The only good news is that some of these cars are American made.


Link to the story
money.cnn.com/2006/03/01/Autos/carreviews/cr_top_picks/index.htm



Link to the Top 10 cars
money.cnn.com/popups/2006/autos/consumer_reports/frameset_cnn.exclude.html

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Japanese carmakers -- or, more specifically, Honda followed by Toyota and Subaru -- took all ten spots in this year's Consumer Reports magazine top picks.

No American or European nameplates are represented in this year's list, which is published in the April issue of Consumer Reports magazine.


The lone American model on last year's list, the Ford Focus, was replaced this year by the new, redesigned Honda Civic

Of the five Honda vehicles on Consumer Reports' Top Picks, four are manufactured in the U.S. The remaining vehicle, the Honda Ridgeline, was designed and engineered in the U.S. but is built in Canada.

Of the five other vehicles in the list, two are Toyotas, two are Subarus and one is from Nissan's Infiniti luxury division. Those remaining five are all are produced in Japan.

Consumer Reports buys vehicles anonymously for its test fleet through ordinary retail dealerships and tests them at a specially built facility in Connecticut. Among the tests performed are acceleration, handling, braking, ride quality and visibility.

In addition to track tests, test engineers also drive the vehicles in ordinary day-to-day situations.

To gauge reliability, the magazine surveys subscribers to both the magazine and its related Web site. Each respondent can supply data on up to two vehicles and the magazine received survey data on about a million individual vehicles this year, Consumer Reports said.

In order to be considered for a Top Pick a vehicle must have at least average predicted reliability, based on survey results, and good scores in crash tests by the government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

GO SUBARU STi!!!

I agree with the "fun to drive" report, two thumbs up!

Considering my Chevy is made in Mexico, you pay for low quality labor, you get low quality work.  But again they also dont have the good engineering to build from.

Consumer Distorts has had a long term love affair with anything made in Japan.  They once agreed that an American made camera was cheaper, had more features, and was just as reliable.  So their best buy went to the more expensive less featured Japanese made camera.  

My Made in U.S.A. car is the best automobile I ahve ever owned.  I have driven in 144,000 miles in the past 4 years and it is still my go to vehicle.  I have put over 400 miles on it this week and will do another 200 miles tomorrow.  It has been trouble free, requires less maintenance, is roomier and gets the better gas mileage than a Honda Accord.  My daughter-in-laws Accord with a 4 cylinder engine gets less than 20 mpg.  The dealer cleains there is nothing wrong with it.  My Grand Prix gets 30 mpg.

My made in the US Nissan Frontieer is a great truck.

My made in Japan RX7 TurboII has 217,000 miles on it and will stop 150mph

My made in Japan 929 has 222,000 on it and looks better and is in better shape than many of the big 3 cars half it's age.

I try my best not to buy union-made cars.

Have owned a 98 Nissan Pathfinder for nearly 5 years now - nothing but praise, only thing I've replaced is the exhaust, brakes and tires.

Of the newer autos to replace my forever faithful 91 Dodge Spirit - 126K miles, blown head gasket - twice - once in 2001, and again just last month.  Certainly gave me more than adequate service over the years - but its finally not worth putting money into.

I considered - Dodge Magnum, Dodge Dakota, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Frontier and the Nissan Xterra.

Looking at overall long term mechanical reliability (Edmunds/Kelley/Consumer Report), came down to the Nissans and Toyota  - gas mileage tipped the scales and I opted for a '03 RAV4 Sport model.  

But the wife and I swear that someday, we'll get that Mustang and/or Charger.

Asking Consumer Reports who makes the best car is like asking CBS who is the better political party?

Consumer Reports would pick a broken down Japanese car over a phenomenal American car.

CR is in bed with the Japanese, they also hate anything American, so decide how valid their picks are.

The top 10 cars would naturally be all Japanese.  American cars do not belong on the top 10 when there are Japanese cards that are infintely better.

Quoted: The top 10 cars would naturally be all Japanese.  American cars do not belong on the top 10 when there are Japanese cards that are infintely better.

Quoted: Quoted: The top 10 cars would naturally be all Japanese.  American cars do not belong on the top 10 when there are Japanese cards that are infintely better. ar15.com/images/smilies/anim_bs2.gif

The truth hurts

I still dont know what I want

The Honda Ridgeline is not a truck

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The top 10 cars would naturally be all Japanese.  American cars do not belong on the top 10 when there are Japanese cards that are infintely better. ar15.com/images/smilies/anim_bs2.gif The truth hurts

Nope! BS hurts.

Quoted: The only good news is that some of these cars are American made. ....

I believe you're right.....

Toyo's, Honda's, etc... are reliable cars, though they're not my "cup of tea", but they're very good cars.

Wow. The Ridgeline surprised me.

I have no faith in anything Consumer Reports prints....

