West Bloomfield, MI (PRWEB) November 23, 2009 -- When people consider buying a car, they wonder: what are the odds it will turn out to be a lemon? Does it have a shot at requiring no repairs at all?
Traditional sources of car reliability information have never answered these questions. They've only provided vague dot ratings that indicate how a car compares to the average for all cars. Even TrueDelta,
which has been providing car models' average repair frequencies, and not just dots, has not been directly answering car buyers' real questions. Instead, car buyers have had to infer their odds of getting a lemon from the
average repair frequency.
With the latest update to TrueDelta's Car Reliability Survey results, released today, this will no longer be necessary. This update includes two new statistics: "Nada-odds" and "Lemon-odds." From a car model's Nada-odds,
car buyers can learn how many cars out of a hundred required no repairs at all--nada--in the past year. And from its Lemon-odds they can learn how many out of a hundred had to go to the repair shop three or more times in the
past year.
"The odds of getting a problem-free car are higher than many people suspect, while the odds of getting a lemon are much lower," reports TrueDelta founder Michael Karesh. "After seeing plenty of black dots, and hearing anecdotal
horror stories, people just know there are a lot of bad cars out there. But we're finding that the reality is otherwise." Many of the 2007, 2008, and 2009 models included in these results had a three-in-four chance--or better--of
requiring no repairs in the past year. "This is why for every car that gets hit with a 'worse than average' reliability rating you can find plenty of owners who have had no problems," notes Karesh.
And the Lemon-odds? With many fairly new cars your chances of a lemon are under one in a hundred, and under one-in-twenty is the norm. Only with the least reliable cars are your odds worse than one-in-ten. "The horror stories are
real," says Karesh, "just a lot less common than many people think."
First reliability stats for 2010s
With prompt quarterly updates, TrueDelta can provide reliability stats for new models well ahead of other sources. Three months ago TrueDelta released the first reliability stat anywhere for a 2010 model. The updated results,
covering owner experiences through September 30, 2009, include additional 2010 models. The redesigned Toyota Prius and Mazda3 have required very few repairs so far, while the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe has been about average.
About TrueDelta.com:
Owners of over 54,000 cars have joined TrueDelta.com to share information on reliability, real-world fuel economy, and their reasons for buying a particular car. Enthusiastic support from car owner forums, including PriusChat.com, Mazdas, and GenesisOwners.com, helped make the above results possible. In return for their participation, car owners receive full access to TrueDelta.com, for free.
Car owners can view the latest survey results and become involved at TrueDelta.com. Journalists interested in keeping up with TrueDelta's updates are encouraged to request a media account.
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