Five Clunker Cars To Avoid
11-14-09, 09:31 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Five Clunker Cars To Avoid
Five Clunker Cars To Avoid
1. Volkswagen Touareg
2. Mercedes-Benz GL450
3. Lincoln MKS
4. Jaguar XF
5. GMC Canyon
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...cars-to-avoid/
Five Clunker Cars To Avoid
These vehicles are the least reliable--and most expensive to repair--on the road today.
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Hannah Elliott
2009 Lincoln MKS sedan
2009 Lincoln MKS sedan
When it comes to the auto industry, Detroit hasn't exactly been synonymous with the word "reliability" in decades. But a strong sign of a return to form has appeared.
MORE AT FORBES.COM
In Consumer Reports' just-released 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey, Ford was the only domestic automaker with ratings on par with those of other global automakers. Ninety percent of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln products earned average or better reliability scores, besting even longtime reliability leaders like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
Graydon Reitz, Ford's director of quality, says it's no accident Ford has ascended the ranks. The Dearborn, Mich.-based company set out on an intensive quality-improvement process four years ago, and the plan is simply paying off today, he says.
"We are looking to leapfrog totally Honda and Toyota and be recognized as the pre-eminent quality leader fundamentally, with no competition from Honda and Toyota," Reitz says. "And we have plans in place that will achieve that in very short order."
Unfortunately, Ford is the only one of the Big Three that can make such a claim. Just 20 of 48 models from General Motors earned average scores (the Chevrolet Malibu V6 was the only one rated better-than-average), and more than one-third of Chrysler products earned worse-than-average ratings. Consumer Reports recommended just one Chrysler vehicle--the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup--which is one more from Chrysler than was recommended last year.
To be fair, Lincoln's MKS and Ford's F-250 have their problems--but Ford's sustained improvement and the breadth of its quality distinguish it from its Detroit-based counterparts. It all comes down to long-term planning vs. short-term financial gain, says Mike Quincy, an autos specialist at Consumer Reports who also maintains the CR blog.
"Detroit has always been obsessed with the short run," Quincy says. "They're like any Fortune 500 company [that says], 'We have to return shareholder value, we have to increase the stock price.' Well, there's a really big difference between increasing the stock price and making a really good quality car. Chrysler and General Motors haven't been able to wrap their arms around this."
Behind the Numbers
To determine the worst clunkers on the road, we paired Vincentric's five-year repair-cost data for 2009 models with reliability ratings from Consumer Reports and based our results on the combination of those scores. The reliability ratings were based on 1.4 million vehicles owned or leased by CR subscribers and covered the model years 2000 to 2009. The higher the cost of repair, and the lower the reliability rating, the worse the vehicle. To break ties, we also looked at vehicles' overall rating from Consumer Reports, which evaluates reliability, owner satisfaction, accident avoidance, crash protection with side airbags, crash protection without side airbags and fuel efficiency.
It's telling that these cars aren't all compact sedans--or heavy SUVs. They don't all come from one brand or one part of the world, either (though Detroit has more than its share of space on the list). Owners of Volkswagen's Touareg and the Jaguar XF, for instance, can expect to be at the mechanic shop much more frequently than owners of, say, the Infiniti M35. They'll pay more than $1,000 each on repair over five years' time.
In fact, the $40,500 Touareg had the worst new-car reliability score in the survey, according to the report. It is 27 times more likely to have problems than the highest-scoring model, the $20,000 Honda Insight.
Asian automakers in general, in fact, performed exceptionally well; no Japan- or Korean-made vehicles came close to making our list, and of 48 total models with top reliability scores, 38 are Asian, including 18 Toyotas, eight Hondas, four Nissans and three from Hyundai/Kia and Subaru.
That's one reason why Ford is gunning for them, says James Bell, an automotive specialist at Kelley Blue Book. "Quality and reliability have really equalized over the last few years," he says. "Certain brands that have hung their hat on that, like Honda or Toyota, are now learning that they need to do more because there are really no bad cars out there."
Looking Beyond the Brand
But don't judge a brand on just one or two models. Despite the GL-Class finding a place on our list, Mercedes-Benz registered large improvements this year, with most of its models rated at least average for their reliability. The GL even received a respectable score of 77 for its overall performance--a testament to its other strengths. And the GLK earned exceptionally strong marks from Consumer Reports.
All of Volvo's sedans earned average or better marks from Consumer Reports, too; none came near our clunker list, but its $37,700 XC90 SUV came in with below-average scores. And while Porsche routinely scores extremely high for brand satisfaction and quality among all of its vehicles, this year the $47,600 Boxster dropped from the Consumer Reports recommended list.
