When buying a used car one of the most important factors that consumers consider is reliability. You sure don’t want to spend your hard earned money on something that will break down and need costly repairs. If you’re in the market for a used vehicle, here is a list of the best reliable used cars you can buy.
This list is taken from Consumer Reports which rates cars on multiple years of reliability from 1999 to 2008. This data is taken from the Annual Auto Survey on more than 1.4 million new and used vehicles in which owners reported on serious problems with vehicles in the previous year. According to the survey results, here are the best ones to look for.
Small Cars
#1 Honda Civic – This car is both reliable and economical to drive. The redesign in 2001 saw its popularity grow even larger and in 2003 the hybrid model was introduced. The redesign in 2006 included standard anti lock brakes, curtain air bags and owners report that the ride is even better than before.
Next Best Choices
- Toyota Echo
- Scion xB
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota Matrix
- Pontiac Vibe
- Mazda3
- Mazda Protege
- Subaru Impreza
Family Cars#1 Honda Accord – This car has been a top choice for years. The redesign in 2003 made this car more agile and even quieter plus standard anti lock brakes were added.
Next Best Choices
- Toyota Prius
- Ford Fusion
- Mercury Milan
- Toyota Camry (except ‘08 V6)
- Subaru Outback (6 cyl.)
- Nissan Altima
Upscale Cars#1 Lexus ES – This quiet and comfortable car has tested reliable for many years. In 2004 a stronger more fuel efficient engine was added.
Next Best Choices
- Lexus IS
- Toyota Avalon
- Acura TSX
- Lincoln MKZ, Zephyr (FWD)
- Infiniti G20
- Acura TL
- Infiniti I30, I35
- Infiniti G35 (Sedan)
- Volvo S60
- Buick Lucerne (V8)
- Nissan Maxima
Luxury Cars#1 Infiniti M35 – This car has been on the list of reliable vehicles since 2003. The redesign in 2006 added more comfort to this well built car.
Next Best Choices
- Lexus LS
- Lexus GS (6 cyl., RWD)
- Acura RL
Sports and Sporty Cars#1 Mazda Miata – This car gets points for reliability, easy handling, good performance and affordability.
Next Best Choices
- Lexus SC
- Honda S2000
- Toyota Camry Solara
- Acura RSX
- Toyota Celica
- Scion tC
- BMW Z3, Z4
- Acura Integra
- Porsche Boxster
- BMW M3
- Subaru Impreza WRX/STi
- Ford Mustang (V6)
- Nissan 350Z
Minivans#1 – Toyota Sienna – The 2003 redesign gave this reliable vehicle more power and more room, and is also available with AWD.
Next Best Choice
- Honda Odyssey
Small SUVs – Toyota RAV4 – This vehicle has been reliable since it was first introduced in 1996. The 2001 redesign brought more power plus more room inside and in 2006 an available third row was added.Next Best Choices
- Honda CR-V
- Subaru Forester
- Mitsubishi Outlander
Midsized and Large SUVs#1 – Honda Pilot – Since first introduced in 2003 this vehicle has had excellent crash test results and reliability. There is plenty of room in this fuel efficient vehicle and it also has flexible seating for eight.
Next Best Choices
- Toyota Highlander
- Lexus RX
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota 4Runner
- Infiniti FX35
- Acura MDX
- Infiniti QX4
- Lexus GX
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Subaru Tribeca
- Nissan Xterra (‘05-’08)
- Toyota Sequoia
Pickup Trucks#1 – Honda Ridgeline – This vehicle delivers all you need in a truck but handles and rides like a sedan. It has an in-bed, weather-tight lockable trunk and a smooth V6 engine.
Next Best Choices
- Toyota Tacoma (‘05-’08)
- Toyota Tundra
- Subaru Baja
- Nissan Frontier (‘05-’08)
As you can see from the results, Toyota and Honda come out way ahead of the pack for reliable used cars. If you are in the market for a used vehicle, this list will point you in the right direction for reliability.
Shopping for a second hand car is both an exciting and challenging experience. With the prices of petrol these days, there are many things to consider in doing such an endeavour but if you are patient and are a little creative, you may even get a good deal with some cars. Here are some tips that can help you make the decision:
- Look for deals in police lots, auto repair shops and junk yards. If you are handy with your hands and like to work with cars and engines, then you can get good deals in such areas. These places offer the best deals on some cars but need a lot of repair work. There are even some luxury SUV’s that may sell you off cars at 10% of their value. If you have the patience to have it repaired, or repair most of it yourself, then you can even get a better deal but remember you have to allot time for parts to be purchased. Some brands do take some time to find replacement parts. You may also be able to scrounge around the junk yard and pick up some of the pieces yourself. For cars that have been impounded and abandoned in the police yard, there are some good deals there.
Just make sure that these vehicles are not stolen, which is easy to do by having the police check their records. Some stations even have biddings for abandoned cars which should be interesting because you can go low on a bid for a car and may even get it. Just make sure you repair the dents in those second hand cars. In some areas, there are dent repair shops which give you great deals if you are buying your vehicle there, and you can find these dent repair shops at the Internet. You can even email them and ask more or less for quotes and estimates provided you give them a picture of the repair work needed.
- Think about conversion to LPG. You may spend an extra thousand pounds or so in converting your gas engine to LPG but with the prices of petrol these days, you may recover your investment in a year or two. The other important thing is that it is environmentally friendly as well if you convert to LPG. This is true most especially for SUV’s and big engine cars. Find a reputable LPG conversion company to do the job.
