Model Reviews
Our buy list is extensive -- buy any car you like!. We do not want to be in a position to tell you which car to buy. Everyone needs to enjoy the vehicle they own. Whatever attracts you to the car is your choice The only advice we give is to read our Don't Buy List.
Before using buying guides we have a word of caution: When using consumer guides -- remember they are too often based on opinions, biased evaluations, and errors in judgment.
Reviews can be biased - that's a fact. There are more reviews than you can shake a stick at and they can conflict with one another. Too often they are based on a reviewer's opinion.
As far as repair records, they are not statistically valid. If a car has a higher repair in one year a manufacturer may have corrected it in the past. Too often you pay extra for the lower repair history. For example: A Toyota has a better repair record than a Ford by a slim margin. Buy you will pay much more for a Toyota with the same features. Once more the Ford is under warranty and any problems will be taken care of. Another fact is, repair records are based on old information. They change from year to year. For example, one year a particular model may have a poor quality air-conditioning system, the following year it may have been corrected. Another vehicle may be rated high in one year and down-rated the following year. The fact is, cars are not static, things change. Repair records are based on outdated data. So don't be paranoid.
Safety rating are another area where people can be misled. We think it's great that manufacturers are taking safety into consideration. Unfortunately, even the safest rated vehicles are deadly if involved in a serious accident. Driving safe and defensive is your best option. Watching crash tests tells me that the safest rated vehicle is not all that much safer than the lowest rated vehicle. If there's an accident I would not want to be in either. How much safer do you really believe the safest rated vehicle is when compared to the lowest rated vehicle? I would venture to say not enough!
If you are driving a VW bug that has the high safety rating and you crash into a Lincoln Navigator, you will probably be smashed like a bug. We are not saying you should ignore safety factors. We are saying you should
Safety rating too often have more to do with the repair costs of a vehicle involved in an accident. It's more for the benefit of insurance companies than it is the safety of people. One day we may get truly safe vehicles, until then drive safe and help enforce safe driving laws that get violators off the road.
If we find a car that we feel is a loser we will put it on our site under our Don't Buy List. For example we don't recommend the Daiwoo, because the manufacturer went bankrupt. It was difficult to get insurance and replacement parts and affected resale. This is not common. Before you buy see our Don't Buy List and evaluated our logic for yourself.
The bottom line is to buy a car you enjoy. Go for style, driveability, resale, and if possible safety. Be sure to test drive the car and be sure you really like it!
There are not that many lemon cars. Almost all manufactures make a great product covered by great warranties. Our emphasis is on which cars not to buy, see our Don't Buy list.
Top selling cars sell for a reason. They are high quality at a very reasonable price. We are more concerned with helping you get a good deal on price than trying to tell you which car to buy.
Some of the best sellling average priced cars include: Honda, Ford , Chevy, Dodge, Chrystler, Toyota, and Jeep are usually the best selling vehicles in the moderate price range.
Some of the best selling higher priced vehicles include: Lexus, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, Porche, Cadillac, and Lincoln.
Find a car you really like and get the best price and you should be happy with your decision. Reviewers can't do that for you. So forget the guides, pick a nice looking car that you like, and test drive the daylights our of it.
In whatever decision you make we wish you happy motoring!
In the Financial Wisdom Seminar we teach you how to save money on all your purchases. Let us help you get wise.
Remember, my job is to help you become financially stable, secure and independent. I will do my best , you do your best.
Your author and friend,
Paul Barrett