It just goes to show that general rules in the automotive world still apply (Chrysler struggles with reliability issues; Asian automakers continue to excel). Overarching generalizations, however, are best avoided.
1. Volkswagen Touareg
2. Mercedes-Benz GL450
3. Lincoln MKS
4. Jaguar XF
5. GMC Canyon
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...cars-to-avoid/
Five Clunker Cars To Avoid
These vehicles are the least reliable--and most expensive to repair--on the road today.
send
* e-mail this page
* IM this page
Buzz Up!
Hannah Elliott
2009 Lincoln MKS sedan
2009 Lincoln MKS sedan
When it comes to the auto industry, Detroit hasn't exactly been synonymous with the word "reliability" in decades. But a strong sign of a return to form has appeared.
MORE AT FORBES.COM
In Consumer Reports' just-released 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey, Ford was the only domestic automaker with ratings on par with those of other global automakers. Ninety percent of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln products earned average or better reliability scores, besting even longtime reliability leaders like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
Graydon Reitz, Ford's director of quality, says it's no accident Ford has ascended the ranks. The Dearborn, Mich.-based company set out on an intensive quality-improvement process four years ago, and the plan is simply paying off today, he says.
"We are looking to leapfrog totally Honda and Toyota and be recognized as the pre-eminent quality leader fundamentally, with no competition from Honda and Toyota," Reitz says. "And we have plans in place that will achieve that in very short order."
Unfortunately, Ford is the only one of the Big Three that can make such a claim. Just 20 of 48 models from General Motors earned average scores (the Chevrolet Malibu V6 was the only one rated better-than-average), and more than one-third of Chrysler products earned worse-than-average ratings. Consumer Reports recommended just one Chrysler vehicle--the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup--which is one more from Chrysler than was recommended last year.
To be fair, Lincoln's MKS and Ford's F-250 have their problems--but Ford's sustained improvement and the breadth of its quality distinguish it from its Detroit-based counterparts. It all comes down to long-term planning vs. short-term financial gain, says Mike Quincy, an autos specialist at Consumer Reports who also maintains the CR blog.
"Detroit has always been obsessed with the short run," Quincy says. "They're like any Fortune 500 company [that says], 'We have to return shareholder value, we have to increase the stock price.' Well, there's a really big difference between increasing the stock price and making a really good quality car. Chrysler and General Motors haven't been able to wrap their arms around this."
Behind the Numbers
To determine the worst clunkers on the road, we paired Vincentric's five-year repair-cost data for 2009 models with reliability ratings from Consumer Reports and based our results on the combination of those scores. The reliability ratings were based on 1.4 million vehicles owned or leased by CR subscribers and covered the model years 2000 to 2009. The higher the cost of repair, and the lower the reliability rating, the worse the vehicle. To break ties, we also looked at vehicles' overall rating from Consumer Reports, which evaluates reliability, owner satisfaction, accident avoidance, crash protection with side airbags, crash protection without side airbags and fuel efficiency.
It's telling that these cars aren't all compact sedans--or heavy SUVs. They don't all come from one brand or one part of the world, either (though Detroit has more than its share of space on the list). Owners of Volkswagen's Touareg and the Jaguar XF, for instance, can expect to be at the mechanic shop much more frequently than owners of, say, the Infiniti M35. They'll pay more than $1,000 each on repair over five years' time.
In fact, the $40,500 Touareg had the worst new-car reliability score in the survey, according to the report. It is 27 times more likely to have problems than the highest-scoring model, the $20,000 Honda Insight.
Asian automakers in general, in fact, performed exceptionally well; no Japan- or Korean-made vehicles came close to making our list, and of 48 total models with top reliability scores, 38 are Asian, including 18 Toyotas, eight Hondas, four Nissans and three from Hyundai/Kia and Subaru.
That's one reason why Ford is gunning for them, says James Bell, an automotive specialist at Kelley Blue Book. "Quality and reliability have really equalized over the last few years," he says. "Certain brands that have hung their hat on that, like Honda or Toyota, are now learning that they need to do more because there are really no bad cars out there."
Looking Beyond the Brand
But don't judge a brand on just one or two models. Despite the GL-Class finding a place on our list, Mercedes-Benz registered large improvements this year, with most of its models rated at least average for their reliability. The GL even received a respectable score of 77 for its overall performance--a testament to its other strengths. And the GLK earned exceptionally strong marks from Consumer Reports.