The benefits of hybrid cars may seem as though it’s obvious, better gas mileage. However hybrids are not the only vehicles to offer gas mileage increases, so what are the true advantages to hybrid cars?
The main advantage of new hybrid cars is of course the gas mileage. What makes them more of an advantage then their competitors, for instance electric cars, is the ability to travel greater distance. Most electric cars that are being created are projected to only travel a distance of no more than 150 miles, because they are traveling solely on battery power, rather than backing up their electric motor with a gasoline powered engine. This gasoline engine allows the car to travel great distances, just as any regular gasoline powered vehicle would be.
Another reason that contributes to their popularity to be purchased as a new vehicle is that hybrid vehicles comes with a tax break. This means a bonus of thousands of dollars for individuals to purchase a vehicle that will allow them to travel as they need, in comforts that are comparable to standard cars, and also save on their weekly expenditure of gasoline.
This brings us to another advantage to the hybrid cars. Money savings. When a driver is able to double the amount of miles they can travel on a single tank of gas, this means that they will be required to “fill-up” much less often, thereby saving the money in your pockets. Additionally this benefit is far greater for consumers who travel mostly on city traffic. Since the electric motor s are most active in city stop and go traffic and the gasoline motor on the highways, daily commuters in cities will get the best mileage available to the car, and their trips. In addition to the electric motor, there is also a regenerative braking system in hybrids that allows the braking system to gain energy whenever the car brakes, and redistributes that energy to the electric motor itself.
One of the best advantages to hybrid cars is the emissions themselves. Hybrids are much cleaner cars when it comes to emissions than that of a standard gasoline motor vehicle. Now individuals may never notice this advantage, however it is the most valuable to the world and atmosphere.
If you are worried that these advantages, specifically the battery packs, come with a price, they do. However hybrid cars come with an advantage directly to the support of the cars, and their owners. Hybrids come with extended warranties that specifically cover the battery packs, and the electric motors. There are many advantages that hybrid driver’s are privy to. The advantages are numerous, and make it a great selection for drivers of any sort.
SUV As A 7 Seater Car
Look around and find any family which has a husband and wife and have 2-3 kids at home, they’re sure to have a 7 seater SUV standing in their garage. Having one of the 7 seater cars is not just because of the call of need, but nowadays also serves the purpose of gaining the required reputation and honor in this showbiz society. Any family who are financially healthy and are in a general need of a bigger vehicle, they are sure to think of a bigger SUV than anything else. A 7seater SUV also helps you display your status quo among your colleagues and friends and is a symbol of luxury.
How A 7 Seater Car Can Leak Your Pocket
Once we’ve bought this expensive beast at home, its quite easy and exciting to show it off to our friends and relatives and boast about it for months, and it is quite acceptable keeping in mind the natural human tendency. But in due course of time, we often forget to show the necessary care that is required by these 7 seater cars for them to stay healthy for a longer period of time. This happens mainly because of the hectic daily life schedule that we have adopted, and also the common negligence. If the same behavior is continued, it is very easy to get the expensive SUV damaged and sent for repair quite often. And this definitely will keep on widening the hole in your pocket and you will never know it.
Safeguard Your SUV With Simple Tricks
Managing a SUV 7 seater cars is not a rocket science. Because a SUV is used often on an off road terrain, chances of it going bad is quite high. Even the short trips in the city traffic is also painful on the muscular engines of these 7 seater cars. So, avoid short trips in the SUV, and combine your jobs in one single long trip, so that you don’t do multiple short trips with your SUV. Always keep the tires of your SUV inflated with the right pressure of air, because bad air pressure can mean more pressure on the engine, and the mileage naturally goes down, and this can even have a bad effect on the rims. Air filter is a crucial component of the engine. Make sure you get the air filters replaced or repaired at least once in an year to ensure smooth operation of the car.
Take your car to car wash after every long distance journey that you take up with your 7 seater SUV. A simple wash can remove dirt and dust which could accumulate and cause rust in vital parts of the car. And as people suggest you to go to doctor often, take your car to garage for a regular service once at least in six months.
7 Seater Cars are a great class of vehicles which can provide comfortable means of commute. It can hold many passengers and yet provide a speedy transport. To know more about the various 7 seater cars available in the market, visit our site.
I have just been reading the respected US Road & Track magazine which has some snippets of information on the new C7 Chevrolet Corvette V8 cars. The suggestion is that it will, along with being moderately more compact, become slicker and lighter. This also includes a smaller but just as powerful V8. Some of the changes are driven by government legislation and some by consumer desires and demands.
There had been plans for a mid engine V8 arrangement but the Global Financial crisis has meant that plan is on hold (temporarily). For the V8 engine we will most likely see a reduction in cubic capacity to 5.5-liters and very possibly direct injection, along with an increase in the compression. Don’t expect such technologies as over head camshafts.
So a C7 Chevy Corvette with a 5.5-liter V-8 with outputs the same as the current LS3 (6.2-liter) is highly likely. Along with the V8 engine improvements it is expected that the Chevy Corvette’s performance will be further enhanced with weight reducing composites, magnesium and aluminum. There are suggestions of a vehicle weight of around 3000 lbs.
The suggestion is that the 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition is a good indication of what is achievable with the Corvette. Also the promise of a more compact Corvette means improved aerodynamics, aiding fuel economy, performance and top speed.
The other juicy suggestion is that the next generation of the Chevy Corvette will be supercharged (like the current ZR1). So in spite of the financial gloom and doom the American small-block has weathered the storm and looks to be here for a while yet. And in fact it appears to be a better product because of the storm.