29-06-2005 23:24									#1
	Incontrovertible proof that JD Powers' "long term" reliability statistic is nonsense Support Apolyton

http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/06/29...tops/index.html

2002 Chevy Malibu is the most reliable midsize car!

Compact car: 2002 Chevrolet Prizm

Entry midsize car: 2002 Chevrolet Malibu

Premium midsized car: 2002 Buick Century

Full-size car: 2002 Buick LeSabre

Entry luxury car: 2002 Ford Thunderbird

Mid luxury car: 2002 Lincoln Town Car

Premium luxury car: 2002 Lexus LS 430

Sporty car: 2002 Mazda Miata

Premium sports car: 2002 Porsche 911

Midsized pick-up: 2002 Chevrolet S-10

Light-duty full-sized pick-up: 2002 Cadillac Escalade EXT

Entry SUV: 2002 Honda CR-V

Midsized SUV: 2002 Toyota 4Runner

Full-sized SUV: 2002 GMC Yukon/Yukon XL

Entry luxury SUV: 2002 Lexus RX 300

Premium luxury SUV: 2002 Lexus LX 470

Midsized van: 2002 Ford Windstar

Full-sized van: 2002 Ford E-series

	29-06-2005 23:38									#2
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

We had good reliability from the '02 Mailbu in our rental fleet. "long term" I can't speak to as we sold them off before the warranty expiration.

Ditto for the Buick Century.

Our problems were Cavalier/Sunfire and anything by Hyundai.

	29-06-2005 23:38									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

When you look at 4+ year reliability for the Chevy Malibu, it seems to not do very well (numbers are percentranks).

Source: http://www.autooninfo.net (their source is compiled from Consumer Reports -- a non-profit organization)


Versus the Echo:


For those you can't read: Echo got 0.94 in 2002 (Excellent), and the Malibu got 0.19 (Terrible)...

Contrast this with other information:

	29-06-2005 23:47									#4
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

You must not forget the cost factor though Asher. We would not rent Toyota as the cost of the car outweighed what we would get back in rentals. A midsize import would often cost the same as a full size domestic. For the same $$ we got less revenue from an import as they could only rent for midsize money.

What is the cost difference between your examples (the Lexus vs the Malibu)?

	29-06-2005 23:52									#5
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Wezil You must not forget the cost factor though Asher. We would not rent Toyota as the cost of the car outweighed what we would get back in rentals. A midsize import would often cost the same as a full size domestic. For the same $$ we got less revenue from an import as they could only rent for midsize money. What is the cost difference between your examples (the Lexus vs the Malibu)?

I don't think cost matters?

Look at the Camry vs Malibu (same category) in 2001:

Camry: 0.90 (2002, MSRP is $18,970 for base model, invoice is $16,976): http://www.car-prices-costs.com/2002-Toyota-Camry.html
Malibu: 0.26 (2002, MSRP is $17,760 for base model, invoice is $16,250): http://www.car-prices-costs.com/200...let-Malibu.html

	30-06-2005 00:03									#6
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

MSRP are comparable but we didn't pay MSRP

I accept your point however. If these stats are credible and the prices comparable then you should prefer a Camry over a Malibu.

	30-06-2005 01:33									#7
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

That's interesting. US cars tend to do badly in UK JD Power surveys- certainly way behind the Japanese models.

Seeing as it's a survey, are the results being skewed by patriotism?

	30-06-2005 01:33									#8
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

Good God. That Chevy Malibu is a really ugly car.

	30-06-2005 01:37									#9
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Like many US cars - The Malibu did look good at one time.

	30-06-2005 01:44									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

I have '67 Malibu sitting dead in my garage. It's a nice looking car, if only I had the time to fix it.