My grandfather was a B29 pilot in WW2. He wasn't a big fan of the Japanese. He also opened a GMC/Pontiac/Buick dealership right after the war, and ran it until he retired in 1991. I grew up next door to them.
In 1988 Dad bought our first Honda. My grandfather was not happy about it. He owned a car dealership, and to boot, we bought something made in Japan.
The thing is, we'd ALWAYS had GM vehicles, and they were ALWAYS in the shop. With the family owning the dealership, it wasn't like repairs were mega expensive, but it finally got to the point where Dad just wanted a car that DIDN'T HAVE CONSTANT ISSUES. The Buicks and GMC's always ran fine, but you had leaks, sagging doors, electrical gremlins galore, just little irritating things but it was ALL THE TIME, so he got fed up with it and bought a Honda for my sister. She was going off to college the next year, 9 hours away, and he just got to the point where he didn't trust American made vehicles.
We've had 13 Accords or Civics since 1988. The only one that's ever needed any work other than scheduled maint is my 93 that I sold a couple of years ago with 360K on it, and it's still running strong. I had to replace the radiator, clutch slave cylinder, and fuel injection relay all at about 300K. No window motors going out, no fuel gauges that stop working, no leaking windows, no oil leaks, no backup lights or taillights that quit working. Change the oil, put gas in it, rotate the tires, and drive.
The last GM vehicle we had leaked water the first time it rained, window motor went out, AC lost its charge, and fuel gauge all crapped out, within A MONTH of driving it off the lot new. Think I'll pass on that, thanks anyway.
Oh, and that 93 was made in Ohio.
I don't even look at American made cars anymore, other than CJ's, and lets face it, none of us drive CJ's because they're dependable, they're a hassle to keep on the road, but we irrationally love them.
Yeah, I know domestics have gotten better since the 80's, and I know that as Toyota and Honda have gotten bigger, they might have slipped a bit, but until Honda gets the attitude that the Union controlled domestics had for so long of "yeah, we know it's junk, but you'll buy it anyway or you are unAmerican!", I'll keep buying Hondas (or Yotas if I want a truck)