10 Best Cars of Model Year 1987

The 10 Most Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 1987 

This page lists the top ten cars, as well as the Top 20, of model year 1987 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA or more concisely, R-D GPA).

1987'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 Honda Accord, with a R-D GPA of 3.75

The 1987 Honda Accord came in either a 4-door-sedan or 2-door-hatchback edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 119-cubic-inch (2.0-Liter), 100-horsepower engine, a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 15.9 gallons. The 4-door sedan has an overall length of 179 inches and an overall width of 66 inches. Its tire size is 185/70R13 ("tire width=185 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches").

The 1987 base list prices of the Honda Accord editions were:

The 4-door sedan DX: $10,625, up from $9,679 in 1986, $8,845 in 1985, $8,723 in 1984, and $8,345 in 1983
The 4-door sedan LX: $12,799, up from $11,449 in 1986, $10,295 in 1985, $10,123 in 1984, and $8,549 in 1983
The 4-door sedan LXi: $14,429, up from $13,199 in 1986
The 2-door hatchback DX: $9,795, up from $8,799 in 1986, $7895 in 1985, $7,873 in 1984, and $7,499 in 1983
The 2-door hatchback LXi: $12,785, up from $11,649 in 1986.

The automatic transmission was optional at $530.

The 1987 Honda Accord was made in Japan and the U.S. The Made-in-Japan Accords have a vehicle identification number that begins with the letter J.

  • The Toyota Pickup Truck Inline 4 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.75

This is a Made-in-Japan model.

  • The Acura Integra, with a R-D GPA of 3.71

The 1987 Acura Integra came in either a 4-door-hatchback or 2-door-hatchback edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 97-cubic-inch (1.6-Liter), 113-horsepower engine, a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 13.2 gallons. The 4-door hatchback has an overall length of 171 inches and an overall width of 66 inches. Its tire size is 195/60R14 ("tire width=195 mm"/"tire height=60% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=14 inches").

The 1987 base list prices of the Acura Integra editions were:

The 4-door hatchback RS: $10,559
The 4-door hatchback LS: $12,159
The 2-door hatchback RS: $9,859
The 2-door hatchback LS: $12,159.

This is a Made-in-Japan model.
 
Acura is Honda Motor Company's upcale brand.
  • The Honda Civic 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.71

The 1987 2-wheel-drive Honda Civic came in either a 4-door-sedan, 4-door-wagon, or 2-door-hatchback edition and with an inline 4-cylinder, 91-cubic-inch (1.5-Liter), 76-horsepower engine, a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 12.1 gallons.

The 1987 base list prices of the 2-wheel-drive Honda Civic editions were:

The 4-door sedan: $8,455
The 4-door wagon: $8,330
The 2-door hatchback: $5,799
The 2-door hatchback DX: $7,489
The 2-door hatchback Si: $8,899.

The automatic transmission was optional at $500 to $725.

The 1987 Honda Civic was made in Japan and the U.S. The Made-in-Japan Civics have a vehicle identification number that begins with the letter J.

  • The Honda Prelude, with a R-D GPA of 3.71

The 1987 Honda Prelude came as a 2-door and with an inline 4-cylinder, 112-cubic-inch (1.8-Liter), 100-horsepower engine, a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel capacity of 15.9 gallons. The Prelude has an overall length of 169 inches and an overall width of 67 inches. Its tire size is 185/70R13 ("tire width=185 mm"/"tire height=70% of width""Radial""wheel rim diameter=13 inches").

The 1987 base list prices of the Honda Prelude editions were:

The 2-door: $11,995, up from $10,980 in 1986
The 2-door Si: $14,945, up from $13,538 in 1986.

The automatic transmission was optional at $530.

This is a Made-in-Japan model.

  • The Nissan Pathfinder 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.71

This is a Made-in-Japan model.

  • The Toyota 4Runner Inline 4 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.71

This is a Made-in-Japan model.

  • The Acura Legend, with a R-D GPA of 3.69

This is a Made-in-Japan model.

Acura is Honda Motor Company's upscale brand.

  • The Mazda Pickup Truck, with a R-D GPA of 3.69

This is a Made-in-Japan model, for North America.

  • The Honda Civic CRX, with a R-D GPA of 3.67

The 1987 Honda Civic CRX was offered in three 2-door-hatchback editions - the standard, the HF (with high fuel economy), and the Si (with fuel injection).

The 1987 base list prices of the Honda CRX editions were:

The standard: $7,975, up from $7,339 in 1986
The HF: $7,639, up from $6,998 in 1986
The Si: $9395, up from $8,649 in 1986.

The automatic transmission was optional at $500, up from $420 in 1986.

This is a Made-in-Japan model.

