What if you have a poorly rated car?

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dm200
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What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by dm200 »

While the best action (new or used) is to purchase a very reliable and highly rated vehicle, what is you have one that is, for example, on Consumer Reports "cars to avoid" list? You already have the vehicle and, almost certainly, its value (sale or trade-in) is low. My son has a 2014 Dodge (bought new ans still making loan payments) that is on the CR "cars to avoid" list.
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midareff
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by midareff »

Having been in the auto fleet business for most of my adult life my recommendation would be to ignore ratings and recommendations for a car you already have and continue to drive it until it is no longer economical to do so. Most everything can/will get to 100,000 miles and 10 years relatively OK.

EDIT NOTE: As the cars sale value declines over time, easily determined on the internet, that value can be matched to oncoming repair cost requirements. When a vehicle's needed costs of repair (safety, not cosmetic) are > 50% of it's re-sale value it may be time to start looking around for a replacement. ie: car worth $2000 and costs of needed repairs = $1700.
Last edited by midareff on Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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lthenderson
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by lthenderson »

I would keep it but just be aware of some of the common reliability problems that could go wrong in the future. Just because one particular model of car is deemed to have lots of problems doesn't mean every single car of that model will have those problems. There is a chance that your son could have one of the few that ends up being a very reliable vehicle.

The one caveat would be if the reason to avoid it was due to a serious safety issue.
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Pajamas
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Pajamas »

Pray? Do a safety check before starting the engine? Drive defensively?

I don't understand what you are asking about in particular.
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Alexa9
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Alexa9 »

You could sell it and get a used Civic/Accord, but you may take a significant loss.
I would do like another poster recommended and drive it for 10 years / 100k miles first.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by bberris »

Is it a car to avoid because it is unsafe or because it depreciates quickly? If it's the latter, I would think the depreciation has already happened, for the most part. I wouldn't do anything just because of a CR article. If I hated the car, I would trade it. Otherwise, you just incur transaction costs for little reason.
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Watty
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Watty »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am ...its value (sale or trade-in) is low. ....
With it being a 2014 there should not be any big safety problems so the best thing to do would be to just drive it for as long as possible.

Cars have improved a lot overall with improvements in design and manufacturing and even a poorly rated car today is likely better than an average car 15 or 20 years ago. Unless he is unlucky then even with a poorly rated Dodge he stands a good chance of getting 100k miles without major problems, but it may be more prone to having minor problems.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by dm200 »

Watty wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:03 am
dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am ...its value (sale or trade-in) is low. ....
With it being a 2014 there should not be any big safety problems so the best thing to do would be to just drive it for as long as possible.
Cars have improved a lot overall with improvements in design and manufacturing and even a poorly rated car today is likely better than an average car 150 or 20 years ago. Unless he is unlucky then even with a poorly rated Dodge he stands a good chance of getting 100k miles without major problems, but it may be more prone to having minor problems.
Not safety issues at all - just overall reliability type issues. Seems to me, financially, he should just keep driving it for years to come - but perhaps watch for things going wrong. I think he just had some issues - right before the original warranty expired (usually things like that go wrong just after expiration) :)
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Smorgasbord
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Smorgasbord »

I drive a 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage. It's an unpretentious cheap econobox that gets great gas mileage and was widely panned by the car critics for being a cheap econobox. Here's a great critique of the New York Times' review of the car: https://jalopnik.com/this-brutal-nyt-mi ... 1583123298.

Much like how I have stopped listening to professional movie critics, I've also generally stopped listening to professional car critics.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by dm200 »

Smorgasbord wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:09 am I drive a 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage. It's an unpretentious cheap econobox that gets great gas mileage and was widely panned by the car critics for being a cheap econobox. Here's a great critique of the New York Times' review of the car: https://jalopnik.com/this-brutal-nyt-mi ... 1583123298.
Much like how I have stopped listening to professional movie critics, I've also generally stopped listening to professional car critics.
Yes - although, it seems to me, that there are several types of "downgrading" in such reviews.

The ones I ignore (make my own choices) are whether the reviewer likes the car. "Safety" (to me) can be a mixed bag. reliabiity and cost of repair/maintenance can be important.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by MrDrinkingWater »

He should keep the car. If there have been reliability issues reported by others on this model that have a root cause of poor maintenance, he should check the oil and change it as frequently as the owner's manual suggests (for his level of use). He should check the other fluid levels regularly, and be sure not to skip regular maintenance that only a qualified mechanic can do between now and completing 120,000 miles of use.

