Cars people would "definitely buy again"

[Jesda]

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f38/ ... in-232401/

Here are the most satisfying car and light truck models in Consumer Reports' latest annual survey, based on the percentage of owners who responded "Definitely Buy Again":

Subcompact Car: Honda Fit, 77%
Compact Car: Volkswagen Golf, 86%
Luxury Compact Car: Audi A3, 80%
Midsize Car: Subaru Legacy, 84%
Large Car: Chrysler 300, 80%
Coupes and Convertibles: BMW 4-Series, 80%
Luxury Midsize/Large Car: Audi A7 & Lexus LS (tie), 84%
Hybrid/Electric Car: Tesla Model S, 97%
Sporty Car: Chevrolet Corvette, 94%
Small SUV: Subaru Forester, 80%
Luxury Compact SUV: Porsche Macan, 93%
Midsize SUV: Kia Sorento, 86%
Large SUV: Ford Expedition, 85%
Luxury Midsize/Large SUV: Acura MDX, 89%
Wagon: Subaru Outback, 86%
Pickup truck: Ford F-150, 85%
Minivan: Honda Odyssey, 78%

The two most satisfying vehicles overall in this year's survey are quintessential American cars from U.S. companies: Tesla Model S and Chevrolet Corvette.

Most surprising are the Chrysler 300 and Sorento. They've come a long way.

The market for the Lexus LS has been in decline for more than a decade but remaining owners seem intensely loyal.

[NicoLoco]

but quite surprise about some cars included on the list

[Bubba1]

An even bigger surprise to see Jesda quote Consumer Reports...

[MinisterofDOOM]

Not really surprised with any of this list. There are really 3 types of cars in this list:
1: One-of-a-kind specifics (Tesla)
2: Cars purchased by people who have no idea what they want, so they'll never be dissatisfied (Golf, 300).
3: Cars purchased by people who know exactly what they want, so nothing else fits the bill (Fit, A7, LS).

Of course Lexus LS buyers will buy again. They've never even imagined the possibility of something else. Mostly the same case for A7 folk, too.

Tesla buyers have no other choice, and the car is actually pretty good so that one's a given.

300 buyers have no idea what cars are or what they do, they just know theirs doesn't make them mad so they're going to stick with it.

Fit buyers have the most polar market on earth serving their needs. You can get outstanding excellence with the Fit, or utter garbage with basically anything else (except maybe Fiesta). I mean...what else are you going to get? A Mirage?

Crossover buyers have no idea what they want in a car except that it includes "commanding seating position" and "the safety of AWD." In reality, they'd probably be just as committed to ANY crossover. It's just that this is the one they own so why not stick with it? Especially if it has a luxury badge for everyone to see.

I'm amazed at how often, after criticizing a terrible car, I hear someone say "I had one of those and it never gave me any trouble! I loved that car!" Most car owners' standards for acceptability are markedly lower than what their car can actually manage, so they'd be happy with anything. However, they somehow operate under the delusion that nearly all cars are explosions waiting to happen, to when they find one that DOESN'T explode (which is basically a given, unless that person is very wealthy and shopping for italian exotics), they latch onto it as some kind of gift from the gods.

[Jesda]

2: Cars purchased by people who have no idea what they want, so they'll never be dissatisfied (Golf, 300).

The Golf and 300 are stepping stones to small Audis and to large luxury sedans, respectively. As aspirational models buyers are restrained by price but reaching upward. They'll buy another rather than paying more for something else.

The 300 is also a much, much better car than it used to be. There's a combination of American bravado and power without the Cadillac price tag.

VW and Chrysler have positioned these models cleverly, avoiding direct competition.

[Bubba1]

I agree the 300 is better than it used to be, but I have a suspicion if you did the same poll, but after 3 yrs of ownership from new, the percentage that would "definitely buy another" Chrysler would plummet, as well as a few others on that list, like the Expedition, or complex technological terrors like Audi once they go out of warranty.

I also agree that VW does some clever positioning with their corporate offerings. Though that's an old concept ('Yota/Lexus, Honduh/Acura, Chevy/Cadillaxitive, Furd/Lincan't, etc/etc). But I also suspect that this poll was done prior to VW's recent woes. So depending on how VW deals with their diabolical diesel deception debacle will impact overall customer satisfaction for the brand despite diesels making up a minority of the new vehicles they sold in the US.

[Jesda]

Chrysler would plummet, as well as a few others on that list, like the Expedition, or complex technological terrors like Audi once they go out of warranty.

Expedition buyers are extremely loyal. It's the core audience of repeat buyers that has allowed Ford to build basically the same truck since the Clinton era. They run forever (and ever, and ever) and come with major discounts when new. Expeditions, 92-96 Camrys, and 95-03 Maximas have a reputation for rolling through car auctions with 250k+ on the odometer, running strong.

Expedition buyers will look at the Tahoe, Sequoia, and Armada but ultimately pull the trigger on the more proven, more traditional, more familiar Ford. It may be a small piece of the large truck-based SUV market but it's steady.

