In the May issue of Consumer Reports you can find the new & used car reliability reports. Mazda came out above average for most of their vehicles. This is a good sign. I would think the RX-8 will be on that list in the near future.
:D

 

Did anyone notice how MB, BMW, Audi/VW ranked in reliability in Consumer Reports. Down in the basement, baby. Vaunted German engineering excellence....my a**!

Sorry, I just had to attack that rabid misconception of German engineering excellence one more time.

 

There's many different aspects to engineering excellence - long-term reliability is only one aspect. I wouldn't dispute at all the excellence of the design and performance of many of the high-end German cars, even if I might dispute the long-term reliability excellence of some of the electrical components.

Regards,
Gordon

 

yeeessss, that "ex-cell-ence" *uses fingers to make quotion marks*

 

Gordon,

The Germans have a lot more problems than a few electrical gremlins. For instance, BMW has serious reliabilty problems with bodies (3 series doors never fitting correctly and opening while cornering) and their share with engines.

I too agree that "engineering excellence" is not just reliabilty but that is what the lay person sees it as and most of them blindly buy these German cars based on this belief. I see "engineering excellence" in cars like a Miata; fun, reliable, cheap, easy to fiddle with, in one word; elegant. I don't see "elegance" in German cars. I used to see it in their well laid out interiors but now everyone has well laid out interiors whereas the German cars seem to be moving towards gadgetitis.

Aw hell, we all like what we like. It's good to have choices.

Peace,

 

...y'know Lou??? i could never figure out why i've never had a thing for Porsches... wow, it's like a viel lifted from my eyes... word

 

... Yeah, when we bought my wife her 2000 Passat, we liked all of the standard bells and whistles and safety features that were available (for a little more money) when compared at the time to the Accord or Camery... (Also at the time, Consumer Reports highly recomended the Passat - but has since downgraded their rating) and we have also been plaged with more than our fair shair of electric problems plus some other mechanical problems in the 3 years that we've owned it ...

:p

... So far my 2003 MP5 has been trouble free (in the 3 months that I've had it) - more than I could say for our Passat ...

 

One thing to take into account with CR reviewers is that most of them are 40-50 + year old white guys, with a bias toward Honda and Toyota. I usually agree with them on reliability issues, but partially ignore their opinions on ride quality, gas mileage, etc, and draw my own conclusions.
CR is an excellent tool, but it's not the end-all be-all.

 

The Consumer Reports reliability rating are purely based on statistics. The same is true is JD Power. It is no coincidence that both correlate well.

I use both of these guys for their stats. The rest is purely up to me. I don't ask friends, internet forums or care what magazine reviews have to say.

 

I take strong exception to the idea that Consumer reports is biased - towards Honda/Toyota, or anyone else.....the opinions are also firmly grounded and reproducible - no tester says they 'just don't like' features.
If you took five minutes to look at the data, you would see that it is purely statistical; for example, if the 1990 thru 2003 Camry figures show 'better-than-average' in every column, for every year, EXCEPT for the 1998 model, they do not 'average' or 'assume' or even 'recommend' - they leave it as is.
There is no bias whatsoever.
......If YOU have a problem with the data, that is different.
(I am thankful that at least CR , has upset the people who believe the 'Teutonic' engineering MYTH)
.
.
.
doc

 

Not that I'm a 47 year old white guy (but I am), I've been using Consumer Reports since I was at least 15 years old when my mother wanted me to buy a "Columbia" 10 speed bicycle over a "Schwinn" Sting ray ... I didn't lissen to her at the time, but soon learned that she and Consumer Reports were right about the "reliability" issues ...

 

Lets see here: 47-15 = 32 year ago = 1971 A.D.
I did not know they had invented the 10 speed bicycle yet. I thought they were still using "penny farthing" bicycles.:p :D

 

yep, those were the days my friend...

The Prisoner and the Village, Rover .. and "penny farthing" bicycles ...

:D


In the Village
What do you want?
Information
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling . . .
We want Information
You won't get it
By hook or by crook . . .
We will
Who are you?
The new Number Two
Who is Number One?
You are Number Six
I am not a number . . .
I'm a free man!
(Mocking laughter)




sorry - I got off topic ... maniacal laughter

 

The results are so different it's almost disturbing.