as far as realiability is concerned... a few months ago at a meeting between ford execs and the dealer representatives where a discussion was held about the continuing decline in sales, the CEO of ford said that the problem is clear and that ford is planning to raise the reliability and build-quality of their vehicles to almost match those of toyota and honda. i dunno maybe its just me, but that seems to be a clear admission to the poor quality of the vehicle. as far as personal experience is concerned, i fully understand the appeal of a muscle car. my dream car is the AC shelby cobra. and at some point i want to restore an old vette. but the simple truth is no matter how many times american car lovers beat their chests in anger and support of their product, it is a simple fact of life that american cars are not built as well as most imports. i'm not talking about the "fun" factor or the speed/power issue. i have driven many mustangs and camaros/firebirds and couldn't help but smile as i took off, down the road, tires smoking, engine roaring the way only a muscle car engine can. but i also have had many experiences where i would drive a muscle car thats a mere 1.5 years old with less then 20,000 miles on it and the inside rattled like crazy with every pebble i hit and the car shook and felt unstable in every little turn. not to mention all my friends who have owned modern muscle cars and have unanimously agreed that its a car you buy if you don't mind the constant repairs. and even if you have your warranty, do you want to spend that much time sitting in a dealership waiting for your car to be fixed every week? yes a stock civic is slow as steam rising off dgo ****. i know. i have one. i don't pretend its an exotic sports car, or a muscle car, cause it's not. and it doesn't try to be. its daily, reliable driver that looks good IMO and has potential for what i plan to do in the foreseeable future. and i have 0 envy for some kid that pulls up next to me in 2 year old Z28 and proceeds to fly ahead of me because i know he has to drive that fast to make it the dealership on time before they close so they can fix yet another problem with it. this domestic vs import arguement wil not end anytime soon. and all it ever does is deteriorate into insults. they both have ther pluses and minuses. personaly i think these differences are great and make the whole car hobby more enticing. where would the fun be if every car performed and looked exactly the same way?