12th Jan 2009, 09:24
The Ford Fusion is rated one notch above Accord and TWO notches above the Camry in reliability.
12th Jan 2009, 18:21
*New* parts aren't much different price-wise... but for the person who talked about how many old American made trucks there are still on the road vs any imports, I was saying that used parts are easily had for these VERY common vehicles which keeps them on the road longer -- it's not that they're necessarily better vehicles. But used import buyers who are looking at cars that already have, say, 200,000 miles on them might be better served to look for something with lower parts costs because used parts are still quite a bit harder to find for them -- at least in my neck of the woods.
Another advantage that the older American made trucks have is that they are easy to work on. Not true of more modern vehicles. Again -- I like both foreign and domestic vehicles. I'm just a fan of good machinery... and yes, parts suppliers serve many makes. For example my "Made in the USA" Jeep Wrangler has an alternator "Made in Japan" by Denso - just like my old Honda Accord had.
15th Jan 2009, 00:44
"The Ford Fusion is rated one notch above Accord and TWO notches above the Camry in reliability."
Yes, that is why the Consumer Report magazine has the Accord rated at 79 pts, while Fusion and Accord scored 77.
15th Jan 2009, 19:20
Rather than split hairs or "notches", the solution is obvious... actually test drive them both and buy the one you enjoy driving the best. Driving satisfaction is always at the top of my list... sure you can turn the key and point anything to work everyday. What if you truly hate what you are driving? If you have a lengthy car payment that must be an awful feeling.
17th Jan 2009, 00:16
Yes, a test drive is best, I agree. However, since I do not buy domestic cars, only trucks and when I shop for cars the main models on my list usually include Nissan Altima/Maxima, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry. People I know who've owned these cars have NEVER had a major problem out of them. Being a former long-time Maxima owner myself, I can vouch for their quality and dependability. Next year I will either be buying an Accord or Maxima.
17th Jan 2009, 11:14
Everyone makes this mistake. The true value of CR's rating system is the "New car prediction", which takes into account future reliability, resale value and cost to own. In this (the most important category), Fusion outranks Camry by TWO levels ("much better than average" versus "average") and Accord by one level ("Much better than average" versus "better than average". Due to major drops in Toyota's quality it has dropped to only average (hardly a stellar rating) while numerous major problems have dropped Accord to just better than average.
Those who refuse to even look at new domestics are only shooting themselves in the foot, but if you want to limp through life and help destroy the U.S. economy I suppose that's your choice.
17th Jan 2009, 16:10
"I shop for cars the main models on my list usually include Nissan Altima/Maxima, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry. People I know who've owned these cars have NEVER had a major problem'
You must know some VERY lucky people.
18th Jan 2009, 23:45
In the mid-size sedan segment, pretty much all the new cars have really good reliability. It makes sense to buy based on other factors (ride, comfort, fuel economy, dealership, price, etc). Consumer Reports tries to make it sound like you really need their guidance, so they try to make the reliability differences look really dramatic with the red circle, black circle thing. But if you look at the numbers they sometimes report, the differences are not that great.
12th Jan 2009, 01:54
"So 30 GOOD domestics = BAD, and 3 bad imports = GOOD?? Very creative "math". I'd love to see a statistician come up with THAT conclusion. If domestics are so overwhelmingly bad, getting 30 that just happen to be good defies the laws of probability...PERIOD."
I was saying nicely that I'm not quite convinced by your experience.
"I simply don't buy into the fabricated myth that imports are somehow better."
I don't buy into myths either, but my experience in ownership and cost of maintenance has proven that my imports last far longer than my domestics. Before I bought my first car new at age 22, I never even considered foreign cars. However, I was infatuated by the style and performance of the '87 Maxima SE and even more infatuated with it by the fact that it cost me very little in repairs for 20+ years. Family members were buying Pontiac, Chevy, Chrysler, Dodge products and some had gone through as many as ten per person in twenty years while I still had my old Maxima. If I see the dependability improve with my own eyes, maybe I will consider domestics, until then I'll stick with something I'm comfortable and familiar with.
"The new car rating for the Fusion (which I just bought) is one notch higher than Accord and two notches higher than Camry. It has the highest overall rating of any vehicle Consumer Reports has tested."
That's good for the Fusion, but the sales numbers don't compare to that of the Accord (Honda is the only major brand in U.S. foreign or domestic actually posting a sales increase for 2008) or the Camry (which is the top seller consistently). Honda obviously is doing something right. There must be something in the imports or the sales would not reach consistently high numbers. I would not touch a Ford if it was the last car on Earth, I'd ride a bike.
"I'm also a member of two domestic car clubs (Pontiac and Mustang) and no one I know in these clubs EVER has any problems with their domestics."
Yes, I am sure you have asked each and every member what problems they have had with their cars. I know that not too many years ago, Pontiac had issues with faulty head gaskets.
"Past experience with both Japanese and German imports has convinced me that they are not worth my present consideration."
I feel the EXACT same way about American vehicles. In fact, one of the biggest mistakes of my life was purchasing a domestic vehicle.
"If the quality should improve, I'll give them a look. I test drive all sorts of cars before buying to compare performance, features and overall build quality. That's why my last two car purchases have been Fords."
I nearly went to the Chevy dealer to take a look at the new Malibu (which is sleek and beautiful inside and out) after viewing my aunt's who is a staunch American-made car owner. I decided better though and drove on to the Nissan dealer and test-drove the 2009 Maxima - which I will purchase next year. The new Accord is also very high on my list of models to consider. To me, Nissan, Honda and Toyota offer more standard equipment on their cars at no extra charge, have far better build quality, look better and handle better than domestic vehicles. When the U.S. can actually manufacture a dependable car, maybe I'll consider it, until then I'll stick with imports.