Letters to the Editors
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Subject: Most Wanted Vehicles by Morons -- Your staff are obviously a bunch of idiots
From: A. Caffas

Your staff is obviously made up of a bunch of idiots. Who cares what vehicle a bunch of idiots would like to have in their garages? Why don't you moron college boys and girls stick to something you know, like cappuccino, lattes and pastels. Give me a break -- who the heck are you people?

Um, moron college boys and girls? Obviously, we're not a group of educated automotive journalists with access to the keys of hundreds of test vehicles per year and a safe place to test their limits. Nah. That's not us. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Anonymous

Forget it guys. Chrysler Sebring? BMW over a Corvette? Do you guys have stock in Volkswagen?

Not yet. We're still dumping all our extra cash into BMW. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: April

I've been an Edmunds.com reader for about three years now. I enjoy reading your comparison tests and Most Wanted lists. But this year your Editor's Most Wanted Vehicles for 2002 list has BMW written ALL OVER IT! What's up with that? Isn't BMW the same company that charges over $40K for a 3 Series with no [standard] CD player? I think you guys should call yourselves EdmundsLovesBMWs.com. Geez, every other category was BMW. You guys complained about the IS 300 last year saying it's missing this, it doesn't have this. Now Lexus answered the demands...manual, leather, better interior, Lexus reliability for 2002...and you [give] the Audi A4 honorable mention for Entry-Level Luxury Sedan Under $40,000 instead of the Lexus IS 300. Oh c'mon now. The IS 300 has more standard features than the BMW, costs less, and is made by Toyota! What will it take for you to see the 3 Series isn't Number One anymore? I think you guys are in denial. Well, I guess Lexus can't please them all. I guess you guys were listing the Lexus LS 430 in the Large Luxury Sedan Over $30,000 category to show not every luxury category belonged to BMW. I can imagine how much it was killing you to not be able to list the BMW 7 Series. You guys really need to put a disclaimer at the top of your website saying, "It is the opinion of everyone at Edmunds.com that BMWs are the best cars on Earth. We don't even know why we bother to test any other car."

Actually, we wanted to make that our Web address, but figured it would be difficult for folks to remember. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Mark

Once again, your bias for BMW comes through loud and clear in a Most Wanted list. By my count, of the 19 categories for cars (excluding SUVs and pickups), BMW won six. Also, your car of the year, the Mini, is built by.who else? BMW. That [makes] seven awards for them. I've heard lots of car magazines and online auto websites claim that they don't have a bias towards BMW, that it's just the fun factor. Did anyone ever consider that if you have a broad, diverse readership, and you want to maintain credibility with them, that maybe you should use testing and evaluation standards that are more representative of your constituency, and not just your own personal taste.

The BMW 3 Series consistently ranks as one of the top 5 most researched cars on the Edmunds.com Web site. And the 5 Series usually lands between 20 and 30 on that same list.. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Kathy

I was surprised and very disappointed not [to] see Saturn on any of your lists. I have owned Eagle, Ford, Chevy, Volkswagen and Toyota and have test driven Nissan, Hyundai and Honda. Never before have I driven a Saturn. My brother bought one last year, [and] he [now] says he would never drive anything else. I work with two people that own Saturns [and they] adore them. After car shopping every day, in the morning before work, during lunch, and on the weekends, I found the car that I love! A Saturn SL. Simple, standard, [four-cylinder] engine, 5 speed...and yet, that car said WELCOME HOME the first time I test drove it. It drives like a dream. When I decide to trade this one in after its paid off, I shall have another Saturn. We are definitely a Saturn family now!


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Jeff

Why wasn't the Jeep Liberty on your list? It is the best value in a small SUV. How can a car chassis SUV beat out a real SUV? I own a Jeep Liberty and have been involved in the automobile industry for nearly 30 years. The Liberty is such an improvement over the Cherokee that it deserves to be on the top of the list. To ignore it in favor of the Ford Escape, which has already had it's fair share of quality problems, is a joke. I'm sorry if [this offends you] but I thought I needed to defend a real vehicle that was ignored by many in the press.

Indeed, the Liberty is an improvement on the Cherokee and it placed high in the mini-SUV comparison test we recently conducted. Our editors simply prefer the Escape. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Paul

Clearly, I agree with your pick of the Sebring, as there is a new one in my driveway.

However, after a lot of looking at the Detroit Auto Show over the past two years, and doing a lot of car rentals, I am surprised at the high number of foreign selections. As a rule I find the foreign cars to be tinnier and less substantial than their North American counterparts. I would not select one for that reason (with the exception of a VW for my 19-year-old mountain biker...but he'd rather have a Jeep).

It does appear that your ratings (like so may others) are slanted by the attitude of "if we make it, it can't be as good." Especially the minivan...I would trade 2 Odysseys for my one Voyager.

Deal! We'll come up with a Voyager, you provide the two Odysseys. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Christian

I was disappointed to see that the top [picks] in every listed [category] obviously exclude General Motors products. This includes even the [Aztek], the Impala, and the Rendezvous. Although the Avalanche is listed, I still cannot believe that the bias was not intentional. So much for supporting American unions and the made-in-America products.

The Aztek and Rendezvous are made in Mexico. The Nissan Altima and Toyota Tacoma are made in America. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Marjorie

I think your choice of price breakdown is way out of line. To assume that people can afford to pay around $30,000, or wish to pay that much for a car, is a gross miscalculation. [Thirty grand] for a hunk of metal to go from point A to point B is way too much. The auto industry, and you, needs to redefine their pricing and realize that not everyone is status hungry. Most people are looking for an economical, reliable, mode of transportation. Only those people who need their egos stroked are the ones that are willing to pay that kind of money. The auto industry needs to wake up and make cars for the "average" person, the first time car buyer, etc. Not the status hungry, egos of the country.

