Most reputable car rating website?
I'm currently in the market for buying a semi-used car (2011 to 2015 range) and am trying to find as much info as I can as far as how well cars are rated. I have looked at both Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds (two of the most popular sites I know of) and some of these ratings seem to contradict each other. I tried Consumer Reports but they make you pay for a membership. Also, on KBB for example, I trust their expert reviews more than consumer reviews where one bad review from a person who had bad luck can drive the average rating down considerably. This is kind of a dumb question but is there a site that is known for being more reputable than the others?
For reference, the car I'm looking for is a 4 door Sedan with solid MPG and decent power… I have had Hondas since I started driving and they've been great for me, but I want to broaden my horizon. I'd like to stick with the name brands.I've researched Civic, Accord, Altima, Legacy, Impreza, Camry, Corolla and Jetta mainly.
WTF is a "semi-used" car? A car is either brand new, or it isn't. ANY car that has been sold and registered is a USED car.
It's all well and good to study and research the pros and cons of different brands of automobiles, but the bottom line on buying ANY USED car is the current condition and how the previous owner(s) treated and maintained the car while THEY had it in their possession.
Line up five used cars with EXACTLY the same price and the same miles and the same equipment and the same absolute best car ratings from a dozen different car magazines, and you STILL won't know which one is the best one to buy until you look under the hood and check the mechanical condition and see for yourself which one has been treated gently and which one has been abused. If you're not smart enough to do that on your own, then PAY an independent mechanic to do it for you.
If you're serious about buying a car, then it's time to quit playing stupid games on your computer and actually go outside and see what's available on your local used car lots.
Consumer reports. Go to the library. They have once a year books and annual auto issues. Plus, they might give you the online login info.
I got it once but it was such a pain I never bothered again. Like a 20 digit library number and a 10 digit password, it was ridiculous.
You can't trust online reviews from non professional sources. Reader reviews are meaningless. Look for road tests from magazines like Road and Track, Car and Driver and Automobile magazine. Autoblog.com is great online resources for everything automotive. Look for expert reviews and real road tests.
Consumer Reports is a great resources and if you don't want to pay you can read the CR Auto Guide free at your local Library.
Seriously consider a Legacy.
Nothing, but NOTHING, connected with used cars is reputable or reliable. Don't trust anything except your instincts. Even if you're a total newb trust your own instincts. That salesman ISN'T your friend. That guy telling you the car is a good runner is a liar.
Whatever deal you're looking at, if something doesn't seem right… Walk away
There are MILLIONS of cars out there. If a seller ever thinks "this guy wants this car" you're lost.
Always, always ALWAYS be ready to say "Sorry Pal" and walk away.
Edmunds and KBB are useless for coming to an objective conclusion. They aren't backing up their claims with solid data. Consumer reports is the closest credible database (1 million car owners surveyed) you have for identifying problem patterns and trouble spots in car subsystems. Check one out at your local library.
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