Car Makers - Best Manufacturers of MY 1985

The Car Makers with the Most Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 1985 by CR's 1991 List of Used Cars to Avoid 

This page lists the top seven car manufacturers of model year 1985 by absence from Consumer Reports' 1991 list of Used Cars to Avoid.

1985's Top 7 Car Makers 

The criteria for selecting 1985's best automobile manufacturers are:

  1. No model entry in CR's 1991 list of Used Cars to Avoid at the 5-to-6-year age range,
  2. At least 4 model entries in CR's 1991 Reliability Tables for the 5-to-6-year age range.

The 7 leading manufacturers in the North American automobile market are listed below in descending order of entries of 1985 cars in CR's 1991 Reliability Tables (covering the age range of 5-to-6 years old), together with entry count.

  • Toyota Motor Corporation, with 15 Reliability Table entries
  • Volkswagen AG, with 11 Reliability Table entries
  • Nissan Motor Company, with 8 Reliability Table entries
  • Honda Motor Company, with 5 Reliability Table entries
  • BMW AG, with 4 Reliability Table entries
  • Mazda Motor Corporation, with 4 Reliability Table entries
  • Volvo Personvagnar AB, with 4 Reliability Table entries
By this measure of automotive quality, Toyota Motor Corporation is the best in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 (sole best manufacturer), 1990 (tied for first place), 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.
 
Worth noting is the increase in the number of models by Toyota Motor Corporation rated in Consumer Reports' Reliability Tables - from 15 in 1985 to 29 in 2006. The increase reflects U.S. consumer gravitation, albeit a very slow movement, toward quality and a resulting increase in Toyota's U.S. market shares.
 
To compare this list of the automobile manufacturers with the most reliable and durable cars of 1985 with the list of best car makers using the Reliability-Durability GPA, click here.
 
Countries of Origin of the 7 Best Car Manufacturers of 1985 by Absence from CR's 1991 List of Used Cars to Avoid
 
Japan accounts for 4 of the 7 best car companies in 1985; Germany accounts for 2; Sweden accounts for 1.

Computations

To determine the number of each manufacturer's 1985 models in the age range of 5-to-6 years old on Consumer Reports' list of Used Cars to Avoid, a count is made of each manufacturer's 1985 models on this list in the April 1991 issue of Consumer Reports (pages 290 and 291).
 
To determine the number of each manufacturer's 1985 models in the age range of 5-to-6 years old in Consumer Reports' list of Reliability Tables, a count is made of each manufacturer's 1985 models in the Reliability Tables of the April 1991 issue of Consumer Reports (pages 259-278).
 
Additional Resources

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

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 

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

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

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