[quote=jpinpb]After that, I had a Ford Escort that was equally as reliable until I had my mid-life crisis and traded it in for my Audi TT.
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That reminds me of an experience fresh out of college. I’d bought my first BRAND NEW car – a bottom of the line 3 dr Honda Civic DX. A coworker came to work that morning with his first BRAND NEW car – a ford escort. He started berating me about not buying American. I pointed out that my honda was actually assembled/built in Canada – and showed him the stamp on the engine block… then had him pop his hood – and pointed out his “American” Ford was built in Mexico. He got a lot quieter.

I don’t think foreign is better than domestic… My husband has a 95 Dodge Ram pickup. Super reliable. Low maintenance. No frills but why trade it in if it still works reliably. I have a 2006 Toyota Hybrid Hilghlander (bought in 2005 when they first came out.) I’ve had a few minor issues – but it’s also low maintenance – we change the oil on both, keep the tire pressure proper… and just drive them.

We’re considering a nisson leaf – only because we want an all-electric. We’ll time that for when we get solar panels. If an another all-electric comes out, we’ll consider that. (Volt has a combustion engine in it to supplement the electric motor… why not just get a hybrid at that point.)