Demographic data shows that the majority of our site users are shopping for a car between $20,000 and $40,000 dollars. We included picks in several categories well below the $30,000 mark, like the Hyundai Elantra, a fine car for about $12,000. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Bruce

I noted that you did not use the Toyota Camry as part of the selection process for a sedan. After having test driven all of the vehicles described in your tests I found the Toyota Camry, hands down, the superior vehicle with regard to styling, driveability, engine and performance including mileage. Why was the Camry left out? Clearly, the Altima is the best car of the selected mix you used, but other than power, it does not hold a candle to the Camry with its unimaginative instrument layout and tinny feel and weight. Please let us see a real test with a real quality vehicle lined up against the field. The impression you leave with the unwashed masses is that you have [not] been thorough in your review.

We did consider the Camry. In fact, we drove both the Camry and the Altima back-to-back just before our voting for the Most Wanted awards, and the staff preferred the Altima. But, rest assured, we have pitted the new Camry and Altima against one another, as well as the winner of our last family sedan comparison test, the VW Passat, in an upcoming story. Stay tuned. -- Ed.


Subject: 2002 Most Wanted
From: Dave

Obviously you fell for Altima's styling. It is very slick, but not well executed. I recently purchased a new car, and considered the Altima very seriously. In test-driving the Altima, the power and handling were grand. However, the poor finish and inferior interior materials really put me off, especially for the price. Fitting of the dash panels was poor, and the whole [interior] had a very plastic feel with loads of dead space. The velour material on the seats had an unbearably "wet" feel. Damping of the front axle over very bumpy stretches was so poor that the constant thumping gave me a minor headache. All the electronic gimmicks and doo-dads were costly and extraneous. Upon opening the trunk, seeing the lid roughly welded to ridiculously puny, unfinished struts was immediately indicative of severe production quality compromises. The unavailability of any interior but charcoal was the final blow.

I ended up buying a 2002 Camry Solara. Although I was in the market for a four door, I didn't absolutely need one, and the price differential was enormous. The Solara is not as much of a rocket, but the price is absolutely unbeatable for the V6 with leather interior -- I paid $22,200. The car is agile and handles well (the turning radius is a little wide). The fit and polish inside and out is impeccable and impressive. The ride and comfort are far superior to the Altima. I admit I'm still a little wistful over the Altima's performance, but know that, within my price range, I ended up with a far better choice.


Subject: Road Test: 2002 Nissan Altima
From: Greg

I'm writing in response to Christian Wardlaw's road test of Nissan's 2002 Altima. Yeah, they beefed up the motor and overhauled the styling, but now this car has an identity crisis. It looks like a new VW Passat with something like a crappier version of Acura's CL Type S 3.2L V6 under the hood. Who are they marketing this car to? I've seen a few new Altimas on the road and all the drivers were the same...30-40 years old with 3 passengers. Not what Nissan had in mind, I'll wager.

Christian somewhat rips the new Maximas saying that they're too expensive and they're ugly. Well, some people may call it ugly, but I call it a hell of a lot more personality then [sic] the benign Altima. As far as price... the old adage rings true... "you get what you pay for." If you take a spin in an Altima and then take a spin in a Maxima, you'll know why there's a difference in price. Also, where else are you going to find a car as powerful, feature-rich, and flat-out nice as a Maxima for $26,000 (besides on the lot of an American auto-maker)? Heck, you could haggle a salesman down to $24,000 of you're patient enough.

What makes you think Nissan is marketing the Altima to someone other than a 30- to 40-year-old who needs to carry two or three passengers? That is the Altima's mission in life, and if that's what you're seeing inside the new Altimas on the roads near you, Nissan is hitting its target with tremendous accuracy. By the way, that "crappier version of Acura's CL Type-S 3.2L V6" that's under the Altima's hood is a detuned version (15 horses) of the "powerful" Maxima motor. -- Christian Wardlaw


Subject: Road Test: 2002 Nissan Altima
From: Simon

I just finished reading the road test for the 2002 Altima and I must say that I'm a little disappointed in the way you trash the Maxima.

Two months ago I was shopping for a new car. My choices came down to the Altima or the Maxima. I chose the Maxima. Why? Because of the interior quality, the proven reliability and the 6-speed with [limited slip]. When one gets past the exterior styling of the Maxima, he can only be amazed at how much more it offers you. The Altima's exterior is beautiful but the rest of the car (even the [independent rear suspension]) can't compete with the Maxima's control on quality (read: cheap, thin carpet...).

You said it yourself [in your road test]:

"In terms of materials, it's immediately obvious that some cost-cutting was required to keep the price of the Altima competitive. The leather upholstery has a nice grain to it, but feels rather dried out. The plastics exhibit a low-gloss finish, but feel inexpensive to the touch. Particularly glaring is the way the emergency brake operates when tugged; it feels almost as though you could pull the handle right out of the floor. The cupholder lid is likewise flimsy."

"We wish we could report that our test Altima was flawlessly assembled, but that was not the case, at least on the inside. The lower right dash panel was loose and poorly aligned, we found the finish inside the passenger door pull to be chipped, the center console wiggled and waggled quite easily, the front door armrest inserts were unevenly assembled, and we felt that center stack panel fit on the lower passenger side was sloppy. We also detected an irritating rattle in the rear parcel shelf and the front passenger seat squeaked over rough pavement."