[Kompresshun]

I can definitely vouch for the Kia Sorento. While I had my doubts in the beginning with it, but we've had ours for just over 2 1/2 years and I still have zero complaints about it other than it sucks in the snow. That's not the cars fault though, just the tires on it. It gets great fuel economy, has been trouble free since day one, and has been a great all around vehicle. So I would definitely buy one again, but with it only having 38k miles on it now I don't foresee us having to replace it again anytime soon.

I don't disagree with much on that list, but I do find the VW Golf hard to believe. A Mazda 3 would be a lot more believable.

While it's not on the list, with as rock solid as my Pathfinder has been I will definitely buy one again if I ever have to. Hopefully that never happens, but i'll search high and low for a low mileage one if mine does ever bite the dust.

[Buzzman]

While it's not on the list, with as rock solid as my Pathfinder has been I will definitely buy one again if I ever have to. Hopefully that never happens, but I'll search high and low for a low mileage one if mine does ever bite the dust.

This whole question of whether you would buy again can be interpreted two ways:
Would you buy the same vehicle all over again if you could go back in time, or would you buy the same brand/model of vehicle today that you have now?
Case in point: I have a 2002 Pathfinder that I would buy again in a heartbeat.....if it was another 2002 Pathfinder.
Would I buy a new Pathfinder? Absolutely not.
I also bought my 2006 Altima brand new, and it has been a solid reliable car. I'd buy another one (2006), but I would never buy a 2016 Altima.
I've owned a fair number of cars, and most of them I wouldn't buy again, new or old.
The only other car I really liked and would buy again, (and that I've always regretted getting rid of), was my 1973 Toyota Celica.
Many cheers all.

[Kompresshun]

^You made me realize that I didn't clarify either. I would absolutely buy another 2005-2011 Pathfinder. Definitely not the Mallfinder that replaced it...

[MinisterofDOOM]

That raises a really good point:

Most of these are cars with very high generational consistency. This is something I've long criticized Nissan for having a lack of and poor understanding of. If you buy a Golf in 2004, and want to trade it in in 2014, you know you're still getting a Golf. Same with a Lexus LS. Same with a BMW 4 Series (idiot naming petulance aside). Same with all of those cars, really.

What you don't see on that list are any models that have no idea what they are (because their manufacturer has no idea what they are). No Maxima, because it's a whole different creature every single generation. No Pathfinder, because each generation has been a drastic change from its predecessor. No Hyundai Velosters or Kia Souls or anything that might not even exist anymore in 5 years. No Lincoln LS because it was a weird experiment everyone tries to pretend never happened.

I think a lot of modern automakers are so busy chasing what's popular they forget how important consistency is for repeat buyers. I would never buy a new Lincoln to replace the LS8, because they don't even make the same types of cars they did when the LS8 was made. I would never look at a new Maxima, or a new big Infiniti, despite having owned and loved both. But the critical thing is: that has ZERO reflection on the car I won't buy again. It is purely reflective of the brands who make them and their lack of consistent vision. Rather than making something specific and doing it well, they're making a fad and hoping it's a hit.

Once upon a time, I called myself a Cadillac guy, a Nissan guy, and a Maxima guy. Now, the only loyalty I have are to individual products that prove themselves worth my time. I don't care who makes it or what label is on it. What I care about is what it does. But some automakers understand that creating the right expectations for their buyers through consistent nameplates is a hugely valuable business tactic. Then, there are others who just build good products and expect people to discover them. I don't really care which I end up with as long as it makes me smile.

[frapjap]

I also bought my 2006 Altima brand new, and it has been a solid reliable car. I'd buy another one (2006), but I would never buy a 2016 Altima.
I've owned a fair number of cars, and most of them I wouldn't buy again, new or old.
The only other car I really liked and would buy again, (and that I've always regretted getting rid of), was my 1973 Toyota Celica.
Many cheers all.

Funny that you mention the Altima. I saw this article today:
http://jalopnik.com/horrible-and-irrita ... 1745245687

[Heavy]

Damn right I'm buying another LS. There's just something about driving a couch on the highway that just screams "excessive comfort"

[Jesda]

Damn right I'm buying another LS. There's just something about driving a couch on the highway that just screams "excessive comfort"

It's too bad the LS430 lost so much of the 400's magical feel. The LS400 is proof that you don't need gadgets to exude luxury.

[Bubba1]

Very true.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Funny that you mention the Altima. I saw this article today:
http://jalopnik.com/horrible-and-irrita ... 1745245687

The frontier made the list too. Surprising. It hasn't changed in a decade.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'm not even mildly surprised that most owners describe the Altima as "irritating." That's basically the best one-word summary I can think of for my experience with it. It's not just bad, it's deliberately, stubbornly WRONG. It does so much wrong and it does it all with a smug look on its face, like it's somehow getting one over on you. I DESPISE that car. I'd rather drive a Tempo.

