Man, there are alot of good knowledgeable replies to this post, and i have to agree with the lot of ya. We cant trust just giving $25 billion to irresponsible companies. they had thier many chances in the 70's and 80's when the japanese and other foriegn imports started flooding into the states. they ignored the threat and competion completly - against cars that were built to last past the warranty without any major repairs. do you know why the "American" badged cars in europe land are built better and are more reliable? totally different infrastructure and thinking of the management over there - even though the higher quality parts they put in the vehices may be cheaper overseas, there isnt near the corruption in thier workforce as it is over here - greed contributes to most of that.
truth of the matter also, is the japanese are very disciplined and precise at what they build - and it shows it in the quality build of the cars. it doesnt matter if you buy a toyota or acura that was built on a monday in winter or a friday in the summertime, the quality will be the same. i was always taught to research where the car was built in america, what month, and what day it rolled of the line. no joke! my Dad the Ford freak at one time bought Crown Vics that way for years - now he drives a Toyota Camry.
The big three could have learned something long ago from the foriegn car makers - but what they created to be the "American way of building cars" always clouded judgement, and never changed in concept. it was all about number of sales and profit over quality and locktite warranties that are written to where the avereage joe needs a lawyer to interpret! like someone stated in a previous post - it has now come full circle.
I admit i like the new designs of the Malibu and Fusion, but now that I've purchased a 95....a friggin 95 13 year old LS400 and experienced 1st hand quality that was built to last to 300k and more, I'll probably never give the Big 3 another chance, and maybe niether will most of Americans.
you Lexus guys are awesome!