The 10 Most Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 1982 This page lists the top ten cars of model year 1982 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA or more concisely, R-D GPA). 1982's Top 10 Cars These 10 car classics are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first). The equipment of each model is that offered in the U.S.
1982 saw the emergence of Honda Motor Company as a provider of high-reliability, high-durability cars. Prior to 1982, no Honda car made the Top 10 list, but in 1982, 3 Hondas made the list of the 10 best. 1982 was the second year that a car by Nissan Motor Company made the 10 Best list and the third year that one or more vehicles by Mazda Motor Corporation made the list. Toyota Motor Corporation and Daimler-Benz AG had automobiles that made the Top 10 every year from 1975 to 1982. This is the second year that the Toyota Starlet placed within the Top 10. Where I live, it seems that Toyota vehicles constitute at least 80% of the 1980s cars still on the road. Although most are Corollas, one is a Starlet. (The last Starlet spotting was about 3 years ago, as of mid 2011). Manufacturers of the Top 10 Toyota Motor Corporation accounted for 4 of the most reliable and durable cars of 1982, a decrease from 8 in 1981, 6 in 1980, and 5 in 1979 and 1978, and a tie with 4 in 1977, 1976 and 1975. Honda Motor Company accounted for 3 of 1982's best, a very solid showing by a manufacturer which had not yet made the Top 10 list. Daimler-Benz AG, Mazda Motor Corporation, and Nissan Motor Company each accounted for one of the best cars of 1982. Japanese-built cars accounted for 9 of 1982's best cars; German-built cars accounted for the remaining 1.
Note that in 1982 (as in 1981, 1980, and 1979) none of the Detroit 3 had a car among the Top 10. The following chart gives each car maker's percent share of the Top 10 of 1982. Additional Vehicles with a Reliability-Durability Grade of A (R-D GPA of 3.50 or Better) There are three additional 1982 cars that have a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.50 or better. They are:
The late '70s and early '80s Mercedes-Benz 240D and the Volvo 240 are revered legends of engineering excellence. As their R-D GPAs attest, the reverence is well deserved.
Manufacturer Shares of Vehicles with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.00 or Better The manufacturer shares of the 18 vehicles with a R-D GPA of at least 3.00 are:
Computations To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 1982 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used. CR's ratings are converted to numerical values following the standard academic pattern: a grade point of 4.0 (an A) is accorded a rating of Much Better Than Average, a 3.0 (a B) is accorded a rating of Better Than Average, a 2.0 (a C) is accorded a rating of Average, a 1.0 (a D) is accorded a rating of Below Average, and a 0 (an F) is accorded a rating of Much Below Average. Then, for each age range, the grade point of CR's overall reliability rating is weighted 2/3 and the average of the grade points of the category ratings is weighted 1/3. Finally, the average for the two age ranges is taken. The Toyota Corolla SR5, the Toyota Starlet, the M-B 240D, and the Volvo 240 diesel offered only one age range of data. Best and Worst Vehicles of Each Model Year The Best Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 Additional Resources The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985 1986 ... 2004 2005 Best Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Worst Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Best Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Worst Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 For additional car quality information, visit www.AutoOnInfo.net and CarsOnInfo.net.In particular, for additional durability information, see:
www.CarQualityInfo.net: The car-quality website for the brighter-than-average North American consumer.
To help support independent car quality information, shop Amazon.com by clicking a link from this site.
|