I have a buddy with a '95 V6 camaro 3.4... he beat the SHIT out of that car EVERYDAY.... he had almost 200k on that motor, before finally the timing chain blew and he said screw it, I want a Z28...
I have an '89 Blazer with 181k on the clock... runs PERFECT.... I would drive it anywhere if the damn thing wasn't rusted and a gas hog. I know Joe Broadman's dad has one with 300k on the clock. my '04 has been beat to shit and back by me, has 30k on the clock, still runs perfect, the interior fit and finish is tons better as well as the overall styling... hell, my camaro runs well and I beat the everliving shit out of that car everytime I drive it. Granted, it's not stock, but it takes a licking and keeps on ticking....
now, my ex's Honda Accord, she had to get rid of it because it was broken down every other weekend.
GM has done amazing things as far as quality and reliability on their motors since the late 80's... the only thing that they are doing wrong is not introducing more than 2 valves per cyl in anything other than the caddy or forced induction into their bigger motor vehicles.
your buddy probably doesn't do typical maintence or anything to his cars thus why he's having problems. It doesn't matter who makes the motor, it can only take so much abuse.
To anyone who takes trash about the reliability of any Domestic car.... do yourselves a favor, look around at the older cars on the road... garanteed that you'll see more Corsica's or Beretta's, or hell, even Chivette's than you do see mid-late 80's anything else... Hell, the Chrystler mini-van's and omni's are still everywhere... Everyone who talks about the reliability that is so far superior on imports than domestics has giving into a good sales pitch...
/rant off