I've been very happy with my Mystique but I'll be the first to admit that if Ford wants to hold their own against the competition they've got some work to do.
They could start by having their dealerships hire technicians who actually know what they are doing.
As for Consumer Reports.....I just don't know about them. I looked in one before I bought my Mystique and it said reliability was average and it was even like number four or five on a very long list of recommended vehicles, beating several popular import models. Then I saw another one that said the 98s were good but avoid all the other years. Then another one came out that said avoid 95-98.
Would they make up their minds already! The moral of the story.....take Consumer Reports with a grain of salt. A good friend of mine has a 98 Sable which had an excellent reliability rating....and guess what? He's spent probably 3 or 4 times more on repairs than I've spent on the stique at least.....
It's almost a given that CR will give any Honda/Toyota/Nissan sedan an excellent rating but when I talk to people who actually own one I'm getting a different story. One friend has a mid/late 90s Camry that we think came from hell's hell....two of my other friends sold their Honda Accords because they were having so much trouble....And don't even get me started on Saturns.....I almost bought one because CR gave then an excellent reliability rating. Good thing I didn't. The people I know who drive them are almost all having constant trouble.
Sometimes I wonder.....if somebody's bribing consumer reports. Inquiring Minds want to know!
