GM = bankrupt

[memphis]

One major reason GM went bankrupt is they managed to get themselves a reputation for shoddy products. Back when I last bought a new car (in 2000) I started off with a very eclectic list that had vehicles that didn't get a unreliable rating from Consumer Reports and cost less than $30K list price.  Gave me about 50 models to pare down via other info, but even at that early stage of my search, not a single GM car made that quite unselective list.  (To be fair, GM did have some reliable vehicles above my price point back then.)  Ford and Chrysler both managed to get a model or two on that list.  My 2000 Camry is still running fine today and I am unlikely to buy a replacement anytime soon.

'98 Camry here.  I treat it like crap and it still runs without any problems.  Its an amazing vehicle.

Ditto for my 2001 Camry with 190,000 miles.

[memphis]

Opebo, your ignorance is showing. The Ford Taurus was the most popular and well made cars Ford ever put out.

I know anecdotal evidence isn't always the most useful but my parents had an '87 and an '88 Taurus when I was a kid and they were both pieces of crap. Several years later, my parents next got '93 and '94 Corollas (my dad had this envy thing where he had to go get whatever my mom had) and they were great cars. I was driving the '93 until a few years ago. I suppose it's possible that the quality of American cars has improved since then, but I really don't want to gamble five figures that they have when Japanese models have consistently proven themselves. My family is now very loyal to Toyotas and Hondas, and I feel like we're pretty typical of American consumers.