mmarshall

Don't necessarily disregard it. A friend of mine has had issues with two recent Siennas....one, has personal one, and, two, one owned by the company he works (and drives) for. He's not happy with the way Toyota has handled the warranty coverage, either. He's driven Toyotas for decades, but is soured enough right now that he might change brands next time.

MattyG

Anecdotal instances of a quality failure get lots of traction with people who complain about an automaker. Theoretically we should all hate BMW's because the internet says so. Johnhav430's E92 is an example. That car has an atrocious reputation on the internet. Expensive, fun car. Toyota's have a stellar reputation. But it doesn't mean that from time to time that a car manufacturer turns out a substandard product.

But all CR or Toyota's showing here demonstrates is that given a large enough grouping or number set, you should be able to figure out what is going to happen in the future. Absent all of that, you can certainly use past empirical data to extrapolate a little bit into the future. Some people simply don't understand this.

Johnhav430

I purchased the 335i brand new, ordered from Regensburg. If the internet has validity as to the reliability of the vehicle, then I must either be a) lucky or b) just one of the people whom doesn't say anything because there's nothing to talk about. I'll say it here again, I purchased an extended warranty because the car was supposedly so unreliable, and BMW smoked me. I got NOTHING OUT OF IT except at the very last instant, the VANOS needed replacement. So everytime I see a "wow the extended warranty was a no-brainer I got turbos, water pump, blah blah blah it paid for itself 5 times over" I just grin.

The only thing that failed in almost 11 years, is the ABS pump. Yep, that's $4,200 at the dealer, but you can DIY for what was $249. The price went up to $299. This part also fails on 328's and BMW bikes. Poor design, made in Hungary. So it is not 335 specific.

But as they say, they don't make 'em like they used to, and imho BMW has gone downhill with the F cars. Jury still out with the G. But taking everything literally from the internet, to me, is like that guy chatting with some stranger on the internet, when in reality, their apartments are across from each other in the same building. Open that door and take a look outside. If Camrys and Accords were no-brainers, everyone would be driving them and there'd be nothing else on the road.

mmarshall

Everyone IS driving them LOL....at least by sedan standards. Just look at their sales numbers for the last 30 years.

Johnhav430

What I mean is, if I had 10 coworkers, at least 1 of them would drive a Camry or Accord. The only one who did, quit a few months ago. We get Subaru employee pricing, yet, I see like 6 Subarus out of say 150 cars. Funny I saw another 2004-06 LS430, and said wth, there's another new LS430 here? My colleague goes she's had that for at least 3 years, I saw that car before I left and came back....what is troubling is the CR-V factor. As mentioned, I was on the way to work Monday and 5 of them surrounded me, scary. They must be giving away $35k cars or something....

Now at the parking lot of the 2nd largest mutual fund co. in the US? Camrys and Accords all day long dating back to the 2-3rd gen...

edit ps I work in the office with the regular cars, which is why it should be flooded with Accords and Camrys if they were such no-brainers. it's the other office with the Teslas/911s/Lambos/Ferraris/S Class co. cars....the 911's are my favorite. We're behind the times I have yet to see a 991, only 997s....(no waste here, value only lol)

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

you work at vanguard?

Johnhav430

haha no but my wife did, and I got to attend some family days. I've heard things have really changed, but my wife has met and said hello to the big guy (Bogle) who ate in the co. cafeteria and waited in line with everybody else.

No joke, those employees live the way the co. recommends, and are savers. So many 10+ y.o. cars in the lot--my wife said because the pay was so-so. But the benefits were unbelievable (might have changed).

Anyway, nobody is going to be foolish to buy a Toyota or Honda, I'd love to have one. But if I had 3 cars in my household, I wouldn't want 3 Camrys or 3 Accords or any combination of only those two cars....

Toys4RJill

One of my employees brought a CR copy today and left it in the waiting room outside my office. I cannot believe how bad the Buick Lacrosse performed. 14 out of 100 or something like that.

Not shocked to see Toyota and Lexus at the top. Surpsingly the Tacoma did not do well either.

MattyG

Whaaa? Now CR has some relevance all of a sudden? I thought MT, CD, and online reviews were supposed be the bibles of good cars and bad cars.

mmarshall

That's one reason (among several) why I decided to wait for a 2018 Lacrosse....get as many first-year (2017) bugs out as possible. I resisted the urge to cash in on those 2017 rebates.

Also, I noticed one thing when the Opel-sourced, American-spec Verano was introduced in 2012 (I myself had a relatively early-production 2012, built in February or March of that year....can't remember which). Though my personal car was reliable (never had any significant repairs), CR still, initially, gave it a black-mark, Much-Worse-Than-Average reliability rating. Ha.......the very next time the ratings came out, those very same 2012s had gone from all-black to all-green, Much-Better-Than-Average. The Verano's reliability remained well above average until it was dropped this year....CR considered it one of the most reliable vehicles with an American nameplate, though it wasn't a true all-American design. We'll see if the 2017 or 2018 Lacrosse soon does a similar topsy-turvy, or if it remains below average in reliability.

The Lacrosse, though, is a more traditional American product....with the traditional American risks. A major complaint on the 2017 was the 8-speed transmission that GM bought from Aisin. The new 2018 Lacrosses, as I mention before, have the new GM/Ford 9-speed (it was used in some of last year's Chevys). I'm keeping my fingers crossed, though, on my own car. So far, no significant issues.....just a small quirk in how the electronic center-gauges and warning lights sometimes power up on engine-start.

The Tacoma has an iron-sturdy powertrain, frame, and chassis.....but its cheap-quality trim and interior components didn't impress me when I reviewed it. GM's competing Colorado and Canyon did a much better job inside....but their engines probably are not up to Toyota's durability standards.

Toys4RJill

Never disputed the CR reliability rankings. Just how they do their reviews weeks or months after all the others

MattyG

Guess I'm just a little puzzled Your previous posts indicate that you dispute CR's statistical gathering methods and analysis, yet you now cite the very same organization in saying that there is no surprise about Toyota/Lexus products, while there is shock about a Buick. Can one really cite the statistics of the very organization whose stats are in fact in dispute according to what your previous posts state?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

qed on why cr should not rate cars they have no data on.

mmarshall

Well, they did have data on it. They just had a lot more data several months later.

mmarshall

Buicks are not inherently unreliable......indeed, the Opel-sourced ones have a very good reputation. But it is generally true that American-designed ones (which generally covers the larger ones) don't match up to the Opel-sourced ones.