The cars in my life - the Honda era - Stories for my grandchildren

There was a reason why US auto-buyers turned to Japanese-made cars in droves in the '70's and 80's - and that reason was American-made cars. I ditched the Buick Century for a 1981 Honda Civic wagon; that was the beginning of 9 Hondas in the immediate family, counting the two my son-in-law and daughter now drive. Plus a Toyota Highlander. You only have to look at the Consumer Reports Editor's Picks and the repair history charts to see why. Not to mention the mileage.

Then there was the little white '78 hatch back that Barb drove, the '85 Accord that became the school car for Rob and Julie (well, that was the theory), The maroon '89 Accord that I drove, Barb's '91 red hatchback; the sort of greenish blue '95 accord (the one we picked up while the bomb squad was at the dealership), the Honda that Rob bought in Abilene, the '04 Highlander, Barb's '05 Civic and Julie and Jason's Odyssey and Accord.

How did the Toyota Highlander get in there? It was an experiment that has worked out very well.

They say that American-made cars are vastly improved these days. That would certainly be good for the auto industry, but the line is pretty blurred at this point. Our Highlander was assembled in Princeton, Indiana, with the majority of its parts manufactured in the US. Hard to call it a foreign car under those circumstances.