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Used car owner satisfaction

Fuel economy and performance please most

Published: April 2012

Year over year, two factors tend to stand out in our Owner Satisfaction survey: fuel-efficient and performance cars satisfy people the most.

This year is no exception. Fuel-efficient models such as the Toyota Prius, diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta, and the Honda Fit, and sporty cars like the Dodge Challenger V8, Porsche 911, Ford Mustang GT, and Porsche Cayman all had very strong scores, with 80% or more of their owners saying they would definitely buy these cars again.

But other run-of-the-mill cars don’t stir their owners’ soul after 3 years, and sometimes their score plummets by the 5th year of ownership.

Each year Consumer Reports asks the following question on our Annual Auto Survey: “Considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.), would you get this car if you had it to do all over again?” Respondents have four choices, from “definitely yes” to “definitely no.”

For 3- and 5-year-old models (2009 & 2007 model years), we tallied the percentage of respondents from our 2011 survey that said they would definitely get the same car again.

Among the three-year-old cars, a few specialty models stood out. In addition to the Challenger, 911, Prius, Jetta, and Fit, the upscale Hyundai Genesis and Pontiac G8 also did well, with scores of 80%. Some other notable vehicles with high scores include the Ford F-150, Honda Ridgeline, and Chevrolet Avalanche. Surprisingly, the Mercury Sable (FWD), a vehicle that set few hearts on fire when it was new, scored well too.

But when vehicles reach 5 years old, scores drop a bit. This is when repair costs may increase and that new car smell has disappeared. Sports cars and fuel-efficient models were still tops. Joining the Mustang GT and Porsche Cayman was the Prius, all with scores above 80 percent. The fuel-efficient Honda Fit just missed that group, with 79% of owners willing to definitely buy it again.

One constant in the survey is that models that perform poorly in Consumer Reports’ testing often fall at or near the bottom in owner satisfaction. Models such as the Dodge Dakota pickup truck, Buick Terraza and Chevrolet Uplander minivans, and the Chevrolet Aveo small car have some of the worst owner satisfaction scores among all vehicles. These models sometimes have both low test scores and below-average reliability.

Note, however, that owner satisfaction and reliability scores are not always in sync. While reliability influences satisfaction, there are other factors, such as handling, size, comfort, features, styling, and even image, that impact satisfaction scores. Therefore, some cars get high satisfaction scores yet have some years with below-average reliability.

5-year-old (2007) models

Car type Best Would buy again % Worst Would buy again %
Small car Honda Fit 79 Dodge Caliber 35
  Hyundai Elantra (sedan) 70 Chrysler PT Cruiser 32
      Chevrolet Cobalt (non-supercharged) 31
      Chevrolet Aveo 21
Family car Toyota Prius 86 Chevrolet Impala (V8) 48
  Ford Five Hundred (AWD) 76 Chevrolet Impala (V6) 46
      Pontiac Grand Prix (V6, non-supercharged) 45
      Pontiac G6 39
      Chrysler Sebring 35
Upscale car Toyota Avalon 73 Chrysler 300 (V6, RWD) 50
Sports/Sporty car Ford Mustang (V8) 86 Scion tC (non-turbo) 51
  Porsche Cayman 83 Mitsubishi Eclipse 50
Wagon Subaru Outback 73 Mazda5 51
Small SUV Honda CR-V 73 Pontiac Torrent 36
  Subaru Forester 73 Jeep Liberty (4WD) 35
  Honda Element (AWD) 70 Mazda CX-7 34
      Dodge Nitro 31
Midsized SUV Toyota 4Runner (V6) 75 Chevrolet Trailblazer (2WD) 37
  Toyota 4Runner (V8, 4WD) 74    
Large SUV Ford Expedition 70 GMC Acadia (AWD) 44
  Toyota Sequoia 70    
Minivan Honda Odyssey 69 Dodge Caravan 40
  Toyota Sienna (FWD) 69 Buick Terraza 39
      Chevrolet Uplander 39
Compact pickup Honda Ridgeline 76 Ford Ranger 47
      Chevrolet Colorado (2WD) 40
      GMC Canyon (2WD) 40
      Dodge Dakota (4WD) 37
Full-sized pickup Chevrolet Silverado 2500 (turbodiesel, 4WD) 75 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 (gas, 4WD) 47
  Chevrolet Avalanche (2WD) 74 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (V6, 2WD) 46

* Percent of respondents who said they would definitely get the same car again.

3-year-old (2009) models

Car type Best Would buy again % Worst Would buy again %
Small car Volkswagen Jetta (sedan, diesel)
 82 Toyota Matrix
 35
  Honda Fit 80 Dodge Caliber
 36
      Chevrolet Aveo 32
Family car Toyota Prius 84 Chevrolet Impala (V6) 51
  Mercury Sable (FWD)
 76 Pontiac G6 47
Upscale car Hyundai Genesis 80 Buick LaCrosse (V6)
 51
  Pontiac G8 80    
Sports/Sporty car Dodge Challenger (V8)
 94 Scion tC (non-turbo) 51
  Porsche 911 (non-turbo)
 90 Mitsubishi Eclipse 50
Wagon Subaru Outback 72 Kia Rondo
 49
Small SUV Subaru Forester
 75 Nissan Rogue
 53
  Ford Escape Hybrid
 74 Ford Escape (4-cyl., AWD) 35
  Volkswagen Tiguan
 71 Kia Sportage 50
  Honda CR-V
 70
 Jeep Liberty (4WD)
 48
Midsized SUV Toyota Highlander (V6, FWD) 74 Dodge Journey (V6, FWD) 36
  Hyundai Santa Fe
 73 Dodge Journey (V6, AWD; 4-cyl., FWD)
 31
Large SUV Ford Flex
 74 GMC Acadia (AWD) 56
      GMC Acadia (FWD)
 54
Minivan Honda Odyssey 73 Dodge Grand Caravan 48
  Toyota Sienna (AWD) 70 Volkswagen Routan
 34
Compact pickup Honda Ridgeline 77 Toyota Tacoma (4-cyl., 2WD) 53
      Ford Ranger (2WD)
 50
Full-sized pickup Ford F-150 (V8)
 77 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (V6, 2WD) 50
  Chevrolet Avalanche
76 GMC Sierra 1500 (V6, 2WD) 50

 

* Percent of respondents who said they would definitely get the same car again.

   

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