The Buying Guide 2004 (Consumer Reports Buying Guide) [Paperback]

The Editors of Consumer Reports (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 29, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0890439796 | ISBN-13: 978-0890439791

Whatever your shopping style - diligent researcher, casual browser, or determined time saver - Consumer Reports is there with its all-new 2004 edition of The Buying Guide. Trusted product reviews, comparisons, test results and Ratings of over 800 products combined with the expertise of Consumer Reports will help you in making your buying decisions for the entire year.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Consumer Reports has reported on products of every form, shape and size, including consumer electronics, autos, appliances, baby products and health and financial services for sixty-six years. Consumer Reports is trusted for its expert unbiased testing and reporting, and for the fact that it accepts no advertising.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Consumer Reports (November 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890439796
• ISBN-13: 978-0890439791
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,867,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars read it first, March 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Buying Guide 2004 (Consumer Reports Buying Guide) (Paperback)

I bought this guide hoping to get good information on new cars and electronics. The car guide was ok. It gave enough information to help if you are looking for a new or used car.
However, the electronics information was stitled. First, pages 240-260 were not there. There were duplicate 261-280 pages....so buyer beware. Most of the buyers advice given was general at best. My biggest dissapointment was lack of information on any portable electronics. Not a thing. With technology advancements and a huge market for portable entertainment consumer reports bit the dirt with this book.
Their website was no better.

I'll stick with amazon for product review...definetely cheaper.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helping Consumers Make the Right Purchase, August 23, 2004

By 

Bryan Carey "Bryan Carey" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Buying Guide 2004 (Consumer Reports Buying Guide) (Paperback)

Consumer Reports is the best- known name in product testing and analysis. An affiliate of Consumers Union, this company examines all sorts of products and services and reports on the good and bad, the pros and cons, and then ranks across different criteria. This buyer's guide is like the Consumer Reports magazine, except that it contains mostly ratings without many explanations of the different products.

This guide can come in very handy not just for its product ratings, but also for some of its general advice- found in the front of the book. Here, you can lookup web sites for different manufacturers, tips on avoiding shopping traps, a table that helps consumers decide whether or not it's more financially efficient to repair or replace an item, and so on.

One criticism that I must make about this guide is the limited number of products reviewed in some categories. Automobiles are covered very well, and so are a few other categories. But others, like certain appliances, only cover a fraction of the total brand names available. The book would be more complete if this area was improved.

In spite of its few flaws, this is still a useful guide to own. It ranks products by overall score, showing consumers which products are the best, based on Consumer Report's scoring. I don't agree with everything I find in this book, but I still recommend it to aid in the buying process.

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great consumer reports product, June 3, 2004

By 

Modern Caveman (Medford, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Buying Guide 2004 (Consumer Reports Buying Guide) (Paperback)

Consumer reports guides have always been the consumers' first defense. This guide follows this line in providing the consumer an independent review of various brands. If you're going to buy one consumer guide this year, this is the one.

The reason for the 4-star rating is that it seems the prices for electronics are rather out-of-date, and the newer models are missing there, even considering the publishing delay.