The 10 Most Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 1986 This page lists the top ten cars (as well as the Top 20, Top 30, Top 40, and Top 50 cars) of model year 1986 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA or more concisely, R-D GPA). 1986'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.
As in 1983, 1984, and 1985, Honda Motor Company dominates 1986's list of the best, accounting for 4 of the Top 10. 1986 is the fifth year that one or more vehicles by Nissan Motor Company have made the list of the most reliable and durable. Toyota Motor Corporation has automobiles that have made the Top 10 every year from 1975 to 1986. The 2-wheel-drive Toyota Pickup is among the 10 best for model years 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1977, 1976, and 1975. It has contributed much to solidifying Toyota's reputation for both reliability and durability. The 2-wheel-drive Nissan Pickup is among the 10 best for model years 1986, 1985, and 1984. The Honda Accord, the Honda Prelude, and the 2-wheel-drive Honda Civic are among the 10 best for model years 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, and 1982. The Honda CR-X is among the Top 10 for model years 1986, 1985, and 1984. Manufacturers of the Top 10 Honda Motor Company accounted for 4 of 1986's most reliable and durable, same as in 1985, 1984 and 1983 and up from 3 in 1982. Toyota Motor Corporation accounted for 3 of the most reliable and durable cars of 1986, same as in 1985 and 1984 and an increase from 2 in 1983, but a decrease from 4 in 1982, 8 in 1981, 6 in 1980, 5 in 1979 and 1978, and 4 in 1977, 1976 and 1975. Although Toyota's rapid expansion of product offerings likely made quality control more challenging even in the early 1980s; nonetheless, Honda did a very fine job of displacing Toyota as leader of the Top 10. Daimler-Benz AG fell from the list of the best for model year 1986. Japanese-engineered cars accounted for all of the 10 best in 1986, up from 9 in 1985 and 1984 and in 1983; German-built cars accounted for none, down from 1 in 1985 and 1984 and 3 in 1983. Note that in 1986 (as in 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, and 1979) none of the Detroit manufacturers had a car among the Top 10.
The following chart gives each car maker's percent share of the Top 10 of 1986. The Next 10 Cars of 1986
The next 10 cars are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).
The 20 best automobile models of 1986 were engineered by companies headquartered in either Japan (95%) or Germany (5%). Note that all of the 20 most reliable and durable cars of 1986 had a Reliability-Durability Grade of A, as in 1985. Auto Company shares of the Top 20 Cars of 1986 The car manufacturer shares (rounded to the nearest percent) of the Top 20 vehicles are:
The Next 10 Cars of 1986
The next 10 cars are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first). The 30 best automobile models of 1986 were engineered by companies headquartered in Japan (80%), Germany (17%), and the U.S. (3%). Note that all of the third-tier cars had a Reliability-Durability Grade of B or better, still a notable achievement.
Auto Company shares of the Top 30 Cars of 1986 The car manufacturer shares (rounded to the nearest percent) of the Top 30 vehicles are:
Chart of the 30 Best Cars of 1986 The following bar graph depicts how much above average the Top 30 cars of 1986 are. The 30 best are listed in descending order (best first). Particularly noteworthy is that all of the Top 30 of 1986 have a Reliability-Durability GPA greater than that of the 10th-place vehicle of 1975, only 11 years earlier. This is a consequence of two factors - a greatly expanded product offering by Japanese manufacturers and a gravitation toward these high-reliability, high-durability vehicles by the consumer-savvy subscribers of Consumer Reports. The Next 10 Cars of 1986 The next 10 cars are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).
The 40 best automobile models of 1986 were engineered by companies headquartered in Japan (82.5%), Germany (15%), and the U.S. (2.5%). All of the Top 40 of 1986 have a Reliability-Durability GPA equal to or greater than that of the 10th-place car of 1975.
Auto Company shares of the Top 40 Cars of 1986 The car manufacturer shares of the Top 40 vehicles are:
The Next 10 Cars of 1986
The next 10 cars are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first). The 50 best automobile models of 1986 were engineered by companies headquartered in Japan (78%), Germany (16%), and the U.S. (6%). The car manufacturer shares of the Top 50 vehicles are:
Computations To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 1986 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 Nissan Pickup Truck 2wd, the Nissan Pickup Truck Inline 4 2wd, the Mercedes-Benz 300 Series 2wd, the Toyota Tercel Wagon 2wd, the Nissan Pickup Truck V6 2wd, the Volkswagen Jetta, Carat Diesel, the Honda Civic Wagon 4wd, the Suzuki Samurai, the Nissan Pickup Truck 4wd, the Mercedes-Benz 300, the Saab 900 Series, the Subaru Hatchback 2wd, and Mitsubishi's Ram 50 Pickup Truck Inline 4 2wd 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:
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