[vette6387]

“I’ve read that it’s likely all American car manufacturers will stop making cars in the next few years.”

What I’ve read is that GM is 85% non-autos, Ford is 95%, and Chrysler is 97%.
The truth of the matter is that CAFE standards have ruled out the automobiles that people liked. We’ve had one Ford Explorer and two Chevrolet Avalanches. They replaced our Chevy Kingswood Estate Wagon. We’re not looking for a high-milage vehicle. We want something that can carry a payload, pull a trailer, and give a great deal of comfort and safety. In today’s “adversarial” method of driving, having basically a pickup truck-sized vehicle is a distinct advantage. Just use your turn signals and you can pretty much change lanes as you choose, while all the rice, kim-chee and kraut cars cower. For me, all GM has to do is to continue producing the Corvette!

[Myrddin]

My F150 trucks meet my 4 wheel needs. I don't have long distance travel requirements. I have 9 motorcycles. Every one of them delivers better than 40 MPG. The recent Yamaha SR400 gets 66 MPG on 87 octane gas. I'm still breaking in the new engine. Top speed of 95 MPH. It's a fine little commuter. Perfect for city streets and country roads. For freeways, I have a Yamaha Roadliner, Harley Fat Bob, Kawasaki Versys, Harley Sportster and Kawasaki VN900 in order of preference for long haul trips. My wife has a Honda CTX700 that yield 61 MPG. Her Piaggio BV500 yields near 66 MPG too. I keep a Yamaha TW200 dual sport bike for street/offroad. Top speed is only 59 MPH, but it is very fine on the dirt. Suffice to say, 2 wheels for economy travel, 4 wheels for necessary hauling.