The 10 Most Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 2004
This page lists the top ten cars of model year 2004 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA or more concisely, R-D GPA), as well as the top 20, top 30, top 40, and top 50 cars.
2004's Top 10 (Top 12 by Tie) Cars
The 10 best cars (12 by tie) of 2004 are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first). The equipment of each model is that offered in the U.S.
The 2004 Toyota Echo Sedan is a 4-cylinder small car with front-wheel drive. It offers a 1.5-Liter, 108-horsepower engine and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 38 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports. Kelly Blue Book gives its fuel efficiency as 30 miles per gallon in-city and 38 miles-per-gallon on-highway.
The base price of the Toyota Echo in 2004 was $10,245. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $3,800 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (110,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of $6,316 on 20 February 2012. (Note: In some locations, Kelly Blue Book's suggested retail price may be significantly less than the prevailing market price of a Toyota or Honda vehicle.)
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 2004 Honda S2000 sports car is a 4-cylinder convertible with rear-wheel drive. It offers a 2.2-Liter, VTEC, 240-horsepower engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. It takes premium gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 27 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports.
The base price of the Honda S2000 in 2004 was $32,800. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $12,800 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of $14,973 on 21 February 2012.
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 2004 Honda Element SUV is a 4-cylinder, 4-door sport-utility vehicle with front-wheel or all-wheel drive. It offers a 2.4-Liter, VTEC, 160-horsepower engine and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 20 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports. Kelly Blue Book gives the front-wheel-drive edition's fuel efficiency as 20 miles per gallon in-city and 24 miles-per-gallon on-highway.
The base price of the Honda Element in 2004 was $16,100. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $6,200 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of about $8,000 on 21 February 2012.
The 2004 Toyota RAV4 SUV is a 4-cylinder, 4-door small sport-utility vehicle with front-wheel or all-wheel drive. It offers a 2.4-Liter, 161-horsepower engine and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 22 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports.
The base price of the Honda Element in 2004 was $18,350. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $9,300 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of about $12,000 on 21 February 2012.
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer is an entry-level sedan with front-wheel or all-wheel drive. It offers a 2.0-Liter, 4-cylinder, 120-horsepower or 2.0-Liter, 4-cylinder turbo, 271-horsepower engine and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular or premium gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 20 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports.
The base price of the Mitsubishi Lancer in 2004 was $13,597. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $3,800 in 2010 (quite a drop).
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 2004 V6 Toyota 4Runner SUV is a 4-door midsize sport-utility vehicle with rear-, selectable-, or permanent 4-wheel drive. It offers a 4.0-Liter, 245-horsepower engine and a 4-speed or 5-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular or premium gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 16 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports. Kelly Blue Book gives the V6's fuel efficiency as 16 miles per gallon in-city and 20 miles-per-gallon on-highway.
The base price of the V6 Toyota 4Runner SUV in 2004 was $27,170. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $11,300 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of about $13,000 on 21 February 2012.
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 2004 4-cylinder Toyota Tacoma is a pickup truck with rear-wheel drive or part-time 4-wheel drive. It offers a 2.4-Liter, 142-horsepower or 2.7-Liter, 150-horsepower engine and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Kelly Blue Book gives the 2.4-Liter regular cab's fuel efficiency as 20 miles per gallon in-city and 25 miles-per-gallon on-highway.
The base price of the 4-cylinder Toyota Tacoma in 2004 was $12,260. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of about $9,500 on 21 February 2012.
The 2004 Honda Civic Sedan is a 4-cylinder small car with front-wheel drive. A 1.7-Liter, 115-horsepower engine was standard, and 1.7-Liter, 127-horsepower engine was available in the EX trimline. It offers 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Kelly Blue Book gives the manual's fuel efficiency as 27 miles per gallon in-city and 34 miles-per-gallon on-highway and the automatic's fuel efficiency as 25 miles per gallon in-city and 34 miles-per-gallon on-highway.
The base price of the Honda Civic Sedan in 2004 was $13,010. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $5,600 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of $7,740 on 21 February 2012.
The 2004 Lexus ES330 is a V6 luxury sedan with front-wheel drive. It offers a 3.3-Liter, 225-horsepower engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 22 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports.
The base price of the Lexus ES330 in 2004 was $31,725. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $11,200 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of $12,797 on 21 February 2012.
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 2004 Honda Pilot SUV is a car-based, 4-door sport-utility vehicle with all-wheel drive. It offers a 3.5-Liter, 240-horsepower engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular gasoline and has an overall fuel efficiency of approximately 19 miles per gallon, per Consumer Reports. Kelly Blue Book gives the Pilot's fuel efficiency as 15 miles per gallon in-city and 21 miles-per-gallon on-highway.