Some car owners skip doing those actions because they just don't want to take the time to do simple maintenance. Others sometime they think they'll save a little money.

If there are issues with the motor drives for the electric windows and locks failing in the first four years of use, there isn't much he can do about things like that, except to hope that those repairs or replacements will be covered under warranty.
Last edited by MrDrinkingWater on Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by bloom2708 »

Does anyone know if any new cars go unsold? Is there a place where a new 2012 or 2014 car that never sells goes to rest? Are they shredded or crushed?

As far as I know, every new car is eventually sold. That means that all the "good" ones and all the "medium good" ones and all the "poor" ones are all sold to someone.

At one point we owned a terrible Honda Odyssey. I don't think that makes all Honda's "poor".

Expect a few more repairs. Expect lower resale/trade values. Otherwise, just drive what you have. Save up for the next one.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by wrongfunds »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am While the best action (new or used) is to purchase a very reliable and highly rated vehicle, what is you have one that is, for example, on Consumer Reports "cars to avoid" list? You already have the vehicle and, almost certainly, its value (sale or trade-in) is low. My son has a 2014 Dodge (bought new ans still making loan payments) that is on the CR "cars to avoid" list.
The time was to look at that list *before* making the purchase! It is should NOT be a surprise that his Dodge is on that list.

Answer to your question is : "Do nothing". Or rather treat this exactly as he would have done if he had purchased the car from "the 10 best vehicles to purchase".
Last edited by wrongfunds on Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Sandtrap »

There can be a Toyota Camry that is a "lemon" (though not as common).

And there can be a 1972 Ford Maverick that has never needed major repairs (though more common).

Had a Pontiac Sunfire that ran rough and was pretty clunky going down the road, but everything worked, A/C stayed cold, and never needed repairs . . . until one day. . . it permanently died. :(

Had a Datsun B210, rusted so bad you could see through the floorboards, radiator lost all its fins but still ran cool, and there wasn't a panel on it without dent :shock: (DW). Bought it for $2999. Brand new. Ran great for many years.

Never can tell about "ratings".
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

There's a few things worth doing. Find out exactly why the car is poorly rated. For example, the Focus dual clutch automatic has multiple points of expected failure, any of which shut down the car on the spot. Quite a horrible point for reliability. But the rest of the car is quite good. The entire model line has a black mark but if you happen to have a manual transmission, it'll rival a Civic for reliability.

I don't know about your example of a Dodge, but what is the hit that makes it poorly rated?

I own a Fiat Wrangler Unlimited which has one of the worst reliability ratings because it fits the needs I have. I need a vehicle that can snowplow my driveway, has real 4 wheel drive, can fit 4 people and not be too big. Don't assume that resale value and reliability go hand in hand. The resale on a Wrangler will rival almost every car out there.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by adamthesmythe »

Get a different car if it's not reliable, if it's not safe, if it doesn't meet your needs, if you want a different one and can afford it.

But not because you heard someone else's opinion.

There are transaction costs. Just as with stocks, churn is rarely a good thing.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Sandtrap wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:46 am There can be a Toyota Camry that is a "lemon" (though not as common).
There was one year.....maybe 10 years ago or so when Toyota recalled more cars than any other manufacturer. I have a friend who's a business manager at a dealer and pointed this out to me when my mom was considering a car and I asked his advice about a Toyota vs Hyundai vs Ford. She bought a Ford and it's been 100% reliable.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by H-Town »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am While the best action (new or used) is to purchase a very reliable and highly rated vehicle, what is you have one that is, for example, on Consumer Reports "cars to avoid" list? You already have the vehicle and, almost certainly, its value (sale or trade-in) is low. My son has a 2014 Dodge (bought new ans still making loan payments) that is on the CR "cars to avoid" list.
They should be go to go until 100k - 150k. Just stop worrying and start driving it like you mean it. Don't drive it as you stole it though.. not good for long-term health of the car.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by iamlucky13 »

As handy as I find Consumer Reports for a wide variety of buying information, their car reliability surveys simply don't go long enough to get a sense of the life time reliability of a vehicle, except perhaps for models that have been out 10 years or more. I don't recall if they even continue tracking models that old, much less crunch the data for readers to view.

