These guys don't fool around! Lexus wins AGAIN! Porsche is last!

A lot of the problems Consumer Reports places is how a customer would say the severity of "their" problem is. One independent company found many MINI owners said to CR that they had problems with cup holders because they wouldn't fit a larger drink, so it got a one below average in interior quality. I have found that the best way to buy a vehicle is word of mouth. It show that my year 3-series BMW is below average in many departments. But the things it say in their that BMW has problems with, I have never had with my car. My brother owned a Honda Civic whic they said was excellent, yet he and a friend of his have taken it to the shop numerous times for electrical (failed power window switch, failed relay in fuse box and bad airbag sensor) yet CR said this car had above average in the electrical dept. So ask around. See someone with a car you are thinking about, walk up and ask that person how they like it and if they have had problems with it.

In crash test ratings...... The Lexus IS and the BMW 3 DID NOT score the highest in the IIHS crash test for midsize vehicles. This goes to the perfect-scoring Saab 9-3 and Subaru Legacy.

Anyone see the BOTTOM of this consumer reports list? I believe it went something like (I may have the order wrong):
Land Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, Infiniti, Porshe, and one or two other random brands. The only US car manufacturer to even make the top 10 was Mercury (which i think is RANDOM, but w/ ev).
Again, though I do prefer the german brands, its obviously not the way to go when it comes to reliability. I dont see the reasoning behind the Anti-Japanese Automobile argument, it just seems so pointless. I personally buy cars for their performance and luxury, and usually look at reliability as a tie breaker. But for those who see it as the most important reason to buy a car, I see why Lexus wins in a landslide.

Consumer Reports is probably one of the worst pieces of trash. People off the street with little or no product knowledge or experience form the basis for the reviews. Try JD Powers (not that they are perfect either) Those numbers paint a little different picture.

Of course Lexus is reliable. But also boring. Who would buy a Lexus is they could afford a Porsche?

The reliability rankings for Porsche were very badly skewed because of problems with the Cayenne which every new model has without exception.

Bill,

Apparently you could not AFFORD a Porsche, even though you bought one. Affordability has more than just having enough money to buy it but also with the emotion (or spirit) to handle what comes with it.

For example, owning a Porsche or exotic race car would temp you to drive fast, therefore probability of ticket goes up. Costs of maintenance will tend to be higher because of the technology behind it. If you can afford it, you would not mind any of this, because you LOVE it.

I believe Autospy posted a "happy owner" survey article and Porsche came in first. Porsche owners are happy with their ownership and accepted what came with it. Marry a blonde and have fun...

If consumer reports rated Porsche last because of Cayanne, then so be it. Don't buy a Cayanne - buy a 911 turbo and leave the kids at home....

Happy Porshe-ing.....

Amazing how CR suckles the teet of Japanese cars!I would like to see their statistics. They are biased towards Japanese auto makers and very subjective. The bulk of their so called reliability stats come from CR subscribers only! Which are obviously Japanese car enthusiast. This will only create better sales for Japanese cars and worsen sales of domestics. I have no problem with competition and Japan has definetly helped increase the overall auto industry by setting higher standards, but from being in the business I have not seen a big difference in reliability compared to domestics.

The biggest down fall of the US auto companies is the UAW. They try to squeeze every penny/profit from GM, Ford. Demanding higher wages for workers with no HS dilpoma (35/hour) so that the UAW can have a bigger piece of the pie with Union fees. I am all for good treament of workers, but they go too far! Japanese workers are very loyal to their company and will sacrific, wonder how many more auto factories will be built in Canada and Mexico.