 I have always driven American cars except for my 97 Toyota Land Cruiser.  I bought my Windstar in 2001 when I had two car seats for the kids.  Today, five years on, the car runs fine and has served us well but it simply is not wearing well.  We have had no problems mechanically -- everything works but things are aging badly.  All door hinges -- especially rear gate -- take too much effort.  Transmission is okay but not great.  The point of mentioning my 97 Toyota (with 100K on it) is that it feels way more solid and drives better than the van.  Granted, the Toy is also worth twice the Ford at this point but I'd rather drive a used Toy than a new Ford.  So, I doubt that I will ever buy another.