The main focus of their reliability surveys for models currently available for sale is only 3 years (which makes sense, considering most models have a new generation released every 3-5 years). The average driver accrues only about 36,000 miles over that time period.

So they can catch premature failure of parts and systems due to design or manufacturing defects, which does have an outsized effect on early life cycle owner satisfaction due to frustration when something nearly new breaks, but not long term wear out.

I've had my own impression for a while that Dodge has had more little problems than most brands, but even so, most owners don't seem to have major complaints.

The other half of the consideration here is Consumer Reports, owner experiences, and other such sources affect resale value. If he bought the car new, he's likely to take a price hit larger than the cost of just repairing any issues that arise as they come up. If he bought the car used, he might actually have gotten a very good price on it due to Dodge not having as good of an overall reputation as other brands.

To sum it up, I say keep the car, treat it well, get good use out of it.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by rec7 »

Sandtrap wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:46 am There can be a Toyota Camry that is a "lemon" (though not as common).

And there can be a 1972 Ford Maverick that has never needed major repairs (though more common).

Had a Pontiac Sunfire that ran rough and was pretty clunky going down the road, but everything worked, A/C stayed cold, and never needed repairs . . . until one day. . . it permanently died. :(

Had a Datsun B210, rusted so bad you could see through the floorboards, radiator lost all its fins but still ran cool, and there wasn't a panel on it without dent :shock: (DW). Bought it for $2999. Brand new. Ran great for many years.

Never can tell about "ratings".
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by invst65 »

I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan which is not highly regarded on any list I've seen. I had one very expensive repair > $2k shortly after the warranty ran out and there are aggravating little things like the headliner falling down all over the car (replaced for about $100). Still, it's now 2018 so I've been driving it for almost 12 years. Except for that $2k fiasco I've never had a year where I've had to spend an unusual amount of money due to the low quality of the car. I had it painted last year and as long it doesn't give me any more major fits I'm going to keep it as long as I can.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by JBTX »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am While the best action (new or used) is to purchase a very reliable and highly rated vehicle, what is you have one that is, for example, on Consumer Reports "cars to avoid" list? You already have the vehicle and, almost certainly, its value (sale or trade-in) is low. My son has a 2014 Dodge (bought new ans still making loan payments) that is on the CR "cars to avoid" list.
Once you have the car, its ratings are not terribly useful. Ultimately the experience you have with a car will be unique to you. Perhaps you get a reliable one.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by prairieman »

Based on my own past experience, I’d chalk it up to experience and dump it before it starts having costly (time and money) problems. When it does have a problem, you’ll pay to fix it, waste your time, and still have a car with decreased value.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by ladders11 »

I've seen evidence that once cars reach 6-7 years old, they're all pretty much the same.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by SixAlpha »

rec7 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:17 pm
Sandtrap wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:46 am There can be a Toyota Camry that is a "lemon" (though not as common).

And there can be a 1972 Ford Maverick that has never needed major repairs (though more common).

Had a Pontiac Sunfire that ran rough and was pretty clunky going down the road, but everything worked, A/C stayed cold, and never needed repairs . . . until one day. . . it permanently died. :(

Had a Datsun B210, rusted so bad you could see through the floorboards, radiator lost all its fins but still ran cool, and there wasn't a panel on it without dent :shock: (DW). Bought it for $2999. Brand new. Ran great for many years.

Never can tell about "ratings".
"If It Ain't Broke. . . . Don't Fix It. . "

j :D
That's right people have driven bottom of the list cars for 10 to 20 years. I have seen it done.
I've certainly done it. Once owned a 1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse... according to CR, one of the worst cars money can buy. That car was indestructible and never required more than oil changes and brakes. On the other hand we currently have a 2005 Honda Civic with only 175,000 miles that's in the shop almost every other month for some repair or another.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by harrington »

