<<  I've never owned an American vehicle
 > that went over 120K without it falling apart to the point that, if the
 > mechanicals had problems, the condition of the body was such that it was
not
 > worth doing the mechanical repairs. >>

I'd have to disagree on a point here. At Saturn, i'd see '91s and '92s come
in every day with over 175k on them with no major problems and on the
original engine,tranny, exhaust system, even the original rear brake shoes (
!!! ). The same goes for '80s/'90s Novas/Prisms. Over 200k trouble free miles
are the norm for those cars. They aren't fun cars to drive, but they are very
reliable.
  My daily driver is a '95 Caprice  ex-NJ highway patrol car with 161k on the
clock, on the original engine/trans/rear (no rust). I got a look at the
service records when it was on active duty. It has gotten brake pads and a
starter and oil changes since i got it, and not much else for maintenance or
repair(15k miles). Most on that list report 250k on the original motor. I
regularly tow 5,000 lbs worth of trailers with it across 3 states, with no
engine/trans/brake mods, no complaints.
  America can build a good car when they want to. Usually they don't. - Ed