Car Brands - 9 Worst Brands of MY 1985

The 9 Least Reliable and Durable Car Brands of Model Year 1985

This page lists the 9 worst car brands (as well as the 15 worst car brands) of model year 1985 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (R-D GPA).

1985's Bottom 9 Car Brands: The Nine Worst

The 9 worst car brands of 1985 are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with their corresponding R-D GPA and Grade.

  • Renault Alliance line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.25 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of F
  • Merkur line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.42 and a R-D Grade of F
  • Jeep line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.55 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Peugeot line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.90 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Chrysler line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.07 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Buick line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.13 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Dodge line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.25 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Jaguar line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.26 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Cadillac line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.27 and a R-D Grade of D
Countries of Origin of the 9 Worst Car Brands of 1985
 
U.S. car brands dominate the 9 worst car brands, accounting for 7 of the 9 worst brands in 1985; French and UK car brands each account for 1.

Note that in 1985 none of the Japanese auto companies has a car brand among the Bottom 9.

The following chart gives each nation's percent share of the 9 least reliable and durable brands of 1985.

This is a pie chart of each country's share of the 9 worst car brands of model year 1985 by Reliability-Durability Grade Point Average (GPA). The U.S. has 77.8% of 1985’s worst auto brands and France and England each have 11.1%. The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite measure based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years. Brand R-D GPA is an average of model R-D GPAs. Chart by James Benjamin Bleeker, January 30, 2012.

The Next 6 Car Brands of 1985

The next 6 car brands are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first).

  • Oldsmobile line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.31 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of D
  • Plymouth line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.44 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Pontiac line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.45 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Chevrolet line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.58 and a R-D Grade of C
  • Ford line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.58 and a R-D Grade of C
  • Audi line, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 1.64 and a R-D Grade of C
Note that the Japan's automobile manufacturers have not one brand among the Bottom 15 of 1985. 
 
Chart of the 15 Worst Car Brands of 1985

The following bar graph depicts how much below average the Bottom 15 car brands of 1985 are. The 15 worst are listed in qascending order (worst first).

This is a bar graph of the Reliability-Durability GPAs of the 15 worst car brands of model year 1985. The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite measure based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years. Brand R-D GPA is an average of model R-D GPAs. Chart by James Benjamin Bleeker, January 30, 2012.
 
Countries of Origin of the 15 Worst Car Brands of 1985
 
Each country's percent share of the 15 worst automobile brands of model year 1985 by R-D GPA is:

United States: 80%
France: 6.7%
United Kingdom: 6.7%
Germany: 6.7%

The U.S. has a much greater dominance of the worst 15 car brands (accounting for 80% of the worst 15 brands) than Japan has of the best 15 car brands (accounting for only 46.7% of the best 15 brands).
Computations

To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 1985 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used.

CR's ratings are converted to numerical values following the standard academic pattern: a grade point of 4.0 (an A) is accorded a rating of Much Better Than Average, a 3.0 (a B) is accorded a rating of Better Than Average, a 2.0 (a C) is accorded a rating of Average, a 1.0 (a D) is accorded a rating of Below Average, and a 0 (an F) is accorded a rating of Much Below Average.

Then, for each age range, the grade point of CR's overall reliability rating is weighted 2/3 and the average of the grade points of the category ratings is weighted 1/3.

Then, the average for the two age ranges is taken.

Finally, a car brand's Reliability-Durability GPA is computed by taking the average of the Reliability-Durability GPAs of its models.

Best and Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year

The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005 

Additional Resources

The Best Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1975  1976  1977  1978  1979  1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005

The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005 

The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

Best Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 

Worst Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Best Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Worst Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

For additional car quality information, visit www.AutoOnInfo.net and CarsOnInfo.net.

In particular, for additional durability information, see:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/SharesOfHighMileageVehicles.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaAgeEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaMileageEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/Top25OfAutoonInfosHighMileageRoster.aspx

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