As in 1983, 1984, 1985, and 1986, Honda Motor Company dominates 1987's list of the best, this year accounting for 6 of the Top 10.

1987 is the sixth 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 1987.

The 2-wheel-drive Toyota Pickup is among the 10 best for model years 1987, 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 Honda Accord, the Honda Prelude, and the 2-wheel-drive Honda Civic are among the 10 best for model years 1987, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, and 1982. The Honda CR-X is among the Top 10 for model years 1987, 1986, 1985, and 1984.

Manufacturers of the Top 10 

Honda Motor Company accounted for 6 of 1987's most reliable and durable, up from 4 in 1986, 1985, 1984 and 1983 and up from 3 in 1982.

Toyota Motor Corporation accounted for 2 of the most reliable and durable cars of 1987, down from 3 in 1986, 1985, and 1984, same as in 1983, and down 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 was absent from the list of the best for model years 1987 and 1986.

Japanese-engineered cars accounted for all of the 10 best in 1987 and 1986, up from 9 in 1985 and 1984 and in 1983. German-built cars accounted for none of the ten best in 1987, same as in 1986 and down from 1 in 1985 and 1984 and 3 in 1983.

Note that in 1987 (as in 1986, 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 1987.

The Next 10 Cars of 1987

The next 10 cars are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).

  • The Toyota MR2, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.65
  • The front-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla, with a R-D GPA of 3.61
  • The 2-wheel-drive Nissan Pickup Truck, with a R-D GPA of 3.59
  • The Toyota Cressida, with a R-D GPA of 3.58
  • The Mitsubishi Motors' rebadged 4-cylinder Dodge Ram 50 Pickup Truck, with a R-D GPA of 3.57
  • The Mercury Grand Marquis, with a R-D GPA of 3.56
  • The Suzuki Samurai, with a R-D GPA of 3.56
  • The 4-wheel-drive Toyota Tercel Wagon, with a R-D GPA of 3.54
  • The 2-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz 300 Series, with a R-D GPA of 3.53
  • The Volvo 740 Series Turbo, with a R-D GPA of 3.53

The 20 best automobile models of 1987 were engineered by companies headquartered in Japan (85%), Germany (5%), Sweden (5%), and the U.S. (5%).

Note that all of the 20 most reliable and durable cars of 1987 had a Reliability-Durability Grade of A, as in 1986 and 1985.

Auto Company shares of the Top 20 Cars of 1987

The car manufacturer shares (rounded to the nearest percent) of the Top 20 vehicles are:

Honda Motor Company: 30%, down from 35% in 1986, but up from 25% in 1985
Toyota Motor Corporation: 30%, down from 40% in 1986 and 50% in 1985
Nissan Motor Company: 10%, down from 15% in 1986, but up from 5% in 1985
Mazda Motor Corporation: 5%, same as in 1986 and 1985
Daimler-Benz, AG: 5%, same as in 1986 and 1985
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: 5%
Suzuki Motor Corporation: 5%
Volvo Personvagnar AB: 5%
Ford Motor Company: 5%
 
Note that a number of companies accounted for the 20 best in 1987. This may be due to the fact that the R-D GPA is based on only one age range in 1987 (as Consumer Reports didn't provide overall reliability ratings for much of the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s), see computations below.

Chart of the 20 Best Cars of 1987

The following bar graph depicts how much above average the Top 20 cars of 1987 are. The 20 best are listed in descending order (best first).

This is a bar graph of the Reliability-Durability GPAs of the 20 best cars of model year 1987. The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite measure based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for age range 4-to-5 years. Chart by James Benjamin Bleeker, 5 June 2012.

Particularly noteworthy is that all of the Top 20 of 1987 have a Reliability-Durability GPA greater than that of the 10th-place vehicle of 1977, only 10 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.

Computations

To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 1987 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age range 4-to-5 years are used. For the R-D GPAs for model year 1975 to 1986, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used. The reason for the difference is that CR did not provide an overall reliability rating (a component in the computation of the Reliability-Durability GPA) for much of the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s.

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 the 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.

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  1987  ...  2004  2005

The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA:  1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  1987  ...  2004  2005 

Additional Resources

The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA:  1985  1986  1987 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA:  1985  1986  1987  ...  2004  2005

The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986  1987  ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA:  1985  1986  1987  ...  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 www.CarsOnInfo.net.

For a Kindle ebook offering anywhere, anytime access to Auto Reliability GPAs and Grades, see:

In particular, for additional durability information, see:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/SharesOfHighMileageVehicles.aspx 
http://www.CarsOnInfo.net/Toyota-Age-Equivalents 
http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/ToyotaMileageEquivalents.aspx 
http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/HighMileageRoster.aspx

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