Ford is spending money on retooling their plants to produce more fuel efficient cars. Gas is down right now, but by the time these new cars roll out of the plant, gas will be back up. I think Ford will be OK, as they are making more strategic changes.
I just bought a brand new Ford, and couldnt believe how hard it was. Only one dealer out of four wanted to talk to me! I was at this dealership for 6 hours trying to make a deal- I thought the way the car market was, they would be more willing to sell a car. But seriously trying to sell me a car @ MSRP and only giving me 4500-6000 for a 2002 mustang is insulting. I finally got them to move on the price, but it was a lot of work.
ALSO, I looked at several Ford cars and trucks- I think the quality on all of them was awesome! I am really happy with my new Escape - its about the least expensive SUV you can get, but the quality is amazing. I don't understand where people get this mentality that foreign cars are built better than they run forever. Properly maintained, just about any car will last forever.