Used Car Guide
What's a good
choice. What's not.
Of course, if the last owner hasn't changed the oil
for three years
it doesn't much matter if the car is a Honda or a Hyundai!
According to Consumer
Reports
CR looked at 1990-96 used car reliability
and decided these 30 are the best.
Note that none are American, although
some are built in the U.S.
List is in alphabetical order.
| Acura Integra |
Mazda Millenia |
| Acura Legend |
Mazda Protégé |
| Audi A4 |
Mercedes E320 |
| Geo Prizm |
Nissan Altima |
| Honda Accord |
Nissan Maxima |
| Honda Civic |
Nissan Sentra |
| Honda Odyssey |
Subaru Impreza |
| Honda Prelude |
Subaru Legacy |
| Infiniti G20 |
Toyota Avalon |
| Isuzu Oasis |
Toyota Camry |
| Lexus ES300 |
Toyota Celica |
| Lexus GS300 |
Toyota Corolla |
| Lexus LS400 |
Toyota Previa |
| Lexus SC300 &
400 |
Toyota RAV4 |
| Mazda Miata |
Volvo 850 |
CR decided these 31 cars are what
they call "reliability risks."
Most are American cars. Fourteen are from Chrysler, eight from GM, and five from Ford.
| Chevrolet Camaro |
Ford Bronco |
| Chevrolet Monte
Carlo |
Ford F150 4wd |
| Chevrolet S10 4wd |
Ford Taurus SHO |
| Chevrolet S10
Blazer |
Ford Tempo |
| Chrysler Cirrus |
GMC Jimmy |
| Chrysler LeBaron |
GMC Sonoma |
| Chrysler Sebring |
Honda Passport |
| Chrysler Town
& Country |
Hyundai Excel |
| Dodge Avenger |
Isuzu Rodeo |
| Dodge Dakota 4wd |
Jeep Wrangler |
| Dodge Grand
Caravan |
Mercury Topaz |
| Dodge Intrepid |
Oldsmobile
Cutlass Calais |
| Dodge Ram 1500
4wd |
Plymouth Grand
Voyager |
| Dodge Stratus |
Pontiac Firebird
V8 |
| Dodge/Plymouth
Neon |
Saab 9000 |
| Eagle Vision |
|
Consumer
Reports 2002 Report
Most Reliable
based on reader responses for 1994-2001 vehicles
| Small car |
Toyota Echo |
| Sporty car |
Toyota Celica |
| Sports car |
Honda S2000 |
| Family car |
Infiniti G20 |
| Large car |
Toyota Avalon |
| Upscale car |
Infiniti I35 |
| Luxury car |
Lexus GS300/430 |
| Coupe |
Acura CL |
| Small SUV |
Subaru Forester |
| Midsized SUV |
Infiniti QX4
(best overall) |
| Large SUV |
Toyota Land
Cruiser |
| Compact pickup |
Toyota Tacoma |
| Large pickup |
Toyota Tundra |
| Minivan |
Toyota Sienna |
Top Picks
| Best car tested |
BMS 530i |
| Most fun to
drive |
Subaru Impreza
WRX |
| Family
sedan/wagon |
VW Passat |
| Small car |
Honda Civic EX |
| "Green"
car |
Toyota Prius |
| Upscale sports
sedan |
BMW 330i |
| Small SUV |
Toyota RAV4 |
| Midsized SUV |
Toyota
Highlander |
| Pickup truck |
Toyota Tundra |
| Minivan |
Honda Odyssey |
Most
Reliable Manufacturers
| U.S. |
Chrysler Group
with 22 problems per hundred vehicles.
|
| European |
Saab with 14
problems per hundred vehicles
|
| Japanese |
Toyota and
Subaru with 12 per hundred then Honda and Nissan with 14.
|
J. D. Power Long Term
Vehicle Dependability
Top ten car makes based on lowest
number of reported problems.
These are car makes, not
individual models. 1998 study.
| Lexus |
| Cadillac |
| Infiniti |
| Mercedes |
| Acura |
| Buick |
| Lincoln |
| Toyota |
| Audi |
| Oldsmobile |
These brands have more
problems than the industry average.
