I had three friends that had Volvos, each of them kept a shop manual on the back shelf. I owned two cars that CR deemed unacceptable.
My issue with Consumer Reports is that they test performance of products and not longevity or reparability. For example, good quality snowblowers and lawn tractors get repaired because they last a very long time. Cheap ones perform well when new but wear quickly and when they break, they don’t get repaired. They get thrown out.
I did subscribe but found the information pretty much worthless. A radio defect seemed to have as much weight as a transmission defect. Can’t remember exactly but the snow blower info rated how far the snow is blown but not where the engines come from. Lawn mowers never rate the un reliability of the transmissions and appliances seem to be rated just opposite what the local shop has to say. They rate energy and water efficiency but never talk about how this has reduced the appliance life span. So I just don’t bother with cr anymore.
@“oldtimer 11” I agree that better quality goods are worth repairing if the parts are available and the repair can be done at a,reasonable price. I bought a Homelite-Jacobsen mower back in 1992. It has a cast aluminum deck. I’ve replaced wheels and replaced the short block on the engine. However, parts are no longer available–not even the blade. If I have to buy a new mower this year, I am tempted to purchase a $129.95 special and hope for five years. I was in charge of the building issues at my church. I would buy an inexpensive vacuum cleaner at Big Lots for the custodian at big lots for $49.95. It would last 3 years, so I would toss it and go back to Big Lots and buy another cheap vacuum cleaner. Someone thought it made more sense to buy a heavy commercial vacuum. About every three years, it costs us,$100 to have it repaired. Maybe it’s more economical to just buy throwaway junk even though it goes against my grain.
HA. I have two Kenmore vacuum cleaners. One is over 30 years old, the other 14 years old. I had to repair the power cord on one, and replace a belt on the other. Aside from that, both still work fine.
As with All Kenmore appliances…it’s what company is making them for Sears at the time. Every 5-10 years it changes.
@MikeInNH Agree! Whirlpool used to make all their major appliances as Sears owned part of Whirlpool. Those days are gone. Low end Sears fridges are now from Haier of China and not recommended so far.
No sure who makes their microwaves.
@BillRussell We are still using a Eureka vacuum cleaner back in 1977 that is stool going strong. Back then, the Eureka and Hoover were the Fords and Chevrolets of vacuum cleaners. The bags and even the belts were available in the grocery store. In today’s world, I think the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic have replaced the Ford and Chevrolet. I would bet in long term ownership the Corolla and Civic would have less downtime than an Audi or BMW. Sophisticated engineering is wonderful, but convenience is my highest priority. I like a vehicle where most shops are familiar with the make and parts are quickly available.
convenience is my highest priority
If you had BMW money, convenience might not be your highest priority anymore. And even if it was, at least with some BMW dealerships, if it’s inconvenient for you to take the car in for repair, you call the dealership and they come get your car, and drop off a loaner for you.
That said, it’s become possible to have both. I had a brand new Acura MDX loaner last week. It was nicer than my mother’s BMW X3, drove just as well when you factor in the size difference (although the 9-speed transmission was annoying because it was constantly shifting) less expensive, came with a lot more standard goodies (I find it difficult to believe that BMW sells “luxury” cars that do not have leather seats or extendable sun visors as standard equipment) and I’d bet just about anything it’ll be a whole lot more reliable.
And some figures show the MDX out-selling its German competition. But probably not among the badge-conscious, which I’m somewhat embarrassed to report includes mom. She wanted a vehicle with the BMW logo on it. That was the absolute number one priority. Reliability, features, etc, all took a back seat to whether or not it had the right nameplate.
It’s very obvious from things she’s said that she actually preferred the Honda CRV she had before the BMW. She’d probably be happiest if someone had stuck BMW logos on the Honda. And I have no doubt that she is not alone - there is a certain set of people who care more about the brand than the actual quality, which is why companies like Nike and Rolex still exist despite making vastly inferior products compared to competitors who charge much less.
@shadowfax Quite so! On the other hand, I worked with an engineer in the 80s who had driven BMWs for years, starting with the 1600s but once the Lexus came out, he switched and has not looked back since. This guy could afford a Cadillac but considered them garish and awkward.
Brand loyal types will always be around and manufacturers love them.
@shadowfax Fortunately, I could buy a BMW with no problem. However, both Mrs. Triedaq and I had parents that went through the depression, so we look at an expensive car as an unnecessary frill. As far as convenience is concerned, Mrs.Triedaq wants a vehicle that she can get out in any weather. Before she retired, her job required she get to work. Now that she is,retired,she does a lot of hospital visitation and transporting people to medical appointments. There is no way she would give up her 4Runner for a BMW. By the same token, there is no way I would give up my Sienna minivan. Last week, my Sienna was in the body shop to repair the damage from being backed into in a parking lot. Fortunately the insurance company of the person that hit me rented a minivan for me-I had two musical events where I needed to transport myself and fellow musicians. A tuba and a string bass won’t fit in a BMW. Having three vehicles for two people would be a real inconvenience. We have a two car garage. It’s great to house our vehicles and not have to scrape ice off the windshield. Also, with our driveway, the vehicle we want, to use would, no doubt, be blocked by another vehicle. Our nearest BMW dealer is_55 miles away. We are both too busy in our “retirement” for this inconvenience. We may have to go get real jobs so we can relax.
