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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.
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 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:
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).
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 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:
www.CarQualityInfo.net: The car-quality website for the brighter-than-average North American consumer.
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