Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2001 10:36:49 -0500 From: "Kenneth S." <nimrodnopsams.com> Subject: Re: Was 1996 A Bad Year For Saabs?
Mack Worrell wrote: > > "Just Bob" <uctraingnopsamanet.com> wrote in message > news:e6001ucopguuvhuk5hnib31r9glthllpr5nopsamcom... > > On Thu, 06 Dec 2001 11:02:56 GMT, "Mack Worrell" > > <cro_delete_wellmnopsamatlantic.net> wrote: > > > Let me ask: You did study statistics before posting that, right ? > > I just have one thing to say concerning that: > > > > "Dewey wins election by a landslide" > > > OK, I guess you've demonstrated by your example that the whole field of > statistics is invalid. : ) > > > The problem is that the categories are too wide. "Engine problems" can > > be anything from a minor problem like leaking valve cover gaskets to > > a serious problem like Mitsubishi "crank walk", where the main > > bearings give out due to lack of lubrication. Or, look at the Saab > > V6 - which gets low marks because owners ignore the factory spec'ed > > belt change intervals and hose the motors. Other categories cut > > the same broad swath and are equally useless. Without the backup > > data as to what specific problems they have, the generalization is > > not useful. > > > > CR bases reliability on 14 categories. The categories are weighted as to > the overall importance in terms of overall reliability. It would probably be > unwieldy for CR to increase the number of categories. I cannot agree with > your generalization that their information is useless. > > > Additionally, the 'surveys' are not objective and do nothing to > > account for the fact that a BMW owner may have higher expectations > > than a Chevy owner, and report accordingly. > > > There surveys are based on quantitative data, so whether you like it or not > the surveys are objective. As to there bias, that's another question. > However, I know that when I bought my 1993 Mazda protege I compared it with > other similarly sized and priced vehicles. When I purchased my 1996 Mercury > Villager, I compared it with other minivans. When I bought my SAAB 9-5 > Wagon (which, by the way, has a very good reliability record according to > CR) I compared it to the Mercedes 320 Wagon, the BMW 500 series Wagons, and > the Audi A-6 Wagon (much worse than average reliabilty). I didn't compare > it to the Hyundai Elantra, for example. I would bet that as a class, the > owners of the Mercedes, SAABs, BMWs, and Audis would all have nearly similar > expectations. > > > Bob I think that the Consumer Report information IS valuable, and personally I am a sadder but a wiser man since I bought my 1996 900SE about a year ago. (Of course, I wouldn't have been able to get the car for the price I did if it hadn't been for the depreciation imposed by the market's assessment of the problems of this vehicle.) As someone who for years had wanted to own a Saab, I'm glad to hear that newer Saabs are more reliable. If GM and Saab managers had continued to deny the problems that everyone else seems to know about, they would never have been fixed.
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