Posted on 02/29/2012 6:06:55 PM PST by Ron C.
The results of the annual Consumer Reports automotive report card caught a lot of people by surprise when they were released Tuesday – not necessarily because of which automaker claimed top honors, but because of which automaker did not.
A wave of redesigned vehicles helped catapult Subaru into the top position for the first time. It had finished second in last year’s ranking, and buoyed by recent successes with the Outback and Impreza, it improved two points this year to finish with an overall score of 75.
Subaru’s rise to the top meant that Honda’s four-year run as the top automaker among the 13 ranked was over. Honda drifted into fourth-place overall, and the problems caused by last year’s Japanese catastrophes didn’t seem to play much of a factor.
David Champion, Consumer Reports director of research, gave a blunt assessment of the automaker’s chief problem.
“They seem to be cheapening vehicles," he told The New York Times. "It's almost like a role reversal of where the domestics were 10 to 15 years ago."
Mazda showed the most dramatic improvement in this year’s rankings, rising from seventh place to second. Toyota finished in third place.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.aol.com ...
I’ve had an outback for 12 years now. It’s needed a new alternator and some spark plugs and spark plug wires. I’m getting ready to do the timing belt service. Not bad for 12 years of mountain driving.
I’m thinking of learning to do everything on these vehicles myself and just buy used ones.
Dammit, you beat me to it!
Not a single S. Korean automaker on the list?
Deeply flawed survey. But its Consumer Reports, so...
That is really hilarious!
I recently got an email going around the loops... it really whacked the Volt hard. Just charging the battery costs over $30 for many folks.
Oops. My bad. Hyundai is # 7.
Isn't "Whack a Volt" an arcade game?
I love my Outback..both of them. I bought a 2000 outback in 2002, just handed it down to the daughter. It has 170k+ miles and a leaking head gasket (about 2900 to fix). It will last awhile longer if she keeps the oil up. I bought a 2011 on New Year’s eve on a darn good deal. So far, so good. They cost a lot in maintenance but they take a lot of use in stride.
A 1998 Lexus LS400 with 160K
and a 2005 Sienna with 67K
If not, it sure ought to be. ~grin~
One thing I really do expect... there's going to be lots of "Volt-Whacking" in the near future.
I’ve got a ‘87 Toyota truck with ‘Collector’ tags as well. It’s rusty, nearly a quarter million miles on it and the mice are ready to move in, but, it still does what it was meant to do.
Do you do your own engine work?
I always have in the past, but getting a bit lazy in my old-age. I'm driving the 'million mile' Crown Vic - has 155K on it, and mechanics tell me not to worry about an engine rebuild until 500K.
We’re on our third Outback. Never had a problem with any of them.
Wish Subaru made a minivan to rival the Sienna and Odyssey.
Add the $65 gasket in a can and run them forever!!!
(been there done that with 2 of em!)
My wife gave away her's to a friend, with about the same mileage on it, and it lasted for quite a while, finally tossing a timing chain not long ago. But, that can be fixed rather easily (I think.)
My 1992 Accord has 268K on it. It needs a new headlamp assembly that was cracked from a rock on the interstate. I’ll do that tomorrow.
I’ve had the same reports from many others - these things hold up really well. There’s one problem though - getting parts is a bit difficult, I found - while the wife still had hers.
Yugo,
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