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After being an Auto Body Tech for 22 years I've worked on basically every mainstream car and truck from the 60's to current and you can find problems with any of them. Some problems are quite obvious (Ford Explorer with Firestone tires rollover comes to mind) but most problems are subtle and evolve over time.

As far as current vehicles go I'd have to say that the company with the highest overall quality, fit and finish is hands down Acura. The RL, TL and newly re-designed MDX are incredible machines. I'm sure they are quite reliable as well. While Acura is pretty much just a Honda there are differences that make them even better than a Honda. In my opinion an Acura is quite a bit more than just a rebadged Honda. Honda would be my second choice for an overall package but with the exception of the new Accord most of their stuff is butt ugly. The Ridgeline and the Element are really nasty looking.

Infiniti... well what can I say? Just a glitzed up Nissan at almost twice the price. Whats up with the bright orange guages with the hideous 80's looking LED numbers? Nissan is majority share owned by Renault which is actually owned by the French government that pretty much makes me sick right there. 350Z is a step in the right direction but who would buy a car from a company that wasn't even smart enough to buy their own domain name back when the Internet started?

Lexus is the new Oldsmobile old fartmobile and the AARP flagship ride is the RX330. Toyota isn't doing anything special with this line besides making another overpriced clone of its vehicles and throwing an "L" on it. Speaking of Toyota, what joke these things are. If you only knew how thin the structural steel is in Toyotas you would trade it in ASAP. And then there is the Prius. Flowerchild feelgood stinkmobile. Years from now all these fresh and funky eco-freakos are going to be slapping lawsuits on Toyota for exposing them to cancer causing Nickel Metal Hydride fumes. Just think idiots, your baby in that car seat is sitting inches above a vat of toxic waste. Smart move numbnuts. Not to mention the hundreds of square acres of Canadian land that have been contaminated forever by strip mining the nickel for these weezing little junkboxes. Oh, and isn't that new Tundra just to die for? Looks like they hired some Graphic Art students to design trucks now. Then there is Scion. Who even thought up this idea? Kinda like the idea of a shotgun. Shot enough pellets out there and you are bound to wing a duck. Lets design a minivan that looks like a toaster and a car that looks exactly like every other 2-door sedan we've ever made.

Subaru... Never could figure Subaru out. Used to be you couldn't rebuild the motor but not sure about that now. With Kerry/Edwards and Rainbow bumper stickers as a factory option who can go wrong? Sadly enough I do have a soft spot for the WRX STI though. One thing I could never figure out was how come they never started a luxury line like all the other Japanese companies?

KIA/Hyundai? Who can tell the difference? Same company, same crappy sewing machine sounding motors. Incredible 10 year 100,000 mile warranty on KIA but I suppose they would have to still be around in 10 years though.

Lets move on to Eurotrash. BMW... well what can you say. Lots and lots of leather and you had better be a member of NASA's Space Shuttle Crew to operate the Stereo and the Climate Control. Heavan forbid you get navigation because the manual you're going to have to read is thicker than that Dictionary in your old High School Library. Lets not forget about the electrical gremlins that infest these uberyuppmobiles. I had to laugh when I drove to work the other morning behind a brand new 7 series and the tail lamp bulb is burned out already. Complicated doesn't even describe taking one of these junkers apart. More like cryptic. Just taking the door trim panel off will break you out in a cold sweat as tiny wiring plugs disinigrate with the slightest pressure.

Mercedes? Pretty much on the same level as BMW. Overpriced status symbol with funky electronics and many other quirky things that set your teeth on edge. Lets not forget that as soon as this thing gets 80,000 miles on it won't be worth anything because it costs a fortune to do any major service. What? They didn't tell you when you bought it that Mercedes is the only one that can diagnose the computer systems? To bad for you sucker.

Porsche... well if you can afford it then none of these discussions even really matter. That Cayenne had the lowest Consumer Reports satisfaction rating ever but then again look at the people driving them. They look like they like to complain a lot...

VW & Audi... These guys must spend half their yearly gross income on advertising. Not really my cup of tea, but hey, at least most of them look decent and last quite awhile with good resale.

Land Rover and Jaguar are owned by Ford so of course they are a mish mash of overpriced garbage. The only decent thing that Rover made was a Defender and even then they needed an axle upgrade. 10 spline axles? Gimmee a break!

Moving on to Scandanavia. Being of Norwegian extraction you'd think that Volvo and Saab would hold a special place in my heart but I absolutely despise both of them. Oh, we make fighter jets! We must be able to make cars too huh? Forget it, GM owns SAAB and Ford owns Volvo so that should tell you everything right there. Hard to figure out the demagraphic of someone who would sit down and think "humm, maybe I'll go buy a Volvo today". Yeah, that would be cool to buy a $40,000 Volvo that will be worth $15,000 in 3 years. Thats a great idea.

GM... The giant. The company that is still stuck in 1981. Its really too bad that a company that has so many different lines and models can't even build one decent car. GMC and Chevy full size trucks are of good quality with decent styling and you can tell this is where the company doesn't cut corners. I'm kinda thinking GM should get rid of everything but Chevy and Pontiac then reduce the model lineup to a 4-door sedan, Camaro, Corvette, Firebird a few other select models and keep building a nice full size truck. Oh, BTW, Saturn and their space age plastic body panels are really safe cars, be sure and buy one real soon and make sure and put your kids in and drive around real fast. Don't worry you're safe its a Saturn right?

Where did Ford go wrong? You could write a college term paper on this subject and still never cover it all. Killed the Taurus off and then brought it back for 2008. What a genius move. Kinda like putting a Spongebob band-aid on a bleeding artery. The only thing uglier than that new Super-Duty is the Tundra so that ain't saying much. Then there is the Explorer and the Expedition. Which is which? At a distance I can't even tell one from the other. Only die-hard Ford people like my Grandpa keep trudging into the dealer every 4 years to buy this tripe. The latest Mustang body style makes me want to dry heave as well.

Chrysler, Mercedes red-headed step child. I'd love to see the real bookeeping records of Daimler Chrysler to see who really lost all the money. Anyways, the Dakota and the Full-Size truck would be my first choice if I were in that market. There cars aren't really that bad style wise and at least they have the guts to put 6.1 Hemi's in them which you have to admire.

So it all comes down to Jeep. Grand Cherokee SRT8. Nuff said, thing will make most muscle cars cry like a little girl. Normal Grand Cherokee, loads of options with clean lines and nice interior. Liberty, previous ride, all I did was put gas, oil and a set of tires on it. Still running strong at 80,000 when I traded it in. Not too thrilled with Patriot or Compass but maybe its like a stepping stone for people.

So besides the slightly underpowered engine and a little orange peel the JK got to the top of my list. Sure, I wish a few things were different about it but one things for sure and that its a stout rig. Nothing out of the box even comes close to my Rubicon Unlimited. Believe me, I see the guts of the cars I mentioned and for the most part you'd be surprised how flimsy they really are inside.

Sure the bumpers and flares on my JK are made from Grandmas recycled tupperware containers and the middle of the rear seat is nothing but spongecake but hey, its got real Dana 44's and many other rugged parts so this is my choice. Its a good foundation that I can build on over time, plus enjoy it as I go.