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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!mcnc!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!houxm!garys
From: garys@houxm.UUCP (#G.SEUBERT)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Sticker Price vs. Dealer Cost ...
Message-ID: <738@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Apr-84 22:58:13 EST
Article-I.D.: houxm.738
Posted: Sun Apr 22 22:58:13 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 23-Apr-84 07:22:05 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 20


 > Their repair ratings, which I referred to then as the only trustworthy
 > information in the magazine, were mentioned by another netter as
 > something else they get wrong.  Seems they only count repair incidence,
 > not cost to repair.  So a turn signal lens that falls off counts as
 > much as a transmission rebuild (note that for a while, they were
 > factoring with cost.  They've cut that out).

I'm looking at the Frequency-of-Repair records section of the April issue
of Consumers and MY COPY has separate ratings for types of troubles and
the relative 'cost index' of how much repairs on a particular car run
above or below the average for other models of the same year. 

I'm not defending them to the hilt (I've been burned with toasters too)
but I think that making it possible for a buyer to walk into a car dealership
knowing EXACTLY how much the salesman is lying through his teeth when he says
"believe me - we're only making $50 and that has to pay our phone bill"
earns Consumer Reports some credit for helping us out.

Gary Seubert - ..!ihnp4!houxm!garys