Both Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F ) and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM ) seemed destined to go bankrupt during the recession because of a drastic reduction in automobile demand and a rapid deterioration in their finance arms. Amazingly, Ford pulled through without the need for a bailout, while GM was forced to seek $49.5 billion in government aid to help it pull through its reorganization. You might be of the opinion that a reorganized GM would therefore be in better shape than Ford because of the extra help it received from the U.S. government, but Ford still has quite a few tricks up its sleeve that could make it a very compelling buy.