Hmm, Skarpi--a high-school friend of mine had a Taurus (not sure what year, oldest body style) with 56,000 miles on it that barely made it around the block.

I was raised on Toyotas and I'm sorry--I believe in them. We got rid of our 1982 Tercel wagon two years ago because the frame was loose (had been in an accident before we bought it), but it *always* started, ran fine, never balked, even at 225,000 miles. The only things we ever had to replace on it were the ignition and the tailgate lock, both of which wore out (yes, _wore out_). They hauled it away on a truck and it was painful to watch because it was the first time we'd ever seen it looking crippled.