[batter]

The place I work for has Fords. I didn't have much of an opinion about Ford until I had to deal with them. They are terrible. My folks (and, now, I) always had Japanese vehicles. I know why - they last (200k+ miles without major repairs - just routine maintenance). I wouldn't touch a US car - at least not until they start caring about quality.

[eraser2005]

There's a reason why business make decisions to go with a manufacturer - lowest overall cost.

There's a difference between reliability and quality. My Taurus has been much more reliable than my Camry. My Camry "feels" like a higher quality car. Anecdotal, sure. But true industry-wide reliability data shows little difference.

Have you driven a Fusion? A few years ago, Ford boosted investment in interiors (Lincoln TRIPLED)... the Fusion is the first of the vehicles to truly benefit. You can tell. There's the quality boost.