stingc

While fords may be junk (I don't have any direct experience), coming to that conclusion from a failed alternator is silly. Alternators very commonly fail in all cars. And you would not have to pay $400 to put one in at a regular mechanic. It's a ~$100-150 part, and takes less than 1/2 hour to install in most cars. Also, its often the voltage regulator portion that dies, which is much cheaper than a complete alternator.