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sort of depends on what you want out of a vehicle. Reliability and utility, go to Consumer Reports. Straight up performance, go with magazines like Road and Track or Car and Driver. Motor Trend is less performance oriented than the other two magazines. Automobile seems elitist and snobbish. MotorWeek gives basic general reviews, not enough to go by to make an informed decision. My personal opinion is to get what you can from various sources. What one person missed, another may see. Where cornering and acceleration is most important for one, smooth comfortable ride may be more important for another.
The best reviews are from actual people you personally know who own the kind of car you are considering.
That's true. Most auto magazines are paid by manufacture's for a good review. Ever watch Motor Week? Every car gets a positive review.
I remember when the original Ford Focus came out and one of the top Auto Magazines gave it a raving review, yet it was recalled for the most problems ever.
The problem with the magazines and Motorweek is they only get the car for between a day to a week depending on the situation. In some cases, the magazine will buy a particular model and perform a long term test. You can walk into a show room and test drive a brand new car and it'll feel great or good enough for your needs. But what happens several months or years down the road? Some cars that were praised by magazines became infamous for horrible reliability problems,...problems that came up long after the testing was over. Vega with the engine oil leaks, 1997 Malibu with it's problems, and Renault Alliance are some examples of cars praised when new but eventually had it's share of mechanical problems. Up until the internet, the only other source was talking to people you know. But with the internet, you can talk to people who've driven the same vehicle you want to buy and get their opinion based upon their real world driving experience. Even then you have to be cautious about taking what they say as fact. For instance,...with my car I've read rave reviews of no problems at all and other reviews filled with horror story problems. If it's a brand new model, you're not really out of luck. What is it's foundation? Is it's engine and or transmission shared with another model in another division? Find these out and you can research the engine, transmission, and foundation.
The best reviews are from actual people you personally know who own the kind of car you are considering.
I disagree. You are most vulnerable to fanboy reviews and an almost complete lack of objectivity. Whether it is a person happy with their 3rd Camry in 15 years or a "buy American" fanatic you cannot rely on your friends and neighbors for THE answer.
Definitely useful, but cannot be trusted on its own.
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