“and I assure you the American-made parts are a cut above. “
Not the 2, less than 2 year old Fords that I own.
This May I put a new transmission in one (a Windstar van with less than 70,000 miles on it)$3,500. And a new exhaust system in the other, about $800 as the catalytic converter was damaged.
Should I continue my 30 year loyalty to the Ford brand?
You put 70,000 miles on the vehicle in under 2 years of driving? Assuming you purchased them new and properly maintained them throughout, I’d say you got unlucky this time. Cars are extremely complex and getting more complex every year. No matter what, premature failures occur. They happen with Toyota and Nissan, too. I know that’s small consolation if you feel you personally were screwed, but a lot of people put 70,000 miles on their Fords with no serious problems whatsoever. If you look at the rating agencies, you’ll see that American cars rate pretty well. They aren’t perfect, of course, but nothing ever is.