Consumer Reports has released its annual vehicle reliability survey and Toyota has come out with a black eye. For the first time ever, the Japanese company's Camry has been dropped from the recommended list. Toyota made a corporate decision a few years back to become the world's largest automaker. In doing so, they had to take the focus away from making quality vehicles and shift it to growth. That explains why Toyota as a whole now checks in at No. 5 on Consumer Reports' tally of the most reliable vehicles sold in the United States. Ford has emerged as an unlikely hero in the report thanks to its enormous jump in quality. The "Not your Father's Ford" tagline is taking on a new meaning and people can no longer joke that Ford stands for "fix or repair daily." The top carmaker remains Honda, followed by Acura and Scion. The first American nameplate on the list is Buick, followed by Mercury and then Ford. The least reliable car sold in the United States is Land Rover, followed by Hummer, Cadillac and Mercedes.

Cars speak to us emotionally. Clark's producer Joel bought a 2000 Nissan Altima recently that doesn't really stir his emotions; he simply views it as dependable transportation. Joel might have picked a Honda Element if he were buying on emotion alone. Christa, Clark's executive producer, has named the hybrid version of her standard Lexus RX 300 as her dream car. Sometimes it's hard to step back from the emotional side and make a smart auto purchase. But think about the underlying hassle that comes with purchasing an unreliable vehicle. When you're ready to go car shopping, get pre-qualified for a car loan from a credit union and then get Consumer Reports' annual auto buying guide. Try to find a balance of quality and that emotional X factor and you'll be on your way to a great car purchase.

For 15 years, Clark has talked about the advantage of keeping a new car for at least 10 years or buying a used car and keeping it for at least four years. Cars lose about half of their value during the first three years, but then the loss ratio drops off pretty steeply after that time. Consumer Reports has now done a study on the virtues of keeping a car for 15 years. Bear in mind that most owners only keep their vehicles for three or maybe five years. But by keeping a car for 15 years or 225,000 miles, you save $31,000 dollars. The report found that during the course of 15 years, your average maintenance will be $18,000 and your insurance will be $18,000.

Consumer Reports also identified 10 vehicles that are reliable enough to last 15 years -- and they’re all Japanese! Among the top ones are Honda’s Civic, CRV and Element; and Toyota’s Forerunner, Landcruiser and Highlander models. So what vehicles should you not buy? A lot of European models, according to Consumer Reports, such as the BMW 7 Series, the Infiniti QX 56 and select models of Jaguar, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Volvo. Meanwhile, how should you decide when it does not make sense to repair a car? Clark typically tells people the cutoff should be when the cost of repair is 50 percent or more of the car’s trade-in value. Now Consumer Reports says you can push that up to the actual trade-in value. Other times you should junk a car is when it’s rusted out; really unreliable, in a flood or in an awful accident.

Diesels cars and other vehicles are poised to make a big comeback, according to the latest findings from J.D. Power and Associates. The survey said that one in four Americans would consider buying a diesel car; a year ago, that figure was more like one in 10. Clark remembers the diesel station wagon his family had when he was growing up. That automobile shook like crazy, had terrible acceleration and belched smoke and odor. But today's diesels are not like your daddy's diesel. Clark's driven some modern diesels throughout Europe and enjoyed great acceleration, quiet operation, good gas mileage and less pollution than a regular gas-engine car. So if you're looking for a car next year, diesel could be part of the picture. On a related note, J.D. Power also revealed stats about the reliability of vehicles after three years of ownership. Two brands tied for the top spot: the foreign-made Lexus and, somewhat surprisingly, the American-made Buick. In fact, several other American brands were toward the top of the tally, with Cadillac placing fourth and Mercury placing fifth. Meanwhile, Japanese standards like Honda and Toyota placed fifth and sixth, respectively. On the bottom of the heap were some foreign cars like Suzuki, Isuzu and Saab. But the single least reliable automobile -- based on how many problems were reported per 100 vehicles -- proved to be a Land Rover. Clark thinks it's interesting that some Japanese and European cars were selected as least reliable, while a lot of domestic rides are back on top. But perceptions take a long time to change, and people who grew up on foreign cars sometimes won't even consider a domestic vehicle.

If you drive a pickup, SUV or minivan and have replaced your tires at some point, you need to check your tires to see if they're unsafe. To save money, a company in China produced their tires without an important safety step. As a result, after a short period of time, the tires shred right off the car. The importer knew there was a safety problem but didn't alert the government. People have been hurt, so you need to be aware of the brands that were sold with this serious safety defect:
YKS
Compass
Telluride
Westlake
The following sizes are defective:
LT235/75R-15, LT225/75R-16, LT235/85R-16, Lt245/75R-16, LT265/85R-16, and LT3X10.5-15.

China's economy is expanding rapidly and in a chaotic fashion, and this is not the only case of defective merchandise. We've heard of the unsafe toys and dog food, and now there are reports of antifreeze being put in toothpaste to extend its shelf life. (Never mind what it does to the consumer!) This is damaging the reputation of products from mainland China.

