Manufacturer Specific Car Buying Tips
Each car manufacturer differs greatly in terms of pricing, quality, warranties, etc. Deciding which manufacturer to buy from will differ based on your upbringing, income and tastes. Researching reliability ratings and pricing in our new car buying tips page will help you choose what manufacturer appeals most to you. This page gives you a basic overview of the price/quality ratings across all the major manufacturers, and provides tips on how to obtain the best deal from whichever manufacturer you choose.
Car Manufacturers A–K (1: Low, 5: High)
| Manufacturer | Price | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Acura | 4 | 3 |
| Audi | 4 | 5 |
| BMW | 5 | 4 |
| Buick | 4 | 3 |
| Cadillac | 4 | 3 |
| Chevrolet | 3 | 2 |
| Chrysler | 3 | 1 |
| Dodge | 3 | 5 |
| Ferrari | 5 | 4 |
| Ford | 3 | 4 |
| GMC | 3 | 4 |
| Honda | 2 | 2 |
| Hummer | 4 | 3 |
| Hyundai | 1 | 4 |
| Infiniti | 4 | 4 |
| Isuzu | 1 | 1 |
| Jaguar | 4 | 4 |
| Jeep | 3 | 2 |
| Kia | 1 | 2 |
Car Manufacturers L–V (1: Low, 5: High)
| Manufacturer | Price | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Lamborghini | 5 | 5 |
| Land Rover | 4 | 1 |
| Lexus | 4 | 5 |
| Lincoln | 3 | 3 |
| Lotus | 3 | 3 |
| Mazda | 2 | 2 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 5 | 5 |
| Mercury | 3 | 3 |
| Mitsubishi | 3 | 2 |
| Nissan | 3 | 4 |
| Porsche | 5 | 5 |
| Saab | 4 | 2 |
| Subaru | 3 | 3 |
| Suzuki | 1 | 1 |
| Toyota | 3 | 4 |
| Volkswagen | 2 | 3 |
| Volvo | 4 | 3 |
Car Manufacturers A–K:
– Acura: dealers stick pretty close to invoice; some are willing to go a few hundred under invoice to make a deal.
– Chevrolet: dealers are starting to get more competitive with pricing, but still not as low as their Asian competitors.
– Ford: dealers are unwilling to negotiate as much as some of their closest competitors; a few hundred under invoice is a reality for most Ford cars. Ford Credit, however, is very strong with competitive financing rates.
– Toyota: dealers have started to get more aggressive with their pricing and incentives, and have overall good products (despite their recent quality woes).
Car Manufacturers L–V:
– Lamborghini: dealers are going to charge you full sticker price. Can you blame them?
– Nissan: dealers are quite willing to give their cars away, to the tune of thousands below invoice. Rich people can even haggle the GT-R down to invoice or less.