Consumer Reports

From: Dennis & Becky Anderson (whatelse@qwest.net)
Date: Tue Apr 16 2002 - 23:59:19 EDT


I have observed over the years that Consumer Reports
consistently recommends Japanese vehicles over American and
some European vehicles. I assume these findings are based
on their own scientific testing as well as on reports from
their annual automobile owners' surveys. Is Japanese
design, engineering, manufacturing, and quality assurance
really that much better that American ? I don't know.
I do recall from personal observations during the 70's and
80's that whenever I spotted a vehicle with broken tail
lights, more often than not the affected automobiles were of
Japanese manufacture. And this was in Minnesota where at
that time the majority of cars on the road were American
made. Were Minnesota winters too cold for the plastic ?

Are Japanese automobiles more expensive to purchase and
maintain than American ? A lot of people say yes.
Personally, I've only owned and driven American vehicles
since the 1960's - from each of Ford, G.M., and Chrysler -
and have been relatively satisfied, most with the Dakota and
Intrepid, the incumbent modes of transport. But then I'm a
machinist who has always done my own maintenance - like
practically all of the DML'ers it seems. I venture to guess
that an overwhelming majority of the respondents to C.R.'s
annual reader survey are not gearheads or wrenchheads and
that this perhaps skews C.R.'s nod towards the Japanese
vehicles. I read Motor Trend mainly as an offset to
Consumer Reports. How does C.R.'s arch rival, Consumer's
Digest,
generally rate Japanese vehicles vs. American ones ? Any
one know ?

I thoroughly enjoy driving and maintaining my '96 Dakota. I
will simply smile when C.R. ultimately announces that the
Toyota is the only truck worth buying. I'll know better.



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