Well, there's a reason why there is such a negative image. For years.....TOO many years.....domestically-designed cars were exactly that......a POS. Believe me, I know. I wasted enough money on them before switching to Japanese designs ( Mazda ) in 1984, and learned from my mistakes. Yes, American-designed vehicles are better today, but most of them still are second-rate compared to the better Japanese (and Korean ) ones. The Lincoln Zephyr I tested today, for example, had an impressive interior and was a nice car in general, ( see my CAR CHAT thread on it ) but you can still tell the quality difference ( though minor ) between it and, say, a Lexus or Acura.