Ignore the ratings if you already own the car. I bought a 2012 Fiat 500 which is one of the lowest rated cars and I just hit 100,000 miles and have had no issues at all. In fact it is the most reliable car I ever owned. I paid 10K for the car. It also has a terrible resale value so I'll be driving it till it dies. Even the lowest rated cars today are better than anything you could buy 30 years ago.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by camden »

harrington wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 6:27 am Ignore the ratings if you already own the car. I bought a 2012 Fiat 500 which is one of the lowest rated cars and I just hit 100,000 miles and have had no issues at all. In fact it is the most reliable car I ever owned. I paid 10K for the car. It also has a terrible resale value so I'll be driving it till it dies. Even the lowest rated cars today are better than anything you could buy 30 years ago.
Agree. Even if accurately collected, statistical data such as used to produce car ratings apply to "populations" of vehicles, not to individual cars. In addition, your personal experience may be influenced by factors within your control, such as your driving habits and how well you adhere to maintenance schedules. I had two (1990 and 2002) Pontiac Grand Prix cars---- poorly rated, but both superbly performing cars for me, with very few issues over fairly extended lifetimes.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by yukonjack »

I would definitely keep the vehicle until you personally start to see issues with it. More importantly I would take the CR auto information with a grain of salt. I’ve noticed over the last 5 years or so that CR has wild swings in the rankings of vehicles. At one point the Tesla S was the highest rated car ever and shortly after that it wasn’t even recommend. It is once again recommended with a perfect score of 100. The Civic once a top tier vehicle a few years ago and is now not recommended. And the CR brand standings are truly baffling. BMW crushes Honda in reliability! Really? So my point is to not rely solely on CR.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by NHRATA01 »

First, the cost to purchase new is already sunk and the fact it is a Dodge (car?) after 4 model years means it is well into the depreciation curve and the money (on paper) is already lost. So realistically from a financial standpoint it is already too late to course correct.

Second, I would try to find out why it was rated poorly - assuming reliability here. Do a little research. Perhaps there is something preventative or proactive that can avoid an expensive failure. For instance several older GM's with the 3.6 V6 are notorious for timing chain issues. More frequent oil changes with high quality synthetics can help prolong the life and reduce the odds of failure.

Third, maintain it and drive it til the wheels fall off. There is no point in trying to get out of a "poor" rated car for fear of what may or may not fail. As has been stated by a lot of folks in the industry nowdays, even the bad ones are generally better than some of the best from 20-30 years ago. The industry overall has greatly improved quality, even the domestics that had bad reputations.

Fourth, may be a learning point for a the future - you can utilize the excessive depreciation of cars rated "poor" but still overall good vehicles, to pick one up 2-3 years old for a great price - very boggleheadian. Buick cars for example (although they actually tend to rate very well for reliability) have some horrible depreciation but they are still a nice cut above the average Chevy/Ford and have better warranties (4/50 B2B and 6/70 powertrain).
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by BolderBoy »

Keep it and drive it and be sure to be saving to replace it.

I bought a 1988 Dodge Colt (rebranded Mitsubishi). Arguably one of the worst cars ever made. Drove it 80k miles over the next 12 years. It leaked 1 quart of oil/week; dealership said it couldn't be fixed. The wind noise at interstate speed was so bad I was deaf for hours. It was a piece of junk. "Gave" it to a friend who drove it another 60k miles over the next 2 years then he sold it to a college kid for $600.

Ratings? Yeah, right...
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by protagonist »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am While the best action (new or used) is to purchase a very reliable and highly rated vehicle, what is you have one that is, for example, on Consumer Reports "cars to avoid" list? You already have the vehicle and, almost certainly, its value (sale or trade-in) is low. My son has a 2014 Dodge (bought new ans still making loan payments) that is on the CR "cars to avoid" list.
He's had the car for 4 years now. So "the best action" , IMHO, would be the same action I would take with any other 4 year old possession.
If he likes the car, keep it. It has already undergone most of its depreciation anyhow.
If he doesn't like it, sell it and buy something else.

The best action, IMHO, for the parent to take is to back off. It's really his decision.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by 4th and Inches »

You bought a 2014 Dodge. Of course it is on a do not buy list. Lesson learned.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by daytona084 »

Consumer Reports bases their choice of "cars to avoid" mainly based on what they call "reliability". Their ratings are all based on comparison to "average". Ratings range from "much worse than average" to "much better than average". What they bury in the fine print is that "average" reliability has improved tremendously over the years. Today's "much worse than average" vehicle (which they tell you to avoid) is much more "reliable" than the cars they raved about 20-30 years ago. My conclusion is that "reliability" is no longer an important factor in a vehicle purchase (if it ever was). Of course, they would never say that, since it questions the very need for their massive reliability survey.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by chevca »

