You want to know whats wrong with America and the economy.  Americans buying Toyota's, Kia's, Honda's, and Nissan's. Yes these are all good products and yes "some" are made here like but the overall profitts do not stay here.  Americans can build the same quaility into our products if we get our heads out of our a@@@s and get back to taking pride in what we do instead of wanting something for nothing and thinking that everyone owes us something. Let's get back to being proud Americans and get off our butts and take "OUR" country back. Build it by Americans, Americans buy it and most of all "SUPPORT IT" regaurdless.  Americans are human, and human is to error, nothing that you buy is going to be perfect, even Honda's, Kia's, Toyota's, or Nissan's. Oh by the way guess what builds them,  humans that error.

I guess I was always a Ford lover.  Drove Ford's for almost 45 years and have never had one let me sit.  My last five cars have been a Taurus and have had nothing but great performance, comfort and reliability.  My latest Taurus (2002) did have some problems with rattles & the windshield had to be replaced but the motor and transmission have never given me any problems.  Most of my Fords have been driven over 125,000 miles.  My father was also a Ford man and even though he tried Dodge and Chevies he always went back to Ford.  Hope Ford keeps up the good work.  

I bought a 2005 Ford Five Hundred, still have it, been a flawless, comfortable, roomy vechilce. It was built on a Volvo chasis, so it is solid. It has a CVT transmission, which makes the otherwise animic engine seem adaquate...the new ones have a bit more power I hear. It is a AWD, fully loaded unit, and at $27K and after 45,000 miles, I really feel it turned out to be a real bargin........BUT, when they renamed these terriffic cars back to Taurus, well, they kissed my next purchase goodbye. You see, I had to drive one of those as a company car for six long miserible years, and this car is NOTHING like it. They are not even close to being in the same class, the re-naming was one of Ford's dumbest moves lately.

I bought a 2001 taurus put 100k miles on and gave it to my son in law for a station car. Other than normal maintainance andone set of tires nothing was wrong. Bought asecond taurus in 05. another donation nothing went wrong normal maintenance. Got an Audi A8. peer pressure. nothing was ever right. windsheild wipers about every 3months,two new systems. rear sensors solid beep, front drivers seat broke, Overpriced overgimmicked piece of crap.

Also poor trade in value, but i got a new Buick Enclave which is great. I was disapointed that the Ford Edge only seated 5.  I missed my ford but the buick is really nice.

The  things that are never addressed are resale value and depreciation of american cars. I have driven a Taurus or 500 since 2000 and both were very reliable cars, but I bought both of them when they were less than a year old. Their value had depreciated by $8-10K compared to sticker price. My 500 is only four yeas old and is worth less than $5K according to Kelly Blue Book. I will never buy a new Ford because of the intial depreciation. I will most likely not buy any new car for the same reason. Even with all of the discounts offered today, the market knows this and the resale value will drop like a rock. You can compare quality all you want, but until depreciation and resale value equalize, a new Ford or GM cannot be considered equivalent to a comparable Toyota or Honda.

I have a ford taurus and it just this week turned 200,000 miles have not had much trouble aout of it either i did have to change the transmission a few years ago

Rob, thank you for all of your excellent post. Everything you say is true. I have a 2004 Explorer and a 2008 Focus, I love both of them.

My wife bought a brand new Ford Taurus back in 1991 and between her and I,we drove this car for seventeen years plus. The only problem we had with it was the transmission which Ford replaced through a recall in the mid 90`s. In 2004 we bought a new Ford Explorer but kept the Taurus for our daughter to drive until she got her own car. The next year I bought a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am and finally sold the Taurus. The people we sold it to are still driving it to this day. Oh, by the way, the car my daughter bought was a 1990 Honda Accord LX. The only thing left of this on the road is the big  oil spot it left in front of my house.

Well Rob, you demonstrate a fine ability to call people names and make incorrect statements to further your point of view, but all that does is show your credibility to be as weak as the management of the dying American car companies when they claim they make the best cars.  What a laugh!

I notice you don't address the Consumer Reports and longevity point, since you don't have a leg to stand on. I just checked the data again today, and except for some Ford standouts (good for Ford - though they just took a big government "technology loan" from the taxpayers) - the American cars tend to get creamed by the Japanese cars in terms of quality/longeity.  That's why the Japanese cars tend to have so much better resale value, as stated by other posters - used car buyers are keenly aware of this.

But just keep making long posts full of drivel and false assumptions about other posters, and just like the CEO's of the big "little" three, keep sticking your fingers in your ears and chanting that the American cars are the best.  Maybe if you click your heels together three times, and repeat it often enough, it will even come true.

Oh, and try getting some education, like knowing the difference between their and there, and then you can perhaps work up to learning something about cars in the real world, vs. your head in the sand wishful thinking.

Since, among the scores of false assumptions/accusations you make, I only think of myself - WHO is going to pay me for the loss I took on the 1995 Saturn P.O.S. I bought to give GM another chance, instead of buying another Toyota sedan which would likely last for 12-15 years?  You?  I'll be holding my breath while you spout inanities.

Rodger...perhaps you yourself should learn how to spell, or God forbid proofread your rantings.

 To rely on Consumer Reports as a "Where with all" for data on cars is like asking Ralph Nader for his opinions on the Auto industry.

Are you an "insider" within the car industry or are you merely a "ripped off consumer" type?

Myself, I have been working on cars professionally since 1984. I have seen Hondas and Hyundas malfunction in the most arbitrary way. You need more hard data of a more professional type and not the drivel by Consumer reports...which is nothing more than a clearing house for consumer rantings.