This year, a range of Japanese brands are cleaning up and taking the top spots on the Consumer Reports and Auto Reliability Survey. Toyota’s three brands - Scion, Toyota, and Lexus - swept the top spots. When it comes to car reliability, no manufacturer can compare to Toyota. The Toyota Prius C earned Consumer Reports’ top overall score.

The Toyota brands were followed by Mazda, Subaru, Honda, and Acura - all Japanese brands. Of the 90 Japanese models reflected in the Consumer Reports Survey, 86 scored average or better, with 35 earning the highest rating.

Of European cars, Audi is by far taking the lead, moving up 18 spots from last year into eighth place. This makes Audi the most reliable European make and the top non-Japanese brand.

Wondering about domestic brands? While they aren’t topping the list this year, there are some U.S. brands that are standing out. Cadillac is currently the top U.S. brand, moving up 14 spots from last year. The CTS Coupe was rated the most reliable domestic car. Several other GM brands moved up in ranking as well, including Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC.

Next time you are in the market for a new vehicle, make sure you check out the latest Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Survey for a complete vehicle ranking.

On September 19th we saw the release of the totally re-designed Honda Accord. If you are looking to get some bang for your buck, the buck stops here. Honda has literally added thousands of dollars worth of features and technologies to its base model while only increasing the price by about $200 (depending on the model you choose).  You can expect your new Accord to cost $21,860 for the base model and up to $33,430 for the high-end Accord Touring model.  

Honda has taken itself to the next level, completely rebuilding the Accord- from the ground up. Not only does it have a new sleek look, but the technology it packs is competitive and impressive. You will find that every new Accord comes standard with alloy wheels, rearview camera, expanded view driver’s mirror, Pandora Internet Radio® capability, USB/iPod ®integration, Bluetooth®, AM/FM/CD audio, SMS text message function, and dual-zone auto climate control.

If that’s not enough to get you into this car, let’s talk fuel efficiency. Not only is this car fun to drive, but it is leading in its class on fuel efficiency. The 4 cylinder Accord rocks an impressive 27/36/30 mpg city/highway/combined fuel economy rating. That doesn’t impress you? Well, how about the 6 cylinder model, which is rated the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the midsize sedan V-6 class. You are looking at a city/highway/combined fuel efficiency rating of 21/34/25.

Still looking for more options? The 2013 Accord offers other impressive technologies such as the all-new HondaLink™ system which allows you to stay connected to your phone, social media, and music- so you can put your phone away. We are also seeing the all-new Honda LaneWatch™ blind spot monitoring system debut in the Accord.  Switching lanes make you a little nervous? Not any more, with a camera integrated in the passenger side mirror and using the 8 inch color display screen, you can see everything coming your way.

For a family friendly and gas efficient car loaded with the latest technologies, we think the new Accord is quite the value!

You would guess that owning a car in Hawaii or Alaska would be more expensive due to the all the shipping costs involved in getting the car there, then the price of gas is sure to be higher for the same reasons.  But if you lived in Connecticut would you expect owning a car in New Hampshire, which is only 100 miles away to be less?  Surprisingly, it is!

It all has to do with state taxes…New Hampshire doesn’t have them so the purchase of the car and the gas bought to put in the car will be cheaper. In fact, owning a car in New Hampshire will be almost $9,000 cheaper over five years than owning one in Connecticut.

Forbes.com did a study and found that New Hampshire, South Dakota, and South Carolina are the best states to own a car.  Hawaii, California, and Alaska are the worst.

Here’s the complete list with an explanation of why these are the best (or worst) states to own a car in.

Look for a dealer in your state.