you're saying american cars are only as good as you're payng them? why have you had one before hotandsticky? just a quick sample, take a look at these taxis around, what are they? one is ford and the other toyota, right? i bet these mondeos have more than 200,000 kilometers on them plus the abusive drivers who alternately use them but still they're on the roads just as long as the camrys. isn't that reliable?