The base price of the Honda Pilot in 2004 was $27,100. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $7,800 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of $11,141 on 21 February 2012.
The 2004 V6 Lexus GS300 is a luxury sedan with rear-wheel drive. It offers a 3.0-Liter, 220-horsepower engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission. It takes premium gasoline. Kelly Blue Book gives the GS's fuel efficiency as 16 miles per gallon in-city and 23 miles-per-gallon on-highway.
The base price of the Lexus GS300 in 2004 was $38,725. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $11,800 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of $12,573 on 21 February 2012.
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 2004 4-cylinder Toyota Camry is a family sedan with front-wheel drive. It offers a 2.4-Liter, 157-horsepower engine and a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. It takes regular gasoline. Kelly Blue Book gives the 4-cylinder's fuel efficiency as 21 miles per gallon in-city and 30 miles-per-gallon on-highway (1 mpg less for the XLE).
The base price of the 4-cylinder Camry in 2004 was $19,045. Consumer Reports gives a base price of $7,400 if bought used in 2010. If in excellent condition and with typical mileage (102,000 miles), Kelly Blue Book has a suggested retail base price of about $9,000 on 21 February 2012.
In 1984 Honda dominated the list of the best accounting for 4 of the Top 10, but in 2004 Toyota accounted for 7 of the 12 best automobiles. However, as in 1984, Honda Motor Company garnered 4 of the 12 most reliable and durable cars.
Another notable difference between the best of 1984 and the best of 2004 are the averages of their Reliability-Durability GPAs. The average R-D GPA of 1984's Top 10 was 3.70 and the average R-D GPA of 2004's Top 12 is 3.88. This is a jump of 0.18.
Note the diversity among the 12 best - two small sedans (the Toyota Echo and the Honda Civic), 2 gasoline-powered family cars (the 4-cylinder Toyota Camry and the Mitsubishi Lancer), two luxury sedans - one front-wheel drive and the other rear-wheel drive (Toyota Motor Corporation's Lexus ES and rear-wheel-drive Lexus GS), one sports car (the Honda S2000), two small SUVs (the Honda Element and the Toyota RAV4), two midsize SUVs (the Toyota 4Runner V6 and the Honda Pilot), and one pickup truck (the Toyota Tacoma Inline 4 2-wheel-drive).
Also note that 5 of the 7 most reliable and durable automobiles were made in Japan.
Also note that the Mercedes-Benz line has no automobile in the Top 10, unlike the Top 10s of 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985.
A version of the Toyota Pickup has made the Top 10 list for all of the years for which Reliability-Durability Grade Point Averages have been computed to date - 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2004, and 2005.
Manufacturers of the Top 10 (12 by Tie)
Toyota Motor Corporation accounted for 7 of the 12 most reliable and durable cars of 2005; Honda Motor Company accounted for 4 of 2004's best.
Cars engineered by Japan-based corporations accounted for all of 2004's best cars; Germany-based corporations accounted for none.
Note that in 2004 (as in 2005, 1986, 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, and 1979) none of the Detroit 3 had a car among the Top 10.
The following chart gives each car maker's percent share of the Top 10 of 2004.
The Next 9 Cars of 2004
The next 9 cars of the Top 20 (Top 21 by tie) are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).
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The Toyota Highlander V6, with a R-D GPA of 3.84
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The Toyota Tacoma V6 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.84
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The Lexus IS300, with a R-D GPA of 3.83
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
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The Toyota Avalon, with a R-D GPA of 3.83
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The Toyota Corolla, with a R-D GPA of 3.83
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The Lexus LS, with a R-D GPA of 3.82
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
For the North American market, this is a Made-in-Japan model.
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The Toyota Prius, with a R-D GPA of 3.82
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The 21 best automobile models of 2004 were engineered by companies headquartered in Japan.
Note that all of the 21 most reliable and durable cars of 2004 have a Reliability-Durability Grade of a high A.
Auto Company shares of the Top 20 (Top 21 by Tie) Cars of 2004
The car manufacturer shares of the Top 21 vehicles are:
Toyota Motor Corporation: 76%
Honda Motor Company: 19%
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: 5%
The Next 9 Cars of 2004
The next 9 cars of the Top 30 are listed below in descending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (best first).
