“Again, huh?”
I only know about houses around me, not necessarily you. Don’t forget to roll your eyes.
“May have been published…but it sure wasn’t popular…let alone ALL area’s of the country”.
Here in the conservative midwest, we had Consumer Reports around the house at least as early as 1952. I was in elementary school at the time, but I remember looking at Consumer Reports. They classified used cars in three categories: A; B; C. CR also noted possible problems with different cars such as piston rings, wheel alignmet, rain leaks, etc.
Consumer Reports tested a lot of electrical devices and often gave an electrical device a “Not Acceptable” label if it had excessive current leakage. Keep in mind that these devices did have the UL label, but CR had more strict standards.
Ralph Nader missed the really lethal problem with the Corvair. The seals between the cylinders and the block would give out and it was very possible for Carbon Monoxide to be picked up by the hot air heater and distributed in the cabin.
It does me good to hear all you older folks discuss what was good on 50 years ogo. Not that I’m any younger; I just can’t remember that well !
One thing I remember about the earlier Consumer Reports tests was that sometimes CR tested oddball cars that weren’t very popular. I remember in one 1952 issue CR compared the Dodge Wayfarer with the stripped down Pontiac 6. The Dodge Wayfarer was a smaller Dodge that came only as a 2 door semi-fastback or a business coupe (the roadster convertible was dropped for 1952). Most Pontiacs sold had the straight 8 engine as opposed to the 6. Neither car was very popular. In another issue in 1952, CR compared the 1952 Chevrolet Special (a stripped down model that didn’t even have an ashtray) with the 1952 Ford Mainline 6. Both cars were business specials–no right hand sunvisor, an interior that made a school bus seem luxurious, etc. Most buyers opted for the Chevrolet DeLuxe or the Ford Customline. Even though the Ford 6 was a newly introduced overhead valve engine that was a good engine, mostg buyers bought the Ford V-8.
Fortunately, CR now seems to test models that the mainstream public seems to buy.