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Old 10-23-2009, 02:21 PM
 
18,717 posts, read 33,380,506 times
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"Be wary of consumer reports, they use some misleading terminology...ie "Expected Reliability" instead of actual....after all it's a survey."

The annual auto issue has extensive listings of car models' actual reported reliability going back several years. Who hasn't seen the blizzard of red circles for the Japanese cars and the blizzard of black ones for so many American models? They're listed by model/year/car part/system, so if you buy the 2003 Mazda Protege, you can see how the exhaust system fared, and the electrical, and so on. (The exhaust system on entry-level Mazda being a subject that was near and dear to my heart and wallet).
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Old 10-23-2009, 11:20 PM
 
78,366 posts, read 60,566,039 times
Reputation: 49644
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88 View Post
Those are covered by warranty. Smart consumers want to know about defect that they'll be paying for when it is out of warranty, and automakers are amazingly consistent about mid-to-high mileage reliability from decade to decade. Hence, "predicted reliability" is more than just a wild guess.
LOL...if only you knew what I did for a living and what data I have access too....lmao.

Suffice to say that "guessing" at reliability vs. what is actually going on out there is not statistically *wise*.

The gap has significantly narrowed.
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Old 10-23-2009, 11:21 PM
 
78,366 posts, read 60,566,039 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brightdoglover View Post
"Be wary of consumer reports, they use some misleading terminology...ie "Expected Reliability" instead of actual....after all it's a survey."

The annual auto issue has extensive listings of car models' actual reported reliability going back several years. Who hasn't seen the blizzard of red circles for the Japanese cars and the blizzard of black ones for so many American models? They're listed by model/year/car part/system, so if you buy the 2003 Mazda Protege, you can see how the exhaust system fared, and the electrical, and so on. (The exhaust system on entry-level Mazda being a subject that was near and dear to my heart and wallet).
Yep. I put my faith in actual instead of "expected". <shrug>
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Old 10-23-2009, 11:47 PM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,554 posts, read 86,954,125 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathguy View Post
Yep. I put my faith in actual instead of "expected". <shrug>
You mean you somehow "know" how reliable a car will "actually" be, instead of predicting it? And you haven't turned this amazing talent into a multi-billion dollar enterprise?

I know that every car has a designed life of X miles, and every component in that car is designed to last that many miles. And most components will all fail at about the same time when that mileage is reached. But those who do not have design engineers as drinking buddies can only assume that a carmaker will keep designing the same mileage into cars of the same class, year after year.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathguy View Post
LOL...if only you knew what I did for a living and what data I have access too....lmao.
But only Mathguy can check over my service records in the year 2015 and can tell me the "actual" outcome of the car, instead of "expected". Because we do not know what he does for a living when he changes clothes in a phone booth. Did somebody say "lmao"?

At least throw us this crumb of eternal truth: The gap between what and what has significantly narrowed?

Last edited by jtur88; 10-24-2009 at 12:01 AM..
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Old 10-23-2009, 11:50 PM
 
Location: southern california
61,288 posts, read 87,405,055 times
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many do. i dont. if you wana see a lota late model luxury cars (albeheit in poor repair) go to the laundry mat. the curb is full of them.
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Old 10-24-2009, 03:26 PM
 
Location: Northridge/Porter Ranch, Calif.
24,510 posts, read 33,305,373 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC View Post
The solution to this problem is to teach people how to drive and if they refuse to learn, get them off the road. About 99% of crashes I have seen are due to people driving like nuts. I don't see the logic in working up to driving a Sherman tank to be safe on the road. Why not get the nutty drivers off the road instead? There are very few 'accidents' on the highways. It's almost always due to driver stupidity.

For instance, someone says, "Oh, I wrecked on icy roads because of the conditions." No! You wrecked because you didn't do what you were supposed to do on icy roads... SLOW DOWN. Works every time. Black ice on the road? Slow down. A snowy day? Slow down. Heavy rain? Slow down.
Unfortunately, we can't teach people who drive poorly how to drive. Meaning we can't avoid all accidents. How do you avoid a rear end collision? If someone is behind you and is about to hit the rear of your car, you can't really prevent it if there are cars in front of you and you can't move your car.

As for slowing down in bad weather... a good idea to slown down, but even very good drivers can have accidents. A road that looks fine may be black ice which can't be seen.
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Old 10-24-2009, 03:51 PM
 
Location: Victoria TX
42,554 posts, read 86,954,125 times
Reputation: 36644
Even more importantly, if people would learn to drive and treat their car like a precision tool instead of a replaceable toy, any car could be coaxed to last 20-30% longer and continue to give reliable service. This could cut by that amount the necessity for us to produce/import replacement cars, and save our economy how much money?
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Old 10-25-2009, 10:55 AM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,947 posts, read 24,739,641 times
Reputation: 9728
I have never owned a car, I don't even have a driver's license I only walk or go by train. I hate owning things, I will never get a home of my own, either, only small, rented ones with furniture included.
I consider myself a guest on earth. Earth is a hotel room to me, and I behave accordingly. I love minimalism, although of course companies hate me for that
I guess I just lack the eagerness to be successful, I am happy with the modest person I am. No interest in showing off in order to attract females, after all that is what evolutionists say is the purpose of material wealth, to impress the other sex, especially women, who look for obvious wealth as that shows them that a man is successful and able to ensure the material well-being of their potential offspring.
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Old 10-25-2009, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
17,531 posts, read 24,693,227 times
Reputation: 9980
When I lived in California I had a Land Rover. Not because it was upscale but because the body is aluminum and I lived a block from the ocean where there was fog every day. It was expensive and a gas hog but it served my purpose.
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Old 10-26-2009, 09:16 AM
 
78,366 posts, read 60,566,039 times
Reputation: 49644
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88 View Post
You mean you somehow "know" how reliable a car will "actually" be, instead of predicting it? And you haven't turned this amazing talent into a multi-billion dollar enterprise?
A single random car? Nope.
A couple hundred thousand cars? Pretty much.

Yeah, it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise.

Sorry you don't know the difference between a SURVEY of car buyers and their *expectation* of reliability and actual data on repair statistics.

LOL. Is this where I should start crying about "ad hominem" attacks? Or are you busy using a new word or phrase incorrectly this month?

My word for this week is "innumerate".
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