Listening to the mainstream media, you wouldn’t know that there are at least 10 cars from American car makers that you can wander into the dealership and buy RIGHT NOW that are kicking the butts out from under anything coming out of Japan, Germany, Korea… or anywhere else.

Here is a sample:

Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country

When Volkswagen needed a minivan, the called Chrysler… the result is the Routan.  Chrysler invented the minivan, and the 2010 Grand Caravan/Town & Country is the pinnacle of the breed so far.  The 4.0L powerplant has a load of power… and the 3.8 is FlexFuel capable.  The Stow & Go and Swivel & Go seating were inspired.

Look for pricing between $24k and $40k

Ford F150 Raptor

NO other truck is sold in the volume of Ford’s F150.  And NO F150 is as cool as the Raptor.  With 12″ of suspension travel all of the way around, and a REAL “pre-runner” suspension… and a LOAD of muscle under the hood, there isn’t another pick-up in the world that can keep up with this one.

Look for pricing around $40k.

Pontiac G8GXP

2010 is the last year for Pontiac.  That is a shame.  It might also be their best year.  And leading the “Best Year” charge is the flagship G8GXP.  Based on the Australian Holden Commodore, this thing has 400+ horsepower.  Think BMW M-5 without a 6 digit price tag.  I hope this thing comes back to life in another GM division in the US.  But, a Buick or Chevy won’t look as mean.

Look for pricing around $40k for the G8GXP and $30k for the G8GT.

Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited

There are other 4x4s.  They are all over the world…  But, unlike the over-weight, under-performing SUVs that populate kids’ soccer games and mall parking lots, Jeeps back up their reputation.  And the Rubicon Unlimited is THE cream of the off-road crop.  Nothing else can touch its performance in the rough stuff for even close to the price.  And of course, the best thing about a Jeep is that the aftermarket supports them extremely well.

Look for pricing under $35k for a VERY loaded model.

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Skip the Prius.  Too small…  And the Camry Hybrid?  Similar in size, but not nearly as good in the fuel mileage department.  And the mileage department holds a COOL surprise.  This machine gets 41mpg around town.  Part of the reason for the excellent mileage is that the electric motor can power the car up to 47mph… WAY faster than any of the competition.

Look for pricing around $30k with plenty of options.

Corvette ZR-1

The Corvette has always been GM’s answer to sports cars… and for decades, they fell way short of the goal.  Then, in 1984 (C4), the Corvette started to come on strong.  The current generation Vette (C7) has finally managed to unseat the big boys.  They aren’t cheap,  but compared to the Ferraris and Porsches that they are beating, they are a bargain.  They deliver the beating with a 638hp Supercharged 6.2L LS9.  I’d never been a big Corvette fan, but they have grown on me… I love the muscle.

Look for pricing around $110k with a few options.

Dodge Challenger

This car had a little surprise in store for me.  I loved the looks, and the performance wasn’t bad… as long as you weren’t expecting a sports car.  This is a “Tourer”.  The shocker, though, was in Consumer Reports.  It had the highest Satisfaction Rating of any of the cars they sampled.  More Challenger owners would buy their car again… and more were extremely satisfied with their cars than any other car.  And with the R/T or the SRT-8, you can say “Yea, it’s got a Hemi”.

Look for prices between $32k (R/T) and $45k (SRT-8).

Tesla Roadster

It was long considered “Vaporware”.  They were always almost ready to go… but not quite.  Now they are QUITE ready to go.  In fact, they have announced the Sedan.  But the Roadster is available right now.  And they are hot.  With a loft of design work by Lotus, they have pushed the All Electric concept to a new level.  And they have pushed service to a new level, too… they make house calls.  Get THAT from your Volvo…

Look for pricing just north of $100k.

Ford Taurus SHO

When they were first introduced, the Taurus was a game changer.  They were incredibly aerodynamic for the time… and they were a leap ahead of everyone with their styling.  The original SHO was a stunning performer in its day, as well.  Ford has done it again.  They have built a powerful, top performing car, loaded with features that haven’t lived in this price range before… like adaptive cruise control, Blind Spot Information Systems and automatic collision avoidance braking assist.  The new Taurus is another game changer… and the SHO is the bad boy of the bunch.

Look for pricing around $40k with some nice options.

Cadillac CTS-V

This has become one of my favorite cars.  And I have never liked Cadillacs… for performance.  I am astounded that the original “cush car” has turned into a Bahn Burner…  0-60 in 3.9 seconds…  556hp…  under 8 minutes around the Nurburgring…  In fact, there isn’t another car that has done a faster lap of the ring on factory tires.  The Cadillac is stepping on BMW butt… for about $30k less than a BMW M5.

Look for pricing around $65k.

American cars are back. Ford has stepped back into profitability.  GM is back from the brink.  Chrysler is still endangered, but they have some really cool stuff on the road and in the pipeline.  They have been building cars with similar, and even better quality than the foreign nameplates for the last few years, although the word hadn’t really made it to the streets…

They are giving some deals in order to keep the production lines moving.  And keeping the production lines moving slows the unemployment lines… which means that more support jobs are created… and that helps our economy recover.

Buy a bunch of houses… I want a few of these…  ;^ )