I think you’ll find that those cars are pretty rare. Cars that have problems early in live tend to have problems later in life also. In fact you’ll probably see the problems grow exponentially.
Good post! The classic CU example was their initial raves about the 1986 Ford Taurus, a complete departure in the way Ford designed and built cars in North America. They called it “the best US car we ever tested”, referring mainly to the way it handled and the space-efficient design.
On that recommendation, may people bought this car, and it turned out to be full of problems, which got gradually resolved. As result, CU no longer recommends (with the check mark) any new car or product that has not been proven reliable by their owners’ survey.
A very useful set of graphs is the long term trouble index, published yearly in the April issue, showing how well cars age. Using that as a general guide, as well as the owners repair frequency, allows you to project how well the car will stand up over time. Many cars are fun to drive and behave well initially, then embark on a fast and deep downward slide when the warranty ends.
US pickup trucks, on the other hand, used to almost resemble a “do it yourself” kit when new, but they aged well with respect to the major components. As a result, many 20-25 year old ones are still on the road.
One of the nicest cars ever put on the market was the MG Magnette in the 50s, a sedan version of the sports car. Tom McCahill called it finished “like a Tiffany diamond” with its walnut dash and leather upholstery. It turned out to be a shortlived and extremely troublesome car and almost none are left in operation. The Rover 2000TC was an equally disappointing car which did not age well.
JD Power recogized that their “intial quality”, was just that; it only covered assembly quality (which was great in the MG Magnette), and was of little use to OWNERS but OK for manufacturers. They now have a “Long Term” rating as well, but it’s not really long term in revealing design weaknesses and lack of durability.
A friend of my wife is a well heeled retired lady who wants to buy a new car and trade it in 5 years. She does not drive a lot, and almost any car she likes will do, especially since trade in value is not important to her.
In summary, DESIGN quality and ASSEMBLY quality are two very different things. The assembly quality of an Aveo is nearly as good as that of a Toyota Yaris, but the design quality is vastly different.