[Nuje]

My experience with domestics (whoa has this thread gone off the track or what?) includes some 1988 Chevrolets (Corsica and Beretta...they are the same car minus the body, and minor suspension differences)

Beretta - 325 000 kms last time I saw it. Suspension and steering = falling apart. Engine and gearbox (manual) flawless, all the while being poorly maintained by previous owners
Corsica - 245 000 kms. Engine went, this car was written off twice and sat for 4 years, got resurrected, then sat for another year after a month of driving. It was horribly maintained by my parents, and minimal investment made it a very comfortable drive for a while (new everything). Interior quality was dreadful however, plastic breaking everywhere, and the dash vinyl was going fast.

I had 2 Nissan 240sxs, which had about as much K or more than the Corsica, and were both in much better shape...minor problems with each.

All that said, the problems with the domestics I have seem to be something that may be better now. I don't think that a new Chevrolet will have a flaky interior in 10 years, however, you have to have a good 1.5-2 decades of 250 000km+ cars with very little problems before the resale value of your brand goes up. The Japanese made great cars for a while before they actually gained the reputation for it.