I really dont think the perception that american cars are junk is false. Yes there are a few rare instances of american cars that ran for years or foreign cars that didnt last over 100K. But I think the VAST majority of foreign cars (ie Honda and Toyota) outlast their domestic/US counterparts.
I also can only speak from personal experience. I tend to baby my cars - oil changes at 3K, garaged at night, I only wash them in my driveway (no harsh drive through washes), hand wax 2x a year, etc.
My last car was a 2000 Mustang. Before it hit 100K it had lost a water pump, the traction control module broke, the cd player stopped ejecting, the engine made a chattery noise when accelerating, and the car idled at about 30 miles an hour due to some issue I never figured out, b/c I traded it in around the time that started happening. The car was getting just to dangerous to drive.
Prior to this I had a Ford Explorer (eddie bauer) that had a 40K sticker. Before it even hit 36K miles, a radio died, its engine had to get valve adjustments, the cargo sunshade stopped working, and it rattled more than any other car I ever owned. And this was THE most expensive car I have owned to date.
My first car was a camaro I bought in high school, and it had its fair share of issues as well - some of them engineering defects that were known, such as putting the ignition system low enough that driving through puddles would kill part of the electronics - a $650 repair. It also lost an fuel pump that required dropping the axle, drive shaft, and gas tank to get to - this was an $800 repair. All this plus more before 100K.
My fiance had a Ford escort she owned from new that had its transmission fail at 65K. It also vibrated like a weed wacker at stop lights.
During this time my parents had a 1999 camry (which they STILL have) with about 180K miles that has only required 1 water pump, and a timing belt (which is considered reg maintenence) along with oil changes.
Her dad bought a honda accord in 1997 that her younger brother now drives - it has 220K miles and has never had anything other than a timing chain/belt and oil changes. The a/c is a little weak now, but what do you expect for a 14 year old car. Thats just impressive.
This is why this time around When my fiance and I bought new cars, we bought 2 honda accords. Other than one power window regulator, we have not had a single issue with either of them.
I would like to buy "american" cars but until I see some of these alledged new breed of reliable US cars driving flawlessly still at 10 years old, I am not likely to buy one anytime soon. Why reward a company with tens of thousands of my hard earned dollars for an unproven piece of junk? Even with a 100K mile warranty - big deal, these days 100K is not that impressive of a benchmark. 150K trouble free is when I am impressed.
One more point - there was some chatter about where these cars are built. I think more cars are built here in the US than one may think. The BMW Xs is built in Kentucky. The vast majority of Camrys and Accords are too. This is just a few examples. Likewise, a good deal of US cars are built in Mexico and Canada. Food for thought...