Ford does well on CR reliability... could madanthony finally have done something right?

I tend to have buyer's remorse after buying things. I generally do a good bit of soul-searching, comparison shopping, and research before I make purchases... and I still usually regret making them, like buying my house (I probably would have been better off financially to have stayed a renter).

But I was pleased to see that Ford reliability did very well in the most recent Consumer Reports rankings. They don't break it down by models beyond a few mentioned in the article, and they don't allow access on their website without paying, so I don't know specifically how well my Ranger did in reliability. But if Ford reliability is improving, it's probably a good sign.

Granted, I've never put much stock in Consumer Reports ratings - they are anything but scientific, since they aren't a totally random survey, but rather depend on people responding. They also have in the past shown some very questionable results, such as two identical badge-engineered vehicles (where the vehicles are identical except for nameplate, ie Ford and Mercury) have different ratings - which suggests that personal opinion and bias comes into play in the survey results. Still, people seem to put stock in them, so I guess they have some degree of accuracy.

So far the 16 months I've had the Ranger have been trouble-free except for a burned-out blinker light bulb. Then again, my trouble-ridden PT Cruiser didn't have any issues (beyond the theft of it's wheels and a factory recall) until I'd had it for a little over two years, so it's too early to say that it will run forever. Although I'd settle for 5 years or so.