"My wife and I bought a Hyundai Santa Fe last spring and I admit I was impressed with the fit and finish and especially that the manufacturer was willing to back it with a 100,000 mile warranty."
This is such a key issue, I was wondering if somebody was going to mention Hyundai in this thread. It's not just quality in a car that matters, it's quality to cost ratio, which a good warranty can be a big part of. Take Hyundai's low, low prices into account and there's a reason they are selling more cars in America than ever before.
I don't think it's really matters so much if Detroit's autos are as good as imports at this point, people take awhile to get over what happened in the past. My sister, for example, owned a 1984 Chevy Cavalier, a very ugly, simple, little car, but it lasted and lasted, and in fact, is still in operation under new ownership. Not too long ago she bought a mid 90s Cavalier, much nicer on the inside, looks better, however, with way less mileage it's been quite problematic compared to the old one car.
There are so many other factors too, gas mileage, value-over-time, styling. I really think us conservatives have a tendency to blame the media for everything, but I've never picked up on any strong anti-American car bias, or a pro-import bias from the media. The liberal, pro-Asia conspiracy alluded to above just seems like a cop-out to me. American cars, in my opinion (with the exception of trucks and SUVs) have been quite ugly for a long time, and anybody who was moderately well off and wanted an attractive car was going to spring for a much sexier looking car from Europe for just a bit more, and those of us who are poor, think a lot about things like cost, gas mileage, and how many times we're going to have to take the damn thing in to the shop before 100,000 miles. So really, yes, there are a lot of good cars being made in America right now, but it's too little, too late, and why can't they give better warranties?
Hans
P.S. Speaking of Hemi's, I would really love to have one of those Dodge Magnum station wagons with the V8 Hemi in it. Dodge actually managed to make a station wagon look awesome, which is a feat in and of itself!
No matter how you slice it, a 10 year warranty is a great thing. I don't know how restrictive it is but who else stands behind their vehicles like that?
I bought a used Mercedes and I would be near penniless if I didn't spring for the warranty. I've already used up more than twice what I paid for the warranty. When the warranty expires, I'm seriously considering selling the vehicle. Keep in mind that I did go down the list of items covered and made sure the dealer checked every known issue with my model. The warranty people always came on site to check the vehicle but have never denied coverage. As long as I had a loaner, the wait for them to double check the car was no big deal.