consumer reports is full of $hit
 

I'm so sick of politics in publications that are supposedly supposed to be unbiased. Picked up this years buyers guide to look up info on some new vehicles. But being the enthusiast I am I had to check all the sports car stats. The Z was considered a bad buy on the strength of reliability.
Having owned several nissans and having been on several nissan forums for a number of years now. The Z and other nissan products seem to be reliable.

Now the best reliability sports cars were the GENESIS. Coupe and Mustang
Having been on the gen forums as well I know that they are swapping trannies, engines and whole cars on an above average scale. Especially on the 2.0 either tranny and the 3.8 manual are garbage.
The mustang is another one. I see people on the mustang forums constantly having issues.

So I decided to go to true delta. The site where owners go to report repairs.

The gencoupe had 51 out of 100 repairs.
The mustang had 57 out of 100 repairs.
The Z had 12 out of 100 repairs. Only beat by the miata which had 9 out of 100 repairs. They had a bonus score on the miata for over reliable industrial strength doors. Unfortunately, we had the regular door rating. :confused:

Anyway. The consumers are reporting way different from the so called "consumer reports".
Feels politically motivated to me. What you guys think?

I wouldn't be surprised if most of the low reliability rating for the Z is caused by owners complaint about the high oil temp issue. Of course it's not an issue at all, just put a cooler on your car if you track it. But complains about it get registered by Consumer reports and result in a low score.

I know of several engines in my area that needed replacing.

IMO my z has been unreliable but I put it through hell. I'm just saying I'm not surprised ..

:bowrofl: :roflpuke2: @ Miata Doors

I kinda want to read the report, but I have their subscription requirement.

consumer reports has always been full of **** for a long long time. Nothing in their reports are ever accurate.

your right they are full of it. i remember when the iphone 4 came out they
wouldn't give it a approval rating either because of the antenna gate issue..

i'm at 25,000 miles two issues. gas cap and hatch release all fixed.....
and has never burned a drop of oil. and i'm just a regular driver....
oh and no rattles either.... ok off my soap box now...

My hatch release won't work. I get the CR survey. I expect the Z to be as reliable as my Camry (that's hypothetical...Camry's are banned at my house. So are Accords. And anything Swedish). So I fill out that badboy with all kinds of complaints. Paint? Yeah, that sucks too. Body integrity? I don't know what that is but I fill in the black circle anyway. Engine? I read it sounds "rough" under load so I give the black mark for that too. I ignore that my Subaru Legacy sounds like a bunch of chipmunks in heat (hypothetical again. No Subaru's allowed here unless it ends in STI, and chipmunks are just cute rats), but gave the Subie's engine thumbs up anyway, the Z thumbs down. Transmission? That throw out bearing (CSC for those in the know) sure makes a racket. That never happens in my Elantra. Black mark again.

Oh, by the way, I filled this out at Starbucks, don't know who the Stig is, and have no idea that the Z began with a company called Datsun 40 years ago. Because back then I was bragging about how great my Vega was to my friends who owned Pintos and Gremlins.

Consumer Reports can't tell difference between a hippo and elephant.

Not sure where that came from but they both have big arses. :D

Consumer reports is very political in that they go with the current fashion. Before the whole pedal crisis they loved the Camry ... now they rate it below just about every car in its class.

They are good for one thing - vacuum cleaner reviews.

The Z gets the worst possible rating by CR in paint/body hardware and squeaks/rattles which is the main reason the Z scores low overall

Ding, ding, ding. Never accurate.

They don't accept advertising and explain to me how it can be politically motivated. If you read the ratings the 370Z finishes third behind the 135i and WRX STi and ahead of twenty other sports cars. Their reliability is based on surveys they send out to people that own the car. Maybe with a smaller sample the reliability factor is not quite as accurate. There are certainly a lot of people on this forum who complain about the oil temp and paint finish.

All I know is this... according to true delta the Z has gone in for one of the least amounts of repairs. The Z is considered one of the most reliable sports cars in true delta. The CR mag has a total opposite review. I trust TD way more because I see them in every forum connecting to the people. Is CR here?