Yes, I really get sick of all those Dodges littering and blocking the roadways when they break down.... oh wait. :happy

What if you have a poorly rated car?... Stop reading CR. :happy

Most cars today are plenty reliable. If something breaks, get it fixed. If things start breaking too often, get a different car.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by hicabob »

As Jalopnik says (talking about the Mirage which is apparently the cheapest new car you can but in the US) " It's so vastly better than the entry-level cars we had years ago, it's not even funny."
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by craimund »

chevca wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 11:57 am Yes, I really get sick of all those Dodges littering and blocking the roadways when they break down.... oh wait. :happy

What if you have a poorly rated car?... Stop reading CR. :happy

Most cars today are plenty reliable. If something breaks, get it fixed. If things start breaking too often, get a different car.
Pretty sure the type of person driving the vehicle affects the reliability. Mustang or Camaro drivers tend to be younger males that may be a bit more aggressive than a Camry/Accord driver. My impression is that CR is heavily biased toward Japanese vehicles - particularly Toyota and Camry (love econoboxes). I have had good experiences with American cars.I currently drive a Ford Fusion Hybrid and it's a great car. Also have an '01 F-150 and a 2015 Malibu. Drove an '89 T-Bird SC into the ground (200 K plus miles). Still running fine in 2001 and gave it to Goodwill. Driven aggressively and one major accident. Had bad luck with an '03 Odyssey - 3 transmissions in 150K miles. American cars also tend to cost less to repair.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by DesertDiva »

I had a "poorly rated" car in the 90's. It was the first new car I ever owned. I heard people say "you're going to regret that you bought it."

I maintained the car according to the schedule in the Owner's Manual, did not drive aggressively, and sold it to my stepdaughter once it reached 90K miles. She drove it for another 40k+ miles.

Even a "poorly rated" car can be well-maintained!
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Kenkat »

invst65 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:33 pm I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan which is not highly regarded on any list I've seen. I had one very expensive repair > $2k shortly after the warranty ran out and there are aggravating little things like the headliner falling down all over the car (replaced for about $100). Still, it's now 2018 so I've been driving it for almost 12 years. Except for that $2k fiasco I've never had a year where I've had to spend an unusual amount of money due to the low quality of the car. I had it painted last year and as long it doesn't give me any more major fits I'm going to keep it as long as I can.
Yes, we had an 03 Caravan and got 10+ years of very reliable service out of it. In year 11, we had to put a $2000 transmission into it and things started going wrong after that so we traded it in. But, overall, it was a great vehicle.
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by montanagirl »

Kenkat wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:29 pm
invst65 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:33 pm I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan which is not highly regarded on any list I've seen. I had one very expensive repair > $2k shortly after the warranty ran out and there are aggravating little things like the headliner falling down all over the car (replaced for about $100). Still, it's now 2018 so I've been driving it for almost 12 years. Except for that $2k fiasco I've never had a year where I've had to spend an unusual amount of money due to the low quality of the car. I had it painted last year and as long it doesn't give me any more major fits I'm going to keep it as long as I can.
Yes, we had an 03 Caravan and got 10+ years of very reliable service out of it. In year 11, we had to put a $2000 transmission into it and things started going wrong after that so we traded it in. But, overall, it was a great vehicle.
I have an '06 Caravan and it's been fine so far. One wheel sensor went out and DH fixed it with advice from a mechanic friend.
Also an engine light comes on sporadically and even the shop says it probably doesn't mean anything, and after 5 years of it I have to agree.

It seems to me there is a value to a car you own outright that isn't reflected in CU or Kelly. I guess that would be the suitable replacement cost, though I know that doesn't hold water in terms of strict finance. But the utility is there.
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whodidntante
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by whodidntante »

It's kind of like the highway. Once you are on, stay on.
rgs92
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by rgs92 »

It doesn't matter at all. Just take care of it and it will take care of you.
As long as it's not misbehaving or breaking down or has some issue that makes you not like it, what others think about it or how they rate it on some arbitrary scale is irrelevant.
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beyou
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by beyou »

I think of cars sorta like houses, while they have a market value, a bit irrelevant. While the cars suits you, keep and maintain. When it no longer suits your needs, sell for whatever the market will bear.

