I've had good luck with my American cars over the years. In fact, I have not owned an American car that burned oil....but my brand new 550 burns oil and it's "normal". I used to drive the heck out of my cars (50, then 90 mile one way commutes). They would all end up much higher than 100k miles. Now that I work out my home, it's not as bad (50ft commute bed to computer), but I still drive when I take vacations (1200+mile trips). I would rather take any of my American vehicles over my wife's 330 over any decent distance. Finally, my wife's 3 is in about the same condition then her Grand Prix was at the same age/milage
I would also take an American truck over any non-US trucks. (and yes, i mean trucks and 1/2, 3/4 ton sport utes). The Tundra is nice, as is the Sequoia, but I prefer the Suburban or the F Series.
I will give you points for the cheap plastics issue...especially GM.
That said, I have had horrible sales experiences with Lexus, Audi, Mercedes, and BMW. Mrs. Stonehauler and I are both engineers, have good jobs (and no kids), but when we walk into a Mercedes, Audi, Lexus, or BMW dealership, we are overlooked, passed by, and generally ignored. Why? Most likely because we are not in the 40+ crowd. I have not had the same experience at Ford or GM.
When I walk in ready to order my car (all but one of my cars was a factory order), I know EXACTLY what I want, and what I do not want, and I will ask for their bottom line...no back and forth, but their best deal the first time. I will have a list of options and I will already know the price both wholesale and retail. If they are within $500 of each other, I will go with the one that is closer to me or has a better service dept, but if a dealership has ignored me, my wife, or was a general pain to deal with...they will not earn my business no matter how good their price might be. Nor will I go there to service. I drove 50 miles to service my Lexus previously. There were dealers closer, but I believe that it's good to reward a dealership that does right by the customer.