We shopped recently for a clothes washer… Sears and a local appliance dealer both said that Whirlpool was a reliable brand. Th local dealer said that they had the fewest customer calls on Whirlpool. This corroborated the CR rating for the one we bought.
I have heard that Speed Queen is a very reliable make. Many laundromats have Speed Queen washer. However, the nearest Speed Queen dealer is 40 miles away. I spent $148 a year and a half ago repairing our 23 year old Maytag. That was its first repair and the problem was a leak in the tubing from the bleach dispenser to the washer tub. If I had taken the time, I could have just pinched off the line as we never use the bleach dispenser. The service person, though, had to use genuine Maytag parts. Even so, I got my money’s worth from the repair. I know the new front loading machines are more efficient than my old Maytag, but I would have to run a new front loader 50 years to pay for the energy savings. Besides that, I am not sure these front loading machines are all that reliable.
I think Audis and Porsches are considered to be reliable cars. More expensive to maintain and fix than other brands, probably yes. But basic “will it get me to where I’m going?” reliability wise they do fine. And for maximum comfort and driver-friendly suspension, I don’t think anybody’s going to argue that Audi, Porsche, BMW, and Lexus shouldn’t be near the top of the list. From my look at the list, the two notably missing cars from the top 10 are the Acura and VW. They seem to have dropped into that mid-way never never land. And I see no surprises in the bottom portion of the list.
I’ve had a Frigidaire front loader washer for several years . . . not one single problem
But it was an easy choice, because it wasn’t replacing an existing unit
In fact, I’ve got a Frigidaire front loader dryer stacked on top of it. I went to the trouble of perfectly leveling them both I installed them. Took a few minutes, but it was well worth it. I’ve never had any vibrations
Washing machines? I’m hearing that consumers are starting to shy away from the front loading washing machines, due to reliability problems. A friend of mine in fact just swapped out her 10 year old front loader for a new top loader for this reason.
Older consumer front loaders did have problems. Remember that commercial washers are front loaders, and reliability equates to money lost if the machines are down for too long.
One (mostly unknown) fact about front loaders, never fully close the door when not in use. The water tight door keeps the humidity high inside and promotes mold.
My Sears model has that warning, but I had to rig up something to hold the door partially open, as it is balanced to swing totally open when not latched.
@db4690 Thanks for the information about your Frigidaire laundry equipment. I am at the age where Geezeritis may be setting in and I think the old machines were better. I think back to 1963 when I was doing my first round of graduate school and had rented a room in a house where the landlord and his wife also lived. They were in their mid 60s. They had to replace their washing machine–an old wringer washer. They replaced it with a new square tub Maytag wringer washer. They didn’t think an,automatic washing machine would get their clothes clean. That same fall, a furnace man, in checking the furnace, found a crack in the firebox which called for replacing the furnace. He convinced them to replace the coal fired gravity furnace with a gas forced air furnace. The landlord was really worried that the gas heat wouldn’t keep them warm. However, they soon found out that the new furnace was an improvement. I thought their reasoning on the washing machine and furnace was outdated, but here I am at 74 sometimes resisting change.
@Triedaq A tuba will fit in a 1975 Civic CVCC hatchback. I know, because a guy I used to play in a band with did it all the time. Watching him pull that tuba out of that tiny little thing was like watching the car give birth.
He used to give me grief watching me pull my euphonium out of my CRX hatch. “Whatchoo need allat room fur? You kids an’ yur luxury limo-zeens!”
@Docnick I happened to see a Lexus IS-F growling through a parking lot the other day. I’d take that thing over a BMW any day of the week. Makes me almost want to spend a little money and swap the TL for one… Almost. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be sound financial responsibility and so I’ll have to pass.
@shadowfax I just graduated from hauling tubas. Thursday, I am going to try to transport a harpsichord in the Sienna to a concert site for a friend. I’m almost ready to swap the Sienna for a Miata and just transport me and my French horn. Some years back, a group that went under donated a set of four timpani to the chamber orchestra which I managed. The timps were in a town 24 miles away. I removed the seats from the Ford Aerostar extended minivan I owned at the time and was able to fit them all in. It saved me from having to make two trips.With its full frame and rear wheel drive, the Aerostar was great for pulling a trailer. I wish Ford hadn’t discontinued this model. Consumer Reports criticized it for being too trucklike. That is why I liked the Aerostar.