> The RDA Groups most recent survey listed Fords initial quality
> metric as equal to Toyota and just behind Honda in service issues
> per 1000 vehicles.
*shrug*
I only own one car (and in 25 years, have only owned 4-5), but I rent about 20/year so I've pretty much driven everything that's in the rental fleets over the past decade or so. You could not pay me enough to buy a US-designed-and-built car, especially once they get over about 15,000 miles. I eventually put a "no US cars" item in my Hertz profile, but I still get them now and again (and of course can't avoid them at Avis).
---
Now let's talk about food. I'm encouraged by the Slow Food[*] movement, and I'll support anybody who is passionate about locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Maybe that's my Berkeley showing, but I had lunch at a place called Fish. today in Sausalito today that makes the cut in my book. They have got it going on: salmon activism, nothing but sustainablility on the menu, and a crab roll that beats any lobster roll I've had on the East Coast. Tracking back to the original point: is it worth $25? Or is the local halibut-as-fish-n-chips worth $22? Beats me, but if that's the math they did and that's what they came up with, then I'm in.
[*] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_Food
/jordan