommended buy.
"The average car owner is a moron when it comes to their vehicle."
And, in Coot opinion, almost anything else you can think of!!!!!!
"Only when cars get older and problems start popping up and owners are forced to pay do people begin to care."
Agree wholeheartedly. No half- or quarter- or 0ne-sixteenth-heartedly within the shanty.
And, in Coot opinion, almost anything else you can think of!!!!!!
"Only when cars get older and problems start popping up and owners are forced to pay do people begin to care."
Agree wholeheartedly. No half- or quarter- or 0ne-sixteenth-heartedly within the shanty.
I think the experience people have with their dealership during the warranty period also affects how they rate their vehicle's quality. When problems are fixed quickly, owners are more likely to consider them as minor glitches, and perhaps they won't even report them. I wonder how many excellent vehicles are negatively rated because incompetent service advisors and dealer techs turn little problems into major irritants.
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