Let’s clear the air on one thing: Consumer Reports is affiliated with Toyota. To say that they’re non-partisan would be a little foolish.
I understand your affinity for older vehicles; I was driving around a 1969 Mercury for a long time before getting a 1985 Chevy Caprice. I work on my vehicles. The older ones were def. better suited to working under the hood. My newer car is workable, but fitting parts is impossible and there are some specialty tools in my box for specific vehicles. Moral: depending on how much work you want to do on your own vehicle, different brands are suitable for different people.
And yes, most American cars are assembled in other countries. My Mercury was made in Canada according to my VIN info.
Where did you get that?