All of Volvo's sedans earned average or better marks from Consumer Reports, too; none came near our clunker list, but its $37,700 XC90 SUV came in with below-average scores. And while Porsche routinely scores extremely high for brand satisfaction and quality among all of its vehicles, this year the $47,600 Boxster dropped from the Consumer Reports recommended list.
It just goes to show that general rules in the automotive world still apply (Chrysler struggles with reliability issues; Asian automakers continue to excel). Overarching generalizations, however, are best avoided.
11-15-09, 12:02 AM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
What a shame that Jaguar would produce another beautiful pain in the ***. I love the way the new XF looks but I have read that the damn thing is very problematic. The VW, Benz, and GM thing I could have told you.... no surprise. Aint nothin changed but the date
11-15-09, 08:56 AM
#5
Lexus Champion
Mike, you're really starting to **** me off with these threads...lol.
j/k...sort of.
The GL and XF have both been on my shopping list recently and now you go and post this stuff...again. I'd be interested to know if these problems are model specific or across the entire lines?
Is the XF Supercharged any better or worse than the XF Premium Luxury? And is the GL 450 the only issue compared to a GL Bluetec or GL 550?
j/k...sort of.The GL and XF have both been on my shopping list recently and now you go and post this stuff...again. I'd be interested to know if these problems are model specific or across the entire lines?
Is the XF Supercharged any better or worse than the XF Premium Luxury? And is the GL 450 the only issue compared to a GL Bluetec or GL 550?
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11-15-09, 02:18 PM
#10
Owners of Volkswagen's Touareg and the Jaguar XF, for instance, can expect to be at the mechanic shop much more frequently than owners of, say, the Infiniti M35. They'll pay more than $1,000 each on repair over five years' time.
11-15-09, 05:21 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
In fact, the $40,500 Touareg had the worst new-car reliability score in the survey, according to the report. It is 27 times more likely to have problems than the highest-scoring model, the $20,000 Honda Insight.
Some of you criticized it as a piece of junk. Here is proof of its high quality.
11-15-09, 05:33 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Totally agree. Out of respect (and objectivity), I rarely use this term when describing a vehicle, but, IMO, the Canyon, and its rebadged Chevy Colorado and Isuzu I-cousin, is simply a piece of crap. It uses junk sheet metal, Cracker-Jack-flimsy trim, tinny doors/bed/tailgate, El Cheapo interior components, backache-producing seats, and wimpy, underpowered drivetrains. I have often criticized Dodge/Mitsubishi trucks for low quality, but even they beat the Canyon/Colorado, hands-down.
So, in a nutshell, the Canyon/Colorado beats walking.....but not by much.
Overall, one of the most unimpressive modern American-market vehicles I've seen. It's vehicles like this that took GM to the brink of bankrupcy....and then over the cliff.
So, in a nutshell, the Canyon/Colorado beats walking.....but not by much.
Overall, one of the most unimpressive modern American-market vehicles I've seen. It's vehicles like this that took GM to the brink of bankrupcy....and then over the cliff.
Last edited by mmarshall; 11-15-09 at 05:40 PM.
11-15-09, 05:46 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
This one, to some extent, is a puzzler, as, when I reviewed it (an AWD version), it seemed to be pretty well-designed and built, being based on the reasonably reliable high/quality Five Hundred/Taurus/Sable/Montego platform with a somewhat different body/interior. However, it is no secret (even with Consumer Reports) that car-based Ford/Mercury/Lincoln AWD systems have not been as reliable as their FWD counterparts.
as, when I reviewed it (an AWD version), it seemed to be pretty well-designed and built, being based on the reasonably reliable high/quality Five Hundred/Taurus/Sable/Montego platform with a somewhat different body/interior. However, it is no secret (even with Consumer Reports) that car-based Ford/Mercury/Lincoln AWD systems have not been as reliable as their FWD counterparts.
11-15-09, 08:36 PM
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
Mike, you're really starting to **** me off with these threads...lol. j/k...sort of.
The GL and XF have both been on my shopping list recently and now you go and post this stuff...again. I'd be interested to know if these problems are model specific or across the entire lines?
Is the XF Supercharged any better or worse than the XF Premium Luxury? And is the GL 450 the only issue compared to a GL Bluetec or GL 550?
j/k...sort of.The GL and XF have both been on my shopping list recently and now you go and post this stuff...again. I'd be interested to know if these problems are model specific or across the entire lines?
Is the XF Supercharged any better or worse than the XF Premium Luxury? And is the GL 450 the only issue compared to a GL Bluetec or GL 550?
I love the XF but it has issues, the Euro Long Term XFs have problems as well. The GL is made in Alabama fwiw.....