If you've ever owned an unreliable vehicle, you're well aware of the awful things you end up dealing with. From expensive repairs to breaking down on the side of the road while on the way to pick up a large cheese pizza that you've been craving, an unreliable car is the worst.
We wanted to offer you some general tips on reliability without getting into specific car brands. These are things to keep in mind when choosing your next vehicle, and might save you from headaches and having to spend extra money.
1) The most reliable car types are wagons, compact pickups and hybrid/electric cars
According to the Consumer Reports 2013 Annual Auto Survey which is based on the responses of owners of 1.1 million vehicles; wagons, compact pickups and hybrid/electric cars scored the highest in predicted reliability. The least reliable cars were sporty cars, subcompact cars and midsized SUV's.
2) Cars with a manual transmission are more reliable than cars with automatic transmission
This is usually a point of contention in the automotive world, but despite advances in automatic transmission technology, the fact remains that a manual transmission has a much more simple design than an automatic transmission, and the decreased complexity makes it less vulnerable to breaking. Automatic transmissions have complex parts like sensors, ECU's and actuators that make the system susceptible to repair.
3) Buying a first-year model increases the chance that you will miss out on improvements
There used to be a compelling argument made that buying a first-year model car was not smart, because the manufacturer hadn't yet had a chance to work out all of the kinks. These days, automakers push their new model cars to the brink with extensive testing before putting the car on the market. However, the unreliability of new model vehicles is still uncertain since you don't have the information on how the vehicle has performed over time the way you would with previous year models, so there is still some reliability risk to take into account. Additionally, you may miss out on improvements that are frequently added to the vehicle after the first model year.
4) Check automotive forums for information on the car you're buying
While looking up information provided by the manufacturer will help determine the exact vehicle specifications, it's important to look at user-generated forums for background on how well the car performs and any issues that are encountered by other car owners. Forums provide an unbiased snapshot of major reliability issues and overall ownership experience. If you notice a pattern of reliability issues that are a cause for concern, you might want to reevaluate your decision. Putting in some effort to do research up front will save you from trouble down the line.
