Consumer Reports articles from April 2004

Consumer Reports archives from April 2004

The real deal.(have you heard?)
April 1, 2004... A friend's son rushed into his kitchen one day. "Mom!" he said, "There are millions of cats in the yard! "Millions?" his mother asked. "Well, thousands." "Thousands?" she asked. "Umm, hundreds." "Hundreds?" "OK, ours and a gray one," he...

Where the rollover scores go wrong.(Up front: news / trends / advice)
April 1, 2004... You'd think that a vehicle that tipped up on two wheels during a rollover test would score lower than one that didn't. But that isn't how the initial results of the federal government's revised ratings are shaking out, despite the inclusion of...

Best vehicles for $25,000 or less.(Up front: news / trends / advice)
April 1, 2004... Better-equipped cars and pricier SUVs have helped drive the average new-vehicle transaction price beyond $27,000, compared with just $18,000 a decade ago, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. But you needn't pay top dollar...

Would you buy that car again?(Up front: news / trends / advice)
April 1, 2004... Back in 1901, Packard ads urged early auto shoppers to "ask the man who owns one." Today, as part of our Annual Questionnaire, we ask our subscribers--the men and the women who own a car or truck--whether they would buy that model again,...

Top Picks 2004: the best models in 10 categories.(2004 Cars)
April 1, 2004... Of the 183 vehicles that CONSUMER REPORTS has recently tested, our Top Picks are worth special attention. Each is an all-around high performer that has: * Scored the best among its competitors in our rigorous 40-point testing program. ...

New for 2004 & 2005.(2004 Cars)
April 1, 2004... In addition to the more than 30 new or redesigned models that have been introduced for 2004, automakers are already sending some of their 2005 models to dealerships. To provide perspective on some of the noteworthy introductions, CR's auto...

Best cars for kids.(CR Investigates)
April 1, 2004... Is a family sedan the best vehicle for your family? What's the safest car for your teenage driver? We asked those questions and more in CONSUMER REPORTS" first investigation and Ratings based on how well 182 cars and trucks serve today's...

How cars are holding up.(2004 Cars)
April 1, 2004... Our latest survey of subscribers' experiences with their cars shows that vehicles from Detroit's Big Three automakers are now slightly more reliable, on average, than those from European makers. They also tend to hold up better than the...

Cashing in on this year's discount mania.(money)
April 1, 2004... What will it take to put you into a new car today? The answer to that time-honored question nowadays is more and more incentives. Although the economy is improving, many auto industry analysts predict that customer expectations and heavy...

Wake up to the risks of drowsy driving.(health)
April 1, 2004... Getting behind the wheel when you're short on sleep is very risky business. The worst-case scenario, falling asleep at the wheel, is surprisingly common. Drowsy driving is blamed for at least 100,000 accidents, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 deaths...

Fast food: a healthful pit stop?(names & claims)
April 1, 2004... McDonald's will help you "eat wisely on the road." Burger King can "support your diet." Wendy's offers a low-fat meal that "costs less than a personal trainer." If you're looking for a healthful fill-up on a road trip, can these places fit...

Night-driving after Lasik.(Did You Know?)
April 1, 2004... People who undergo the vision-correcting eye surgery procedure known as Lasik (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) may experience glare, halos, and starbursts around lights at night, which could be troublesome while driving. The effects may...

5 steps to getting the best price.(Buying A New Car)
April 1, 2004... Ideally, a dealership should help you find the right vehicle at a fair price. But some dealers place more emphasis on their profit margins than on satisfying their customers. When buying a car, keep your interests front and center--and avoid...

Sizing up the 2004s.(Ratings)
April 1, 2004... CR tests about 55 vehicles a year, using the most comprehensive consumer-oriented auto-testing program in the U.S. About 45 individual tests are performed on every vehicle to evaluate its performance, safety, comfort, convenience, interior...

Which cars are safer?(Cars)
April 1, 2004... It's getting easier to find vehicles with high overall safety capabilities. Among the sedans included in this year's CR Safety Assessment, for example, 21 are rated excellent overall, compared with 9 three years ago, when we introduced the...

A user's guide.(Vehicle Profiles)
April 1, 2004... The 220 vehicle profiles that begin on the next page contain information to help you make a sound car-buying decision, They cover all major 2004 and early-2005 models that are available or will be soon. In each profile, you'll find essential...

How the '04 cars will fare.(Reliability)
April 1, 2004... Reliability is an important concern for the new-car buyer, but a difficult quality to discern. CR's annual reliability surveys can help. Our latest survey, conducted in the spring of 2003, yielded information on 675,000 vehicles spanning the...

The best & worst.(Used Cars)
April 1, 2004... Overall, cars are getting more reliable every year (see "Reliability Trends," on page 16), But buying any used vehicle entails some risk, The lists on these pages give you a rundown of the models that were the most trouble-free and...

Detailed reliability ratings.(Used Cars)
April 1, 2004... In the following pages, CR provides you with reliability information on more than 200 models. Based on 675,000 responses to our annual subscriber survey, these charts show you how 1996 through 2003 models are holding up in 14 trouble spots. The...

Annual auto roudup.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
April 1, 2004... Last November, an ad for the Nissan Altima appeared on a limited number of movie screens before showings of "The Matrix Revolutions." As the ad rolled, people hired by Nissan jumped up from their seats in the audience and shouted lines of...

Drivel for drivers.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
April 1, 2004... This envelope, from the "Regional Disbursement Center, United States Post Office Box 88," held a flyer for MOONLIGHT MADNESS!--a car sale. (The sale occurred in July and the dealer was open only until 8 p.m., so we're not sure where moonlight...

Wake up!(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
April 1, 2004... In dim type below the image at right are these words: "Do not attempt. Exceeding a distribution roof load of 100 lbs. may damage vehicles."

New meaning for "cash back".(selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
April 1, 2004... Using the calculation at left, a 54-year-old reader figures he should choose the Corolla for $4,444. Take $5,400 off its price, and the dealer would owe him $956.

Hey, kids, let's drive like maniacs!(selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
April 1, 2004... In a TV ad for the Pontiac Grand Prix, a man drives two boys through city streets. The kids are in the backseat and are belted in. But that's the end of the safety lesson. As the boys race to push buttons on electronic games, Dad races the car,...

No wonder they're so cheap.(selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)
April 1, 2004... The dealer can sell twice as many cars, an Arizona reader reasoned, when each is cut in two.