10 Best Cars of Model Year 1982

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.

  • The Toyota Pickup Truck 2-wheel-drive, gasoline, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.82

The 1982 gasoline-powered 2-wheel-drive Toyota Pickup Truck came with an inline 4-cylinder, 2.4-Liter, 96-horsepower (72-kilowatt), 129-foot-pound-torque (165-Newton-meter-torque) engine.

  • The Mercedes-Benz 300D, CD, TD, SD, with a R-D GPA of 3.82

The 1982 turbocharged, diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz 300D came in a 4-door-sedan edition and with an inline 5-cylinder, 183-cubic-inch (3.0-Liter), 120-horsepower engine, a 4-speed automatic transmission, and a fuel capacity of 21.1 gallons. The 1982 300D has an overall length of 191 inches, an overall width of 70 inches, and a tire size of 195/70R14 ("tire width=195 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel-rim diameter=14 inches"). The 300CD and 300TD are coupe and wagon variations, respectively, of the 300D.

  • The Honda Accord, with a R-D GPA of 3.76

The 1982 Honda Accord came in either a 4-door-sedan or 2-door-hatchback edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 107-cubic-inch (1.8-Liter), 75-horsepower engine, a 3-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 15.8 gallons. The 4-door sedan has an overall length of 174 inches and an overall width of 65 inches. Its tire size is 185/70R13 ("tire width=185 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches"). The '82 Accord's front-wheel drive helped make it a very popular vehicle.

  • The Honda Civic, with a R-D GPA of 3.75

The 1982 Honda Civic was offered in two 2-door-hatchback editions (1300 and 1500), a 4-door-sedan edition, and a 4-door-wagon edition. The 1300 hatchback came with a 1.3-Liter engine; the other editions offered a 1.5-Liter engine. Both engines have 4 cylinders. All editions are front-wheel drive, and had been since 1980. The 1.5-Liter engine delivered 67 horsepower at 5000 rotations per minute. The sedan has an overall length of 161 inches and an overall width of 62 inches. Its tire size is 155R13.

  • The Toyota Tercel, with a R-D GPA of 3.71

The 1982 Toyota Tercel came in either a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, or 2-door-hatchback edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 89-cubic-inch (1.5-Liter), 60-horsepower engine, a 3-speed automatic or 4-speed or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 11.9 gallons. The 4-door has an overall length of 160 inches and an overall width of 61 inches. The 1981 Tercel's tire size is 145R13.

  • The Toyota Corolla SR-5, with a R-D GPA of 3.67
  • The Nissan/Datsun Maxima, with a R-D GPA of 3.65

The 1982 Nissan  came in either a 4-door sedan, 4-door-wagon, 4-door-diesel sedan, or a 4-door-diesel wagon edition. The diesel editions have a 2.8-Liter engine offering 80 horsepower; the gasoline editions have a 2.4-Liter engine offering 107 horsepower. The tire size for all is 185/70R14 ("tire width=185 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=14 inches").

  • The Honda Prelude, with a R-D GPA of 3.63

The 1982 Honda Prelude came in a 2-door edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 107-cubic-inch (1.8-Liter), a 75-horsepower engine, a 2-speed or 3-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 13.2 gallons. The car has an overall length of 161 inches, an overall width of 64 inches, and a tire size of 175/70R13 ("tire width=175 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches").

  • The Toyota Starlet, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.63

The 1982 Toyota Starlet came in a 2-door-hatchback edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 79-cubic-inch (1.3-Liter), 58-horsepower engine, a 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 10.6 gallons. The car has an overall length of 152.5 inches (3.874 meters) and an overall width of 60.4 inches (1.534 meters). The 1982 Starlet's tire size is 145R13.

  • The Mazda RX-7, with a R-D GPA of 3.61

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 Mercedes-Benz 240D, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.61

The 1982 diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz 240D came in a 4-door-sedan edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 146-cubic-inch (2.4-Liter), 67-horsepower engine, a 4-speed automatic or 4-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 17.2 gallons. The 4-door sedan has an overall length of 191 inches and an overall width of 70 inches. The 1982 M-B 240D's tire size is 175R14.

  • The Volvo 240 diesel, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.58

The 1982 diesel-powered Volvo 240 came in either a 4-door-sedan edition or a 4-door-wagon edition and with an inline 6-cylinder, 145-cubic-inch (2.4-Liter), 78-horsepower engine, a 3-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 15.8 gallons. The 4-door sedan has an overall length of 192 inches and an overall width of 67 inches. Its tire size is 185/70R14.

  • The Volkswagen Jetta diesel, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.54

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:

Toyota Motor Corporation: 38.9%

Honda Motor Company: 22.2%

Daimler-Benz AG: 11.1%

Mazda Motor Corporation: 5.6%

Nissan Motor Company: 5.6%

AB Volvo: 5.6%

Volkswagen AG: 5.6%

BMW AG: 5.6% 

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:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/SharesOfHighMileageVehicles.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaAgeEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaMileageEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/Top25OfAutoonInfosHighMileageRoster.aspx

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