Tone

Rates the 911 Carrera S (Manual) as #4 in overall test scores:
1. Lexus LS 460L
2. Infinity M35 X (AWD)
3. BMW 135i (Manual)

A lot of very high ratings for the 911 in various other sub categories they list.
Rating for reliability was average.

Interestingly on USED CARS TO AVOID:
- 911 (2004 & 2007)
- Cayenne (204-2006, 2008)

Any guesses, why does the 911 2007 get dinged and not 2005, 2006, 2008?

Likemystoppie?

Because CR are a bunch of douche bags who get paid by Toyota Motor Corp.


Seriously, do you really give a crap what CR says? I don't.

mal28

why don't you foward your thoughts to CR?

I, for one, believe them more than the average car salesman

uzj100

Except the 997 does have some reliability issues. Like bad muffler brackets, failed water pumps, faulty front suspension components etc

abe

First of all....maybe its because its not a scientific study. Second, maybe its because by chance the 07 folks problably were a little more vocal and pissed off and more of them responded than the other years...just by chance. Remember one of the question is why the 07 as compared to the other 997 years.
abe

Jetpilot

mjsporsche

Lots of people are having "moments" today. Must be Spring!

Chris from Cali

Wow - a little pointed, huh?

I trust CR when it comes to buying a fridge or toaster, not a car. CR ALWAYS loves the most boring (yet UTTERLY reliable) cars. I'd trust Popular Mechanics more if I needed an outside source for a car appraisal.

4Scargo

I bought a 1996 Isuzu Trooper after CR cut them off at the knees. Great price on a great SUV, and, it hardly ever tipped over!

Tone

Agreed - 100%.
That's why I found it refreshing to see how much they loved the 911 on their Best & Worst of 2009 Cars issue. Even with "average" reliability the 911 scored VERY high in many categories since they weigh the driving/performance experience etc. It's a CR recommended buy.

I'm surprised at some of the heated responses to my initial post.
I don't think anyone would argue the "average" reliability for the 997...my main question is why they singled out the 2007 as cars to avoid. Based on some other cars they've listed to avoid, they seem pretty on top of their recommendations. e.g. they said to avoid 2001 Volvo XC70, but recommend 2002 onwards for used cars. Having owned a 2002 with little problems and heard about problems with the 2001 (same model/not redesigned) it seems they're suggestions are sound.

dD/dt

CR is great for ratings on mass-market cars. If you're deciding between a Ford, Toyota and Honda, their ratings make sense.

As for the 2007 911 getting dinged -- it probably has to do with their data collection methods. They poll their subscribers to come up with repair frequency data. The 'n' of Porsche owners and respondents isn't that great; OTOH, there are a lot of Honda owners. So just a few problems in one given model year can skew the statistics, just b/c of the small denominator.

ADias

CR has no credibility reviewing Porsches.

_Nathan

You should pay attention to CR ratings if you are concerned about things like how hard it is to attach child seats and how many wheelchairs fit in the trunk. If you care more about things like how much fun a car is to drive, look elsewhere.

sharmat

Those cars are not even the same class as the 997

swajames

CR is the only magazine that doesn't accept any advertising $$$, CR owns its own test track and employs decent test drivers and CR also buys all of the cars it reviews (anonymously from dealers).

While we may not always like the results, there is no agenda at CR and their results are what they are.