2007 Best Bets Are Here!
It happens every year right around this time…calls and e-mails roll in from folks looking to buy a new car. “What are the best cars on the road? Which car is least likely to give me problems?” Obviously, we can’t look into a crystal ball–any type of car could be defective, either due to manufacturer problems or misdiagnosis in the service department. However, we thought it would be in consumers’ best interest to find an objective annual source to refer them to. Five years ago, we came across some very comprehensive information from well known automotive consumer advocate Jack Gillis. Each year, Jacks puts out his Ultimate Car Book and thankfully, year after year, he has allowed us to share his findings with consumers.
“Best Bets” are based on expected performance in ten categories (crash tests, safety features, fuel economy, rollover, overall, maintenance and repair costs, warranties, insurance costs, and complaints), with the greatest emphasis placed on crash test performance and complaints. Vehicles are organized by size class for your convenience. If you are interested, you can purchase the 2007 Ultimate Car Book by visiting the Center for Auto Safety’s website at http://www.autosafety.org/.
Now, without further ado, he are are Jack’s 2007 “Best Bets”:
Subcompact
BMW Z4
Hyundai Accent
Kia Rio
Volkswagen Beetle
Compact
Audi A4
BMW 3-Series
Honda Civic
Hyundai Elantra
Kia Spectra
Nissan Sentra
Toyota Corolla
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Rabbit/GTI
Volvo S40/V50/C70
Intermediate
Acura TSX
Chevy Malibu/Maxx
Ford Fusion/Milan/MKZ
Honda Accord SDN/TL
Hyundai Sonata
Kia Optima
Mitsubishi Galant
Nissan Altima
Toyota Camry/Lexus ES 350
Volvo V70
Large
Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis
Lincoln Town Car
Minivan
Buick Terraza/Relay
Chevy Uplander
Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town and Country
Ford Freestar/Mercury Monterey
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona
SUV Small
Hyundai Tuscon
Kia Sportage
Saturn VUE
SUV Midsize
Infiniti FX
Kia Sorento
Mitsubishi Endeavor
Subaru Outback/Legacy
Toyota Highlander/Lexus RX350
SUV Large
Audi Q7
Popularity: 18% [?]
September 30th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I was just curious if you have had much feedback on the VW Rabbits? I’ve seem to heard a lot lately that around 50,000- 60,000 miles, that they start having a lot of problems and are quite pricey to repair?? I am interested in possibly purchasing one, but am trying to do as much research on them as possible. Thank you!
October 8th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
I would be very cautious when purchasing a used car outside of the manufacturers warranty. If you are thinking about buying a used car, check out our lemon dodger worksheet at http://www.lemonlaw.com/lemondodger.html. Also, I would visit the recall and defect database at http://www.nhtsa.gov (the website for the Naitonal Highway and Traffic Safety Administration). Safe driving.