In the early 1990s I was helping a girlfriend pick out a used car, and she insisted on looking through Consumer Reports to help her decide between the cars she had narrowed it down to.

The late 80s Toyota pickup was given a "very good" rating for "outer body rust"...(when, in fact they had problems with body rust in that model).
So I looked at the ratings for other vehicles...

The Cheverolet CORVETTE was given a "FAIR" rating for OUTER BODY RUST
I threw the magazine away after that.

(Being a transmission mechanic at the time...I also saw some very inaccurate ratings for some transmissions in various vehicles, foreign AND domestic)

ALL THAT BEING SAID...American auto mfgrs DO need to tighten up just a bit IMHO.
They have the potential, and ability to make MUCH better cars.

another Jap vs. US (union) car thread?  It's only been a day or so since the last one, hasn't it?

I'm glad I made the switch to Jap cars.  They run better than the American (mexican built) cars i've owned and they age more gracefully.  My cars look like new after 4 years.  Granted the Jap parts cost more than the American (built in Brazil? or Mexico? or China?) parts, but i rarely need to replace them.  

Quoted: another Jap vs. US (union) car thread?  It's only been a day or so since the last one, hasn't it? I'm glad I made the switch to Jap cars.  They run better than the American (mexican built) cars i've owned and they age more gracefully.  My cars look like new after 4 years.  Granted the Jap parts cost more than the American (built in Brazil? or Mexico? or China?) parts, but i rarely need to replace them.

Yeah I bet.

Japanese steel is better, their tires are better, their glass is better, their plastic is better, their carpet is better, their bolts are better, their fuses are better, their license plates are better, shit you name it.

Quoted: Quoted: another Jap vs. US (union) car thread?  It's only been a day or so since the last one, hasn't it? I'm glad I made the switch to Jap cars.  They run better than the American (mexican built) cars i've owned and they age more gracefully.  My cars look like new after 4 years.  Granted the Jap parts cost more than the American (built in Brazil? or Mexico? or China?) parts, but i rarely need to replace them.   Yeah I bet. Japanese steel is better, their tires are better, their glass is better, their plastic is better, their carpet is better, their bolts are better, their fuses are better, their license plates are better, shit you name it.

It just being from Japan adds 10 points to its powerfulness.

Quoted: I have no faith in anything Consumer Reports prints.... In the early 1990s I was helping a girlfriend pick out a used car, and she insisted on looking through Consumer Reports to help her decide between the cars she had narrowed it down to. The late 80s Toyota pickup was given a "very good" rating for "outer body rust"...(when, in fact they had problems with body rust in that model). So I looked at the ratings for other vehicles... The Cheverolet CORVETTE was given a "FAIR" rating for OUTER BODY RUST I threw the magazine away after that. (Being a transmission mechanic at the time...I also saw some very inaccurate ratings for some transmissions in various vehicles, foreign AND domestic) ALL THAT BEING SAID...American auto mfgrs DO need to tighten up just a bit IMHO. They have the potential, and ability to make MUCH better cars.

Well shit, don't you know that American fiberglass rusts quicker than Japanese steel does. That just goes to show how superior Japanese people are to worthless fucktard Americans.

Quoted: Asking Consumer Reports who makes the best car is like asking CBS who is the better political party? Consumer Reports would pick a broken down Japanese car over a phenomenal American car. CR is in bed with the Japanese, they also hate anything American, so decide how valid their picks are.

Freaking true as hell, read how they rate the next years vehicles and compare them to reliability ratings for the current year.   I looked at their buyers guide and couldnt believe the inconsistancies in their reporting.   CR is a fucking joke.


I'm not a dodge fan by any means but I remember specifically seeing a dodge truck with good reliability ratings and the predicted ratings for the next year as poor across the board.   How fuggin ridiculous.   Assclowns at best.  

Put down the jap car koolaid and go ahead and read the buyers guide to CR and see what you think when you're done.   They contradict themselves consistantly.    I havent even considered looking at CR since seeing that a couple years back.

I must be wrong about how my Tacoma was and my F350 is.
95 Taco=POS , 99 F350 has been trouble free.  

I don't trust Consumer Reports....but I also don't need them to tell me that Japanese cars are (in general) a better car than their American counterparts.

That's been painfully obvious to me for years, as I've owned 5 of each and 4 of the American cars were problematic, costly, and lost resale BAD. The 5 Jap cars, including the one I drive now, have been flawless.

I wish it wasn't that way, but it is.

Quoted: I don't trust Consumer Reports....but I also don't need them to tell me that Japanese cars are (in general) a better car than their American counterparts. That's been painfully obvious to me for years, as I've owned 5 of each and 4 of the American cars were problematic, costly, and lost resale BAD. The 5 Jap cars, including the one I drive now, have been flawless. I wish it wasn't that way, but it is.

And the fifth was?