[Bubba1]

As a sport sedan, the Alti clearly falls short, though the old '02-04 or so SE-R, with the V6 stuffed in it and manual transmission certainly made it more interesting. But as a family hauling appliance, it was actually pretty good. I bought new Alti SL for my wife in '02, (pre CVT with every luxury option and the 4 banger). We had it for what, 15 years (before becoming my son's first car) She liked it as she wasn't a "car" person She did have a few minor few complaints about it, like lack of grunt, and a stupidly large turning radius. But that car was reliable, handled predictably, got about 30mpg (in mixed driving), it also was huge inside, with a big trunk, reasonably comfortable, great heater/AC, and never once left her stranded. Yep, it really sucked. We went on countless road trips in that Alti. Never a problem. As a car guy, I had zero desire to carve a canyon with it, but it was fine as my wife's DD. My main gripe was a cat converter problem that afflicted 02's that Nissan should have recalled but opted not to, which led to a premature death of my engine at about 190,000. But after so many years of reliable daily use, it's hard to get too furious about it. At this point, I'd won't buy another one, more because the Alti's competition has improved, while Nissan hasn't. In fact, they've done little more than a minor facelift, replace a reliable auto-transmission with a gawdawful CVT, oh, and memory foam seats. uh, no thanks.

[Jesda]

The Altima with a V6 was a pretty darn good family car. Wasn't as well made as the Accord or as fun to drive as the Mazda 6, but it balanced quality/cost/reliability pretty well and has a clean, sporty look.

With the 4-banger the Altima was one of the worst automobiles Nissan ever unleashed on the public. Friend of mine bought one against my advice and it ended up getting junked at an early age.

[Bubba1]

The Altima with a V6 was a pretty darn good family car. Wasn't as well made as the Accord or as fun to drive as the Mazda 6, but it balanced quality/cost/reliability pretty well and has a clean, sporty look.

With the 4-banger the Altima was one of the worst automobiles Nissan ever unleashed on the public. Friend of mine bought one against my advice and it ended up getting junked at an early age.

I'm not sure I'd put the 4 banger Alti among the worst. Certainly not among Nissan's best, but far from worst. Keep in mind they've been building 'em since 1992. FWIW, the '02-04' Alti SE-R uses the same chassis, body, interior as the S or SL, and you call the SE-R a "pretty darn good family car" The main difference is the engine. the 4 cylinder was not powerful, yet comparable to most of it's 4 cyl competition when it was new. Kinda like the older 240sx, which was a nice car with "not enough" power. But I think are several other Nissans far more deserving of the dubious honor of being among the worst. Off the top of my head, the worst was hands down the Datsun F10, followed closely by the more recent Murano Cross-Cabriolet. Then there's the Armada, which has consistently ranked among one of the worst vehicles in ANY category in terms of average reliability for every year it's been offered. The Titan was also ranked at the very bottom for reliability right alongside with the Armada for many years, tbough the Titan's reliability just improved since it's last refreshing. The Armada oddly has not. One could also make a good argument that the newest generation Mallfinder, which has generated some disturbingly low reliability ratings, (lowest ever for a Pathy) and unusually high owner dissatisfaction ratings, worse than the 4 cyl Altima.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Oldschool, KA-only Altimas were superb; genuinely excellent in the segment. IRS, generally sporty aspirations, fairly good interiors...they wanted to be a little more than a grocery hauler.

After 2001, though, things began heading the wrong direction. There was good news, in Nissan FINALLY offering a V6 in the model. But the excellent (if flatulent) old KA was replaced by the horrendous, unreliable, crude, brash QR25 on the other side of things. And MSRP went way up. You could easily price an Altima in the same range as a comparable Maxima.

After 2007 it really went to Hell. CVT, laziness, lack of progress for several years, no real evolution, nevermind revolution. Just more and more and more bulges and creases to make the same car look more "modern" and age more rapidly.

Modern Altimas fail as a lot more than sport sedans. They fail as basic transportation appliances. They are completely forgettable and sub-par.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I love pre-02 Altimas. Freakin indestructible beasts. Rot was the only thing that finally shamed the owners into getting something else haha.

[Jesda]

Keep in mind they've been building 'em since 1992.

The 93-01 Altima was a completely different car built to a significantly higher standard.

The V6 is what made the following generation remotely competitive. With the 4-cylinder QR, it wasn't just quality that suffered. Reliability was very, very poor.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I bet if a modern 240sx/S chassis was sold, it would top that damn list.

[szh]

Damn right I'm buying another LS. There's just something about driving a couch on the highway that just screams "excessive comfort"

Z

[darkeagle]

I like the Subaru Legacy I had. It was a 95 2nd generation. Always reminded me of the 240sx my husband had for the longest. Sporty but served a purpose for being a daily driver and traveling to Tn from Sc. The twin car was identical to mine but right hand drive with 5spd manual. It was fun.

[nissangirl74]

I'd buy another Frontier. Nissan still offers it with a manual.