KMM:

This brings back good/bad memories. I was working at GM during that period (mid to late 80s), on the Lotus Active Suspension Corvette. My boss kept insisting I buy a Fiero or any GM car as my fellow employees did not appreciate my driving a 944 to work at GM. The last version of the Fiero, with the V6, the bespoke rear suspension and the updated styling did tempt me. Not enough though...

 

Definitely interesting times!  I was still in college during that period; however, since the family business worked closely with several units of General Motors, and Ford, I learned much about the Big 3.  We had a Fiero GT for a brief period of time but it was replaced by a Nissan 300ZX.  My Father also had one of the very first Ford Taurus sold in the States and it was, to put it mildly, a disaster.  Within the first week of ownership a heater hose split and it took a week to get a replacement part because the parts inventories were still ramping up.  After the driver's side seat failed, my Father replaced that car with a Cadillac and then quickly with an Audi.  He remained an Audi enthusiast for the rest of his life.

Returning quickly to the Ford, I had a discussion with a Ford engineer years later and I mentioned that it wasn't possible to use a piece of hose as a temporary replacement for that molded heater hose since it had two different I.Ds.  The engineer casually explained that Ford had the design since the mid-1950s and it really was a nuisance but there was no imperative in Finance to allocate funds to change the design.  

Finally, I really want to try the new Audi S8 with Audi's version of active suspension. I have driven the Mercedes active suspension and found it merely okay.