MSNBC readers are echoing what has been said here.

Don't forget to also check out Readers love (and love to hate) huge SUVs

One quote:

“I’m a retired auto worker from a Delphi plant,” he said, referring to GM’s former parts unit Delphi, which declared bankruptcy last October. “I’ve seen first-hand the ineptitude and mismanagement at just one plant, and I must assume that what I’ve seen locally is pervasive throughout Delphi, and also at GM.”

“I know that Delphi — and GM — have no loyalty to their workers or their customers as they continue to search for the cheapest labor and continue to cheapen their automobiles,” Rey said. “By contrast, the Japanese do value their employees, and they do build quality into their vehicles. This translates into the continued demise of what has been called the American auto industry, and rightfully so. The arrogance of the American auto industry’s top executives excludes them from acknowledging any accountability. Customers understand this and they will increasingly go elsewhere with their business.”

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

Interesting that one responder didn't know Toyota builds the Lexus.

Then there's the idiot who wants to nationalize health care. Yo, Aaron, Canada's system is coming apart at the seams! Government is the problem, not the solution. Get the government the hell out of the health business, and watch the prices plummet!

Unfortunately for the Formerly Big Three, any full recovery won't happen for decades thanks to the negative impression they've created in millions of minds. As the Ohioan said on page 1, “So many have had nightmares with poor quality, or bad dealer experiences . . . they will never go back (to US-built cars) . . .many people I know have come to trust Honda, Toyota and Nissan.”

"Everything the government touches turns to crap." -- Ringo Starr

It's pretty sad, but I doubt (after some very poor experiences) that I'll ever purchase an American designed car ever again.

To be perfectly honest more and more American products are begining to remind me of items stamped "Made in China." Worthless crap.

I remember people complaining about American quality since the mid-1970. Even saw a plate "GM JUNK".

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

LOL, and so true! Reminds me of when I was a kid and people were saying "Ford" was actually an acronym for "Fix Or Repair Daily" or "Found On Road, Dead."

Actually products from the big 3 do hold up as long as the Jap ones.
I have no comment on management as I know nothing about this aspect of the car industry.

I think used car publications are a good indication of how long cars last.
Check out http://www.autotrader.com/?LNX=SPGOOGLEFINDACAR

You can filter by mileage which is handy.

I've been researching a similar topic already for folks in another forum which claim that diesel cars last forever, or at least 500,000K miles on average.
I've been showing the facts regarding that are contrary to popular belief.

The acronym is actually Fun Old Rebuilt Dodge (Obscenity tastefully removed)

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

Anecdotally, I've seen more older Japanese vehicles on the road, than I have American brands.

True to Hot_Georigas statement, a search of Honda from '82 to '06 reveals 77,322 cars for sale. The same search parameters for Ford reveal 323,243.

Now, I think that this actually speaks contrary to Hot_Georgias statement that American cars rival the longevity of American ones. (I'm including Hyundai as Japanese, although they are Korean).

Any ideas?

Ford has historically outsold and continues to outsell Honda by a large margin (partially due to the huge sales of light and heavy-duty trucks) so the numbers alone won't tell you much.

You would have to know how many cars were sold by Ford and Honda between 1982 and 2006 and divide by the number of used autos for sale to get a percentage for comparison. Even then, that percentage won't tell you the whole story since it doesn't take into account the number of original owners of either make that still own their cars and aren't planning to sell.