Why Buying Second Series Vehicles Is Far Better Than The First Series
Sometimes, airport limos can be too new, and cost you more in maintenance because redesign glitches haven’t yet been worked out. As Honda’s North American manufacturing chief, Koki Hirashima, so ably put it, carryover models generally have fewer problems than vehicles that have been significantly reworked or just introduced to the market. Newly redesigned vehicles get quality scores that are, on average, 2 percent worse than vehicles that have been around for a while, says J.D. Power. Some surprising poor performers: the 2002 Jaguar X-Type, the 2002 Nissan Altima, the 2002 Toyota Avalon and Camry, and the 2001 Honda Civic. More recently, the 2004 Nissan Quest and the Toyota Sienna failed to live up to expectations.
Because they were the first off the assembly line for that model year, most vehicles assembled between September and February are called "first-series" cars. "Second- series" vehicles, made between March and August, incorporate more assembly- line fixes and are better built than the earlier models, which may depend on ineffective "field fixes" to mask problems until the warranty expires. Second-series vehicles will sell for the same price or less, but they will be a far better buy because of their assembly-line upgrades and more generous rebates.