Those 12/100 people probably complained about the doors...

Consumer Reports basically views every car from a viewpoint of people who are not enthusiasts and has no clue that different cars appeal to different audiences, that these different audiences have varying interests, and that maybe those factors should be considered when they review cars.

This is what Consumer Reports has to say about the 370Z - hardly a bad review:

"The new Z, the latest in a dynasty that started in the early Seventies, is a focused and capable sports car. The new car is shorter and lighter than the car it replaced and has much better interior fit and finish. The Z is quick, agile and enjoyable to drive. The V6 is muscular yet cultured and smooth. The shifter is a bit notchy but crisp and positive in feel. Handling is very agile with direct steering and lots of cornering grip."

:iagree: I just love when they review sporty type cars and complain because the engine, exhaust, or tire noise is too loud. :rolleyes: And if the car isn't 100% practical they dog it all to hell. To them I say.....:icon23:

Enthusiasts go to other rags for opinions. That's not cr's market

The Miata often wins the best buy in the sports car category on CR.

And let's face it, it's by far the most practical and least expensive for the fun it provides.

On the other hand, I've known Miata drivers who'd wished they sprung for extra power and more space. So, all things are relative.

True, unfortunately the wife who more often than not holds veto power reads CR for car buying advice, as opposed to said rags

:shakes head: That varies from relationship to relationship.

What's more important, the wife, or the car?????? :eekdance:

Lol, but there is lots of truth in that statement. Unfortunately C/R has earned a reputation with the "masses" and aloooot of them take what they report to heart and go by there advice, sad but true. Enthusiast as most of us are here take it with a grain of salt most of the time. :driving:

i cannot see myself living with someone that controls my allowance. :shakes head: thus, CR is null in my books. :icon17:

I didn't say it applied to me, I was just pointing out that for most, the Z is either an extraneous purchase, or a stretch for daily usage. So, while this may not apply to the hardcore enthusiasts that make up most of this forum's population, most wives hold some veto power over a $30k+ purchase.

Consumer Reports...key work is consumer so it's therefore highly subjective.

This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when George bought a LeBaron. Jerry told him but i thought Consumer Reports said the Volvo is the best buy. George replied "who is the consumer...i am the consumer" lol

I rather get my car info from these guys and by all accounts, 370z receive mad props..

You may be happy with your car, it's obvious there are owners who took the survey, who weren't happy and highly disappointed in the 370!

U MAD? your whole post is biased :stirthepot:

1. for a $30k + car WE shouldn't have paint issues
2. If cabin noise was a buying factor I would have looked at the G Coupe
3. 12000 miles in 1.5 years in the desert and no problems
4. I don't need a magazine to reaffirm my purchase of a Z. I only read how people mod them now.

Besides the paint was a result of years of R&R to develop a paint that could reduce the total weight of a car by 1 lb.

^this, form your own opinions and enjoy your cars. Any issues you see on forums, whether it's the Z, Mustang, or Genesis are usually from a select group of people who like to complain, it's their nature. (OP is the perfect example, he has a complex... it has been proven on the other forum..).

Start counting all the happy people and you'll get a different view of the car. All of these cars are great cars. All of these cars will have issues. It's the way it goes.

Happy driving. :driving:

wasn't the Z rated one of the top picks for resale value? I wouldn't think that the car would be rated so poorly if that was the case.

Of course usually somewhere on there it says it's not always based on real numbers... you will see a lot of new cars out there that get good ratings and have hardly been out for more than a few months. It might only be based on a few reviews.

Oh well... I love mine, all the other people who don't can suck it.

Did anybody on here actually take the time to read the review - they really like it.

Ah! But the LeBaron was previously owned by Jon Voight!

no and doesn't matter, we still hatez CR! :mad: :icon17:

It's foolish to be mad at Consumer Reports, they are just the messenger!

Years ago I learned consumer reports should stick with vacuum cleaners,
there recommendation on Mtn. bikes was horrid, and proved to me they did
not even really test the products, imo.