flame consumer reports all you guys want, but in reality, there are very few consumer feedback groups with enough responses to be significant. i'm not saying consumer reports is my sole determining factor in the purchases i make, but i'll regard their information as more substantial and influential than word of mouth from the people around me. sure it may seem that consumer reports is biased towards japanese makes such as toyota and honda, but in reality, i have heard very little (if any) people that have been dissatisfied with their toyota or honda due to reliability problems...and what do you know?...they are consistently at the top of the reliability charts according to consumer reports. sure, their rankings may be a little inaccurate due to the point values they assign for component failures such as electrical, transmission, engine, etc., but in my opinion, you get the point...generally speaking, toyotas and hondas perform with less problems than other makes and models...end of point.
they're not a magazine company that focuses on the fun factor of cars or which car has the most personality. people can determine that themselves...all you need is a test drive for this. but what you can't do on a test drive is determine on average how a particular vehicle's reliability will fare as the miles add on. this is probably why they seem to knock cars that have an unusually stiff ride. their target audience is not a race car driver. their main objective is consumer feedback, with a primary focus on reliability. another factor they sometimes focus on is owner satisfaction. but what do you know?...there's usually a strong correlation between reliability and owner satisfaction. why?...because no matter how fun to drive a particular car may be, there's nothing fun about being stuck on the side of the road, or taking your car to the shop. so if you're one of those people that could care less about how well a particular vehicle will hold up as the miles add on, by all means, take consumer reports with a grain of salt...because after all, that's the main focus of their whole organization.
i've never heard of any agency questioning, much less proving, that their claims of not accepting donations and purchasing every product off the store shelf like you and i do, as false or inaccurate. i think they're one of the best sources of collaborative feedback the general public has...it may not be perfect, but it's more scientific and accurate than asking the opinions of your friends before you buy. just my opinion...if you disagree, give me a better and more comprehensive source to determine reliability (NOT just initial quality).
(by the way, i have never owned a subscription to consumer reports).
