When Is It Safe To Buy A New Or Redesigned Car Model?

What if you're interested in a new or recently redesigned car model like the 2008 Cadillac STS, Honda Accord, Mercedes C-Class, Nissan Rogue, Saturn VUE, or Scion xB? Should you follow the conventional wisdom that a new car design should be avoided in its first year, and wait for the 2009? Or should you take a chance so you can own the new design while it's still new?

In the past these have been your only alternatives, because no one has provided reliability information on new car designs soon enough, or updated this information more than once a year. But now there's a third, better alternative in a growing number of cases: wait a few months for TrueDelta's Vehicle Reliability Survey (VRS) results to update. "With prompt quarterly updates, TrueDelta's Vehicle Reliability Survey is making it possible to buy a new design while it's still new, without gambling that the manufacturer found and fixed bugs during development," says Michael Karesh, developer of TrueDelta.com.

The latest results, released today, cover owner experiences through March 31, 2008. This is actually the third update to include some results for 2008 models. The next update, in August, will include at least one early 2009.
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Spectator - 5/14/2008 12:36:35 PM

-1 Boost

The title should be "When is it Wise..." not "When is it Safe...". All cars sold in the US are safe. Most cars in the world are actually safe ...cough cough China...cough cough.

Bmw8ter - 5/14/2008 12:38:35 PM

+1 Boost

You're arguing symantics....I'd personally say 3-4 years into that generation.

Bmw8ter - 5/14/2008 12:44:41 PM

+1 Boost

Of course, you can never go wrong with a generation's last year. My 2004 Mustang V6, in all of it's girly glory, hasn't encounterd a single issue since I've had it; and I've driven/maintained it through just about every possible weather condition....as well as, tear through the gears like a madman on a daily basis.

Spectator - 5/14/2008 3:33:40 PM

0 Boost

Didn't deny I was picking nits however...in reality the title grabbed my attention because I thought it was one thing...when in reality it was somthing else that was completly boring.

I would have liked to know which cars wern't safe in the US

TopGear - 5/14/2008 12:36:41 PM

+3 Boost

I've done some research on this based on problem history reported.
Usually a new car model has problems in first 2 year, even Lexus.
But some models known as unreliable cars have the same problem for their entire design cycle.

LexusKindaGuy12 - 5/14/2008 1:19:11 PM

+3 Boost

agreed, lexus are cars too. I would say the second or 3rd year would suffice. even a late build 1st year model could work

0to60 - 5/14/2008 1:09:22 PM

0 Boost

Is True Delta a branch of AOL or did they just copy their logo?

Agent009 - 5/14/2008 2:24:30 PM

+1 Boost

Totally independent.

mkaresh - 5/15/2008 1:19:29 AM

+1 Boost

Yeah, that was my initial reaction as well. The guy who redesigned the site for a me a couple years ago threw in the logo for free, and I didn't have the heart to tell him it wouldn't work. Also, I learned that AOL hadn't used the logo that resembled his in years.

Another redesign is in process, and the logo will be changed as well.

theoptimisticpessimist - 5/14/2008 1:31:45 PM

0 Boost

Well, according to a Ford engineer I know, The first six months their trying to find all the bugs. After the one year mark their trying to find out how to do things cheaper.

montyz81 - 5/14/2008 2:32:55 PM

+1 Boost

From experience, I can tell you wait 2 years. I bought a Nissan Armada in March of 04. The production date on the vehicle is Sept 4,2003. For the first 36k miles, the amount of times I was in the shop was ridiculously. I was ok with it though cause the dealership was extremely supportive. Essentially, I bought a all new model from a company venturing into a new market segment for them and the vehicle was produced at a plant that had only been online since May of 2003 (about 4 months)with a staff that include close to 50% of the people that had never worked in the Auto industry. That said, I still have that Armada, it has 97k miles on it and since all the teething issues were fixed, I haven't had any more issues with it. Most of the issues were around fit and finish too.

S4cabriofoxone - 5/14/2008 4:11:20 PM

0 Boost

After it comes out.

If not, the developers will probably hunt you down.

S4cabriofoxone - 5/14/2008 10:55:22 PM

+1 Boost

Jokes are often lost over the Internet...

0to60 - 5/14/2008 7:37:59 PM

-1 Boost

I like to be the first to own a car so I could care less about the kinks. They will likely be resolved under warranty.

tonedef83 - 5/15/2008 12:35:57 PM

+1 Boost

It's pretty risky trying to buy a new car model early on just because the first gen doesn't necessarily get everything right the first time through. Should a problem arise then the company must think to themselves if a recall is cost-effective versus not doing anything (ala Pinto). I for one will wait for extensive testing to be done to make sure it will suite my needs. Unfortunately, a test like that will take years... feels good not feeling the pressure of being an early adopter.

rubenkincaid - 5/15/2008 4:56:46 PM

+1 Boost

I had always been told to avoid the first year, but
I threw caution to the wind and bought a '05 Land Rover LR-3 in November 2004. I expected it to implode like my last Discovery, but it's been a great vehicle for nearly 40K miles. I think the stakes are much higher these days for manufacturers... there's more pressure to have the bugs worked out ahead of time, although that obviously doesn't always work.

dano100 - 5/16/2008 1:09:48 AM

+1 Boost

My last 2 new cars are why there is no set answer to this question. The 2006 Civic, a new design, we bought was one of the worst new cars I have ever owned. Constant little issues but a big suspension issue kept re-occuring. The cars front stuts had to be replaced twice and the automatic transmission was jerky.

Our 2007 Infiniti G35X, a new design, has been flawless for 21,000 miles.

mkaresh - 5/19/2008 11:24:20 PM

+1 Boost

dano100...

You've got sample sizes of one. Very few cars are so unreliable these days that you don't have a decent shot at zero problems in the first two years--if you own just one.

The 2006 Civic had a number of bugs early one. Honda fixed them within a few months, though.

The 2007 G35 had two common problems: the seat heater wiring, and a piece of sunroof trim that would often fall on people while driving the car, freaking them out if this happened at night.

The 2008 G35 has a much lower repair rate.

ChicaneShooter - 5/17/2008 8:31:43 AM

+1 Boost

from a book i read, honda and toyota generally get all the bugs worked out withing 6 months of the intro.

others generally take a full year. and sometimes even longer.

by the time the pontiac fiero had ALL the bugs worked out, gm pulled the plug on it!

ChicaneShooter - 5/17/2008 8:40:48 AM

+1 Boost

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