My first cars was a Ford Mustang, many years ago.
Bought used, 1-2 yrs old. After enjoying it a while, decided I wanted safety of front wheel drive in winter.
Upon review of the “cars to avoid list” there was my car/year. Made no difference at all, sold to a very excited buyer who paid me enough that it sold for close to what I paid. That “car to avoid” cost me gas and oil changes, that was it.
srt7
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by srt7 »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am While the best action (new or used) is to purchase a very reliable and highly rated vehicle, what is you have one that is, for example, on Consumer Reports "cars to avoid" list? You already have the vehicle and, almost certainly, its value (sale or trade-in) is low. My son has a 2014 Dodge (bought new ans still making loan payments) that is on the CR "cars to avoid" list.
I would most certainly ignore the ratings. It's one thing to look in to it while shopping or before making the purchase but a complete waste of time and energy after the purchase. BTW ... I am curious ... why did you (or your son) check the ratings now? Were there frequent issues etc.? I see you've already mentioned that it's not a safety concern so that's a huge relief.

If it were me, I would keep the car, continue driving it and not bother with the ratings.
Taking care of tomorrow while enjoying today.
killjoy2012
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by killjoy2012 »

Why would you put such blind faith in one magazine's ratings?
Spirit Rider
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by Spirit Rider »

As someone who owned a CRs "worst of the worst" for a dozen years, I say ratings are themselves overrated.

Bogleheads tend to worship at the altar of reliability, but from my opinion lack perspective on the big picture.

This is the classic case of showing the differences without showing the scale, There is not really as much difference in reliability from brand to brand as many people perceive.
invst65
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by invst65 »

montanagirl wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 5:27 pm
Kenkat wrote: Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:29 pm
invst65 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 4:33 pm I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan which is not highly regarded on any list I've seen. I had one very expensive repair > $2k shortly after the warranty ran out and there are aggravating little things like the headliner falling down all over the car (replaced for about $100). Still, it's now 2018 so I've been driving it for almost 12 years. Except for that $2k fiasco I've never had a year where I've had to spend an unusual amount of money due to the low quality of the car. I had it painted last year and as long it doesn't give me any more major fits I'm going to keep it as long as I can.
Yes, we had an 03 Caravan and got 10+ years of very reliable service out of it. In year 11, we had to put a $2000 transmission into it and things started going wrong after that so we traded it in. But, overall, it was a great vehicle.
I have an '06 Caravan and it's been fine so far. One wheel sensor went out and DH fixed it with advice from a mechanic friend.
Also an engine light comes on sporadically and even the shop says it probably doesn't mean anything, and after 5 years of it I have to agree.

It seems to me there is a value to a car you own outright that isn't reflected in CU or Kelly. I guess that would be the suitable replacement cost, though I know that doesn't hold water in terms of strict finance. But the utility is there.
I had a '96 Dodge Ram 2500 before the Caravan. Used it to pull my RV trailer and went all the way to Alaska from Florida. And that's with the "Check Engine" light on all the way there and back. Tried to get someone to fix it before making the trip but no matter what they did it always came back on so I just went for it. Eventually got $800 for a trade-in on the Caravan in 2006 (still with the check engine light on, BTW).
takeshi
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by takeshi »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am While the best action (new or used) is to purchase a very reliable and highly rated vehicle, what is you have one that is, for example, on Consumer Reports "cars to avoid" list?
Learn for next time. Though I don't really put too much into CR's ratings.
daveydoo
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Re: What if you have a poorly rated car?

Post by daveydoo »

dm200 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:53 am You already have the vehicle and, almost certainly, its value (sale or trade-in) is low. My son has a 2014 Dodge (bought new ans still making loan payments) that is on the CR "cars to avoid" list.
No worries, imo. We've all owned them, probably. Top-reliability vehicles are expensive (price of entry) and are not always the best starting point. He's taken the enormous depreciation, and repairs -- even if they are more frequent -- can be less expensive. Plus, many of the rating factors may not impact him at all (cup-holder count, acceleration, rear leg room, fit and finish, etc.).

For some of these rating factors, it's like which quartile a mutual fund falls into. For some asset classes, the dispersion is incredible, whereas for others it's really small. Nonetheless, there's still a top and bottom quarter -- even for S&P500 index funds. :D
"I mean, it's one banana, Michael...what could it cost? Ten dollars?"
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