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The Honda Accord Inline 4, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.81
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The Toyota Celica, with a R-D GPA of 3.81
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
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The Toyota Tundra V8 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.80
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The Toyota Camry Solara Inline 4, with a R-D GPA of 3.79
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The Honda Accord V6, with a R-D GPA of 3.79
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The Toyota Camry V6, with a R-D GPA of 3.79
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The Honda CR-V, with a R-D GPA of 3.77
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The Scion xB, with a R-D GPA of 3.77
This is a Made-in-Japan model.
The Scion line is Toyota Motor Corporation's youth brand.
The 30 best automobile models of 2004 were engineered by companies headquartered in Japan.
Note that in 2004 all of the third-tier cars had a Reliability-Durability Grade of a high A, but in 1984 all of the third-tier cars had a Reliability-Durability Grade of B. This points to a sizable jump in quality of the Top 30, resulting mainly from expanded offerings from Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Company.
Auto Company shares of the Top 30 Cars of 2004
The car maker shares (rounded to the nearest percent) of the Top 30 vehicles (with 1984 shares in parentheses) are:
Toyota Motor Corporation: 73% (39% in 1984)
Honda Motor Company: 23% (13% in 1984)
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: 3% (0% in 1984)
By 2004, Toyota had increased its share of the Top 30 by 34 percentage points (from 39% to 73%) and Honda Motor Company had increased its share by 10 percentage points (from 13% to 23%). The Detroit 3 accounted for none of the Top 30 in both 1984 and 2004.
Chart of the 30 Best Cars of 2004
The following bar graph depicts how much above average the Top 30 cars of 2004 are. The 30 best are listed in descending order (best first).
The Remaining Models of 2004 with a Reliability-Durability Grade Point Average Greater Than 3.00
There are 57 cars with a Reliability-Durability GPA greater than 3.00. The remaining cars of the Top 57, grouped in tiers, are:
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The Acura RL, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.75
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The Toyota-engineered Pontiac Vibe with a R-D GPA of 3.75
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The Infiniti I35, with a R-D GPA of 3.73
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The Toyota Matrix, with a R-D GPA of 3.45
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The Mazda6 Sedan Inline 4, with a R-D GPA of 3.41
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The Acura TL, with a R-D GPA of 3.40
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The Mazda MX-5 Miata, with a R-D GPA of 3.40
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The Mitsubishi Outlander, with a R-D GPA of 3.40
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The Acura RSX, with a R-D GPA of 3.39
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The Honda Odyssey, with a R-D GPA of 3.39
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The Honda Civic Hybrid, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.38
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The Toyota Camry Solara V6, with a R-D GPA of 3.36
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The Hyundai Sonata V6, with a R-D GPA of 3.34
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The Ford Mustang V8, with a R-D GPA of 3.33
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The Nissan Frontier 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.33
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The Buick Century, with a R-D GPA of 3.06
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The Lexus LX, with a R-D GPA of 3.06
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The Acura TSX, with a R-D GPA of 3.05
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The Lexus GX470, with a R-D GPA of 3.05
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The Ford Mustang V6, with a R-D GPA of 3.04
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The Subaru Impreza WRX STi, with a R-D GPA of 3.04
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The Acura MDX, with a R-D GPA of 3.04
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The Toyota Land Cruiser, with a R-D GPA of 3.04
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The Toyota Sequoia, with a R-D GPA of 3.04
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The BMW Z4, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 3.03
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The non-turbo Subaru Forester, with a R-D GPA of 3.03
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The Infiniti G35 Sedan rear-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 3.01
The 57 best automobile models of 2004 were engineered by companies headquartered in either Japan (91%), the U.S. (5%), South Korea (2%), or the Germany (2%).
Auto Company shares of the Top 57 Cars of 2004
The car manufacturer shares (rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent) of the Top 57 vehicles are:
Toyota Motor Corporation: 50.8%
Honda Motor Company: 24.6%
Nissan Motor Company: 5.3%
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation: 3.5%
Mazda Motor Corporation: 3.5%
Ford Motor Company: 3.5%
Subaru Division of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd: 3.5%
Hyundai Motor Company: 1.8%
General Motors Corporation: 1.8%
BMW AG: 1.8%
Computations
To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 2004 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used. CR's 2010 and 2011 New Car Buying Guides and Used Car Buying Guides are the primary sources of CR's reliability ratings, with supplementation by the April 2009 and 2010 issues of Consumer Reports.
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.
Finally, the average for the two age ranges is taken.
The Toyota Echo Sedan, the Mitsubishi Lancer, the 4-cylinder Toyota Tacoma, the Toyota Echo Hatchback, the V6 Ford Mustang, and the Subaru Impreza WRX STi offered only one age range of data.
Best and Worst Vehicles of Each Model Year
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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