I have owned a 1996 Chevy Blazer for 4 years. I bought it used from a Chevy dealer in Denver. The day I bought it I said the transmission was not right and they said it was normal.

Two years and about $1000 later, when my extended warranty was just about up, they said it was the transmission. It would barely run, it cut out, and sometimes die at an intersection. This is not an uncommon problem. GM refuses to admit that there is a problem and won't even try to help.

I just traded in a Ford Taurus. The engine light came on and it barely ran. I took it to the dealer who, some $250 later, told me it was a cracked vacuum line and bad gasoline. One week later the same thing happened. Back to the dealer, where some $150 later I was told it was a loose vacuum line. Thirty minutes later the same thing happened. A different mechanic told me the head gasket was leaking and letting anti freeze into the cylinders. Very common with the 3.0 liter Ford engine.

No more American built cars for me.

I realize cars break down, and you have to pay to fix them, but, by God, when I spend thousands of dollars on a car and on repairs I want it fixed. If it's a very common problem, like both of mine were, then own up to it and do something about it.

I've owned foreign cars before, they had problems, but when I took them in, they were fixed.