Which Car For Me?

I participate regularly in an active consumer discussion board about cars and a common topic is related to seeking help selecting a vehicle to purchase or lease. Some are asking for advice as to whether a Toyota is better than a Honda, or if a Kia is reliable, or if they should buy a SUV or Minivan.

The problem with the advice that one gets from these kinds of forums is that you only get snippets of information that represent the biases and limited experiences of a small number of individuals. A claim that a particular make of vehicle has horrible reliability will often evoke a response from someone that they drive a vehicle of that make that has 250,000 miles on the odometer and has never had the oil changed. A similar claim that a particular brand of car lasts forever will nearly always draw out someone who's car was a lemon.

The point to be made here is that, regardless of a vehicle's overall or average reliability, there will be exceptions. Furthermore, one person's opinions only represent his single experience, based on his needs, his priorities, and his limited perspective. The only way to get cumulative data is by consulting sources such as JD Power or Consumer Reports who do extensive annual surveys of thousands of vehicle owners.