1995 Toyota Corolla XL 2.0 Deeezul
a) Reliability - 10 It's a Diesel Corolla
b) Running costs - 8 Excellent economy when i drive it well but parts are pricey and insurance is stupid.
c) Dealer support - 10 I Never see them
d) Practicality - 10 Takes 4 mates
e) Build quality - 10 yawn! It's tank like.
f) Performance - 7 Only down point, has a kick once you get it going but poor acceleration.
g) Fuel consumption - 10
h) Overall satisfaction - 9 It runs very well and i got it for free so shouldn't complain about it looking like an old mans car. It takes a lot of abuse and doesn't complain.
i) Likelihood of buying another of same make/model - Quite likely, just not with this engine!
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Looking at the average of the voting in the above threads - mine included, to be fair - most people love their car so much, I wonder why manufacturers need customer services departments?
On a related subject, I'm convinced that JD Powers surveys, and others of that ilk, tell us more about the customer base mentality for that type of vehicle, than they ever do about the vehicle itself!
/Steve
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On a related subject, I'm convinced that JD Powers surveys, and others of that ilk, tell us more about the customer base mentality for that type of vehicle, than they ever do about the vehicle itself!
I personally don't believe a word of the JD power survey.
It's obvious that the Ford's, Vauxhall's, and other mass produced cars are going to be far down the bottom of the list, whereas the Toyota's, Nissan's, and Honda's are going to in the top 10. Reason, more Ford's and Vauxhalls are sold than Toyota's, ect in the UK, so it's obvious that there are going to be more negative views/complaints!!
If 10,000 Vauxhall's are sold and 10% of the buying public complain, then that means that there will be 1000 complaints.
If 1,000 Toyota's are sold and 10% complain, that means only 100 complaints.
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DD, I think the survey adjusts for that - AFAIK, they have a minimum number of respondents before the car can be included in the survey, and the scores are on a percentage basis, so 100 complaints out of 1000 would still be rated the same as 1000 out of 10000. Can anyone confirm that, or am I thinking of another survey?
That said, I think that including marks for exterior appearance or vehicle appeal is a bit pointless - why would people buy the cars if they hated the appearance? So I'd probably accept what it says about reliability and dealer service, but take any subjective stuff with a pinch of salt. After all, the Corolla scored highly *among its owners* for looking good - but those who don't have one would fall into a coma just seeing it!
Seeing I?m here ...
Car make/model/year: Seat Leon SE 110 bhp TDi
Reliability 8
? would have been 10 but for recent need to replace the electronic fuel injector.
Running costs 10
? as well as excellent fuel economy, the tyres still have at least 6000 miles left after nearly 17000, the insurance group is 7E, and I saved £3500 off list by importing.
Dealer support 10
? they dealt with the injector fault as quickly as they could, and touched up a paint chip for free while they were at it. They were also honest enough to point out that my imported Leon?s VIN dated from mid-November of last year, which meant that the back-dating of the two year pan-European warranty applied to me. I hadn?t known about this at the time and they could have just said nothing.
Practicality 9
? boot could be a fraction easier to use, but the lip is high. High boot also makes reversing a little awkward
Build quality 9
? one of the speakers started to rattle a bit, the dealer sorted that no problem. Otherwise a good solid car.
Performance 10
? I know it?s not the fastest car out there, but acceleration in fourth or fifth is brilliant ? no more wondering if I can make it past that truck!
Fuel consumption 10
? often get over 60 mpg without resorting to 50mph. In fact, even on a few recent 85 mph runs I still got 53 mpg recently, so no need to be parsimonious.
Overall satisfaction 9
? I love it, just wish lumbar adjustable seats were available without having to go for the full electric/leather combo. Still a very comfortable car though. Plus I?d like the 130 bhp engine for faster 0-60 to match the mid-range performance.
Likelihood of buying another of same make/model 9
? I love the look of the new shape one due year after next, and that should have at least 130 bhp. If it stays close to the same price range, I?ll definitely be importing another.
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1998 Ford Mondeo 1.8 Verona (LX)
Reliability - Only owned for six weeks so too early to tell
Running Costs - 7 No bills yet, but tyres will be expensive
Dealer Support - n/a
Practicality - 8 Will seat five in relative comfort, could do with more stowage space in the cabin
Build quality - 10 Built like a tank
Performance - 8 Good, but needs to be kept over 3500rpm
Fuel consumption - 5 Only downside, I am lucky to see 35mpg even when driven sensibly
Overall - 8 So far so good
Buying another - We'll have to wait and see!
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2000 Honda Accord 2.0i VTEC SE
Reliability - 10 : Absolute, as expected.
Running Costs - 6 : Quite thirsty, and servicing costs are high. Insurance about average
Dealer Support - 7 : Most Honda dealers I've tried are reasonably competent and friendly, but you never quite feel like a Lexus owner
Performance - 6: It's far from slow, but, regardless of V-TEC, why is all the torque above 4000rpm? More flexibility would be welcome.
Build quality - 9: Almost flawless, but for the rather thin lacquer on the paintwork, and susceptibility to scratches.
Fuel consumption - 6: Slightly below average for a 2.0 car of this size, partly because the engine needs to be worked.
Overall - 7: It's refined, comfortable, very well built and a good drive. Let down by unimaginative styling, a plasticky cabin and lack of low-down torque.
I wouldn't buy another, purely because I want something considerably quicker and more dynamic next time. Recommended to those in the market for a quality used family car.
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