Listed in alphabetical order:
| Chevrolet |
Geo |
Mazda |
| Chrysler |
GMC |
Mitsubishi |
| Dodge |
Hyundai |
Plymouth |
| Eagle |
Jeep |
Pontiac |
| Ford |
Land Rover |
Volkswagen |
Consumer Guide Picks
Based on reliability and
how well they performed when new.
| Subcompact |
Honda Civic,
Nissan Sentra, Toyota Tercel, Toyota Corolla |
| Compact |
Dodge Spirit /
Plymouth Acclaim, Toyota Camry |
| Mid-size |
Honda Accord,
Ford Taurus / Mercury Sable |
| Full-size |
Buick LeSabre /
Oldsmobile 88 / Pontiac Bonneville |
| Luxury |
Acura Legend,
Nissan Maxima |
| Sporty coupes |
Honda Prelude,
Acura Integra |
| Minivans |
Dodge Caravan /
Plymouth Voyager |
| SUVs |
Ford Explorer |
| Full-size pickups |
Ford F-series,
Chevy C/K |
| Small pickups |
Ford Ranger |
Highway Loss Data
Institute
These ratings may be based as much on the
typical driver of the vehicles and
where and how the vehicles are driven as on the nature
of the vehicles themselves,
but this will affect your insurance costs.
Top 5 in collision claims
(the average loss per insured vehicle)
The best:
| Chevrolet
Suburban |
| Chevrolet Astro /
GMC Safari minivan |
| Chevrolet / GMC
1500 pickup |
| Ford F250 pickup |
| Buick Century |
The worse:
| Mazda RX-7 |
| Mazda MX-3 |
| Jaguar XJ |
| Lexus SC 300/400 |
| Nissan 240SX |
Top 5 in injury
ratings:
The best:
| Chevrolet Suburban |
| Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
wagon |
| Buick Roadmaster wagon |
| GMC 1500 4x4 pickup |
| Ford F250 pickup |
The worse:
| Hyundai Elantra |
| Hyundai Scoupe |
| Mitsubishi Mirage |
| Ford Aspire |
| Mazda MX-3 |
Generally speaking the smaller the vehicle
the worse the injury ratings.
Exceptions are Saturn and Integra which did better than
other small cars.
Top 5 in theft ratings:
| Mercedes S class |
| BMW 3-series |
| Lexus GS300 |
| Lexus LS400 |
| Chevrolet Corvette |
Among SUV’s the Isuzu Rodeo is the
worse for injuries;
the Jeep Grand Cherokee is the most likely to be stolen.
The ten current production model
vehicles with the highest claim rates for injury, collision and theft, based
on data collected by the Highway Loss Data Institute for 1998-2000 models. It
would be a good idea to shop around for insurance beforehand so that you
aren't surprised later.
| 1 |
Mitsubishi
Montero Sport |
| 2 |
Chevrolet
Corvette Convertible |
| 3 |
Lexus GS 300
& GS 430 |
| 4 |
Cadillac
Escalade |
| 5 |
BMW 7 Series |
| 6 |
Honda Civic
Coupe |
| 7 |
Chevrolet
Corvette Coupe/Hatchback |
| 8 |
Mitsubishi
Mirage Coupe |
| 9 |
Toyota
4Runner |
| 10 |
BMW 5 Series |
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Study
(covers 1990-1994 vehicles)
Safest Vehicles.
These cars, and their typical drivers, are the safest on the road.
Listed in order from
the safest.
| Volvo
240 |
| Saab
9000 |
| Mercedes-Benz 190 D/E |
| Volkswagen Passat |
| Lexus ES 300 |
| Lexus LS 400 |
| Honda Accord |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee 4X4 |
| Dodge Caravan |
| Plymouth Voyager |
Least Safe
Vehicles. Listed in order from the worst.
| Geo
Tracker |
| Chevrolet Corvette |
| Isuzu Amigo |
| Hyundai Scoupe |
| Ford Mustang |
| Ford Festiva |
| Pontiac Lemans |
| Geo Metro |
| Ford Escort |
| Chevrolet S10 pickup |
1993 metro areas with highest vehicle
theft rates
- Newark, NJ
- Fresno, CA
- Miami, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Detroit, MI
- Bridgeport, CT
- St. Louis, MO
- Springfield, MA
- Atlanta, GA
- Gary, IN
1992 metro areas with the most car-jackings
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Juan, PR
- Dallas, TX
- New York, NY
- Detroit, MI
1994 cars with lowest insurance
premiums
when they were new
- Ford Aspire
- Chevrolet Cavalier 4-door
- Saturn wagon
- Dodge/Plymouth minivan
- Subaru Justy 4-door
- Ford F150 pickup
- Saturn SL 4-door
- Ford Escort wagon
- Ford Taurus wagon
- Volkswagen Golf 4-door
Most expensive places to own a car
based on
average annual costs
- Los Angeles, CA
- Boston, MA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Providence, RI
- Hartford, CT
- New York, NY
- San Francisco, CA
- Honolulu, HI
- Phoenix, AZ
- Detroit, MI
Least expensive places to own a car
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Bismarck, ND
- Burlington, VT
- Boise, ID
- Nashville, TN
- Raleigh, NC
- Des Moines, IA
- Charlotte, NC
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