consumer reports reliabity rateings

Hey Mikeww....While I definitely use Consumer Reports as a guideline and a good starting point when shopping for a new car, it isn't the "end all, be all" when it comes to making my final decision. Their reviews are taken from actual owners with no input from Manufacturers allowed (which is why you won't see a car ad in CR). Some of the data may be skewed, since people have a tendency sometimes to bash the entire car when they've had a few problems OR if the problems were a direct result of their lack of maintenance upkeep (not the car's fault). When I purchased my 2010 Mitsu Outlander SUV in January, CR was more or less spot-on regarding reliability ratings...only thing I disagreed with was their less than positive report in one area, the Drive System. I haven't seen any issue, per se with that area yet. But I'm not 100% sure EXACTLY what they mean by that either.

Many people will not fill in the survey unless they have a reason to and that reason is because they had to pay money to fix their cars. The majority of people never have a problem with their cars. I do refer to CR when shopping . I also register on a car forum to find out from owners what the common problems are with a make and model.