Clark has been a member of AAA since the early ‘70s. It’s been a good value because he travels so much. Clark gets more maps and routing services than he can count. But in terms of towing and road service, he hasn’t gotten his money’s worth. He’s needed the towing service maybe three or four times in the 40 years he’s been a member. If you think you’re spending too much on your motor club, there are now more options out there. Trade associations and youth groups are now starting to market their own motor clubs. The warehouse clubs also offer towing services for about $15 a month. And, you may be able to add a rider to your auto insurance for as little as $5 or $10 a year. Think about the last time you needed a tow and decide if it’s worth it to spend the money.

Is it time to shop for new tires yet? Clark’s mother recently took her car in for some work and was told she needed four new tires. The only problem was that the tires would cost $600! That sounded like a bit much to Clark, so he hopped on the Web to compare prices. He found the same tires for $220 installed. So, it’s imperative that you look around. The site, tirerack.com, usually has great deals. They can ship the tires to an auto shop/installer for a fairly low rate and you set up a time for the installation. It will cost about $5 more a tire to do it that way, but you will save on the price overall.

There are now 33 states that have emission testing programs in part or all of the state. So, depending on how things work in that state, you usually have to go once a year and have your car checked before getting your registration renewed. The testing itself is for a good purpose, which is better air quality. But it’s had a bit of a Frankenstein effect. If the “check engine” light on your dashboard, it can mean that something is wrong with your emissions. But it can also mean the gas cap is off or some other unrelated problem is going on. But in several states, if the “check engine” light is on when getting your car tested, you automatically fail. The mechanics don’t even inspect the car. It’s going on in Ohio, Maine, Louisiana, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, and the trend is growing. There may be nothing wrong with your car, but you have to pay to get it checked out because you failed the test. A smarter way to check emissions is to do “drive-by tests” along roads. Measuring devices are set up in key high traffic areas, and the device automatically tracks the car if it is emitting harmful fumes. It’s already being tested in California, according to the Orange County Register. Starting next year, infrared beams are going to sense when cars are spewing pollution on the interstates. The device also takes a picture of the car tag and sends the person a notice to get the car repaired. It’s a much more efficient and accurate way of testing, and more governments should pay attention.

When buying a used car, it’s key that you do your homework because you’re buying the car “as is.” That means that you’re buying the car and whatever problems may go along with it. Rarely, a used car will still be under warranty. But most used cars are not, and you want to know what has happened with that car. The BBB has just released a warning about all of the flood cars coming out of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi in the weeks and months after Katrina. They are being stripped and resold without people ever knowing they were flooded. And a flood car will not ever be okay. So, the first thing you do is have an independent mechanic check out the car. Make sure the mechanic is ASE certified. Also, do a Carfax report on a car. That is the 1-2 punch to give you information on car and its title history. A clean Carfax report doesn’t necessarily mean you are safe. But together they will prevent you from getting a lemon. And beware of these cars coming into the marketplace in a year or so.

Sometimes things happen in life that just aren’t fair. Sometimes, it is the laws that are written that allow terrible injustices to happen with no regard to consumers. Clark has one example. There was a large auto repair chain known as “M2 Automotive” that recently went bust. At the time, there were hundreds of cars under repair or complete in the shops, but people couldn’t get their cars back. In fact, there were armed guards standing outside the businesses, refusing the let people in. No one in law enforcement or the judicial system made an attempt to reunite people with their cars. There were no laws n place, supporting the stranded motorists. The only company that did anything about it was AllState, which filed a lawsuit and went to court. The AllState customers got their cars back and eventually the other people’s cars were released. But people had to wait for several more weeks. Where is the justice in that?

Clark has talked in the past about the cost of tires and ways people can save on them. Today, the cost of tires is rising out of control. Why? One reason is that there are many auto manufacturers who are trying to create a sporting image around the car. So, they put big wheels and tires on the car that make drivers feel like they are in a race car. The tires are much more expensive and they don’t last nearly as long as regular, sturdy tires. Many people don’t know the fancy tires are on the car until they start to see premature wear and tear. Tires for run-of-the-mill cars should cost $30 to $50 and they should last 50,000 miles or so. High performance tires only last about 12,000 miles and they cost tons. Check out tirerack.com if you must buy these fancy tires. It’s a great site for finding unusual replacement tires. The tires are shipped to an installation center near you or to your house if you’d like. You can save a lot!

About five years ago, Clark bought a used convertible that had not been driven very much. After four years, it had only 15,000 on it and it looked brand new. After the first owner traded it in, the car sat on a dealer lot for another year or two. Clark wanted the car, but as always, he had it checked out by an independent mechanic. The mechanic said everything on the car was fine except for the tires, which shocked Clark because to him they looked perfect. The mechanic said they can look great on the outside but but be rotted out on the inside. You may not know it, but tires degrade over time. They need to be replaced every six years, according to the Detroit News. To help encourage people to replace tires when they should, the government is considering putting a “born-on date” on tires. The Feds will decide whether they are going to do this by February of next year. In the meantime, spend the money even if the tires look perfect. If you drive a light amount, it would behoove you to buy a new one.

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In other driving news, there have been some tragic deaths involving SUVs and children. Now, SUVs are coming equipped with cameras that show who is behind the vehicle, if anyone. The field of vision behind an SUV is partially blocked. So, the sale of these after-market cameras is growing exponentially. You see right behind you, instead of seeing way behind you. So, consider one of these if you have an SUV or small children.