I assume that you're posting on FreeRepublic because you're a conservative. As a conservative, you should have more confidence in the free market. The evidence that Japanese cars are generally superior in quality and reliability is the very fact that so many consumers are willing to pay more for them, both new and used. If the aggregated experience of millions and millions of consumers over a period of a decade or more indicated that the extra cost was not justified, then the Japanese automakers and used car dealers wouldn't get away with selling them for so much more than American autos. But they do.
I'm supposed to believe that Japanese cars are superior now in order to prove that I belive in the free market and prove my conservativism? Wow. :)
Maybe I'm just cynical, but I have no faith in the intelligence of the general public. I've seen far too many ridiculous products sell well for no explicable reason. I've also seen people claim brand A is better than B for no reason other than to follow the herd. Do we honestly believe that a pair of jeans from the GAP for $60 is even the slightest bit better than a $10 pair from Target or Kmart?
Yes, there are times when one brand proves its worth. But the herd mentality of Americans is more than enough to result in higher prices whether or not the premium is deserved.
Heck, Mercury came in #2 behind just Lexus in JD Power's dependability survey this year. They were also listed as the most underappreciated auto brand in an earlier study...