Problems with New Car Models

We've heard for years that we shouldn't buy brand new car models, or models that have been significantly redesigned, in their first year. The reasoning was that you would be exposing yourself to the potential problems of an untested new design and that buying a model in at least it's second year would be much safer.

Now, the October 2005 issue of Consumer Reports magazine confirms this advice in an article that reports the results of a significant new study conducted with thousands of its readers. They looked at 79 models that were introduced new or underwent a redesign in the 2000 through 2002 model years. They found that the new models experienced an average 44 percent higher problem rate that the previous model year. They also found that, after a new model or redesign, the problem rate dropped by as much as 46 percent in the second and third year.

What does this suggest? First, if you absolutely have to have a new or newly redesigned model, expect more problems. Try to buy a brand that, historically, has had fewer problems overall. Second, if you buy a used car, try to avoid those years in which the model was new or significantly redesigned. Buy a year later, or a year earlier.