Crazyhorse,
Because "Honda Quality" cars don't have 300 HP in a good looking RWD coupe. It's quality should be questioned because Ford doesn't have the track record to not question it. [/b][/quote]
Actually, all of my Fords have been top quality. I broke a timing belt in my '79 Cobra at 75K. Otherwise pretty solid. I only had one problem with my '93 GT. It was a clutch plate that was off balance and caused a vibration in the pedal. My explorer and expedition were flawless. I've had 3 chevys, each has had multiple problems.

Likewise, my foreign cars have been solid as well. Nissan Maxima - no repairs until 75K miles. That was only a distributor cap. My BMW 528, no repairs.

Honda quality is a reputation (somewhat deserved), but, they have mechanical problems as well. As far as interior parts, they are just as cheap plastic as American cars.

My beef with these posts is that people are assuming because some people have had problems with mustangs in the past, that they can't be trusted now. No fair until the real deal is seen.

 

I don't know enough about the Jaguar incident to speak from experience. The point is the F-150 didn't have any problems after its launch .. why should the Mustang? It uses the same launch technique.

 

You said it yourself. The poster was the one who assumed it was bad, and he has never seen one.

 

As the owner of a 2004 Mazda 6 built in the same plant as the '05, all I got to say is if they build the Mustang as well as the 6, I'll be more than satisfied.

 

T check out www.fast-autos.net

I rest my case!

 

And what are we looking for there?

 

I am not worried.

Honda Quality? It is not what it used to be. As someone who has owned 4 Honda automobiles, as well as put 76,000 miles ( and counting ) on my Acura RSX-S, I can say that they don't make anything like they used to - even Hondas. I'll never buy anything from Honda ever again. They are cutting corners and it really shows....The US automakers are not such an easy target as they were in the 80's.

I can't wait until the day my new '05 GT arrives and I no longer have to drive my Honda product. This will be my first Ford car. Hopefully it goes well and I can trade my wife's Accord for something at the Ford dealer. Too bad Ford does not make mowers and 4-wheelers too.

Besides the obvious things like great styling, value and awesome power - all I am looking for is a quality product, and a company that values/cares about its customers. From what I have learned, it appears that Ford does build a quality product, cares about its customers and will go above and beyond expectations to prove it.

I can say from personal experience that Honda does neither.

I might be going out on a limb purchasing a car I have never driven during it's first months of production, but anything is better than my current car. Ford has too much on the line to screw this up. And it will be good to finally have torque

 

The original poster is 1meanz. Think he is a z28 guy? I don't remember Ford making a "z" car.

 

And what are we looking for there? [/b][/quote]
down below the pictures is the full story. sound like it should be read by some people!

 

down below the pictures is the full story. sound like it should be read by some people! [/b][/quote]
Can you give us a direct link? I can't find what you are trying to show us.

 

I believe that the upcoming Ford Fusion, is supposed to have alot of design cues from the 427 concept.

 

Well, I can't see how the car can't be an improvement in build quality. My 99 was a great car weith no problems that drove great but my 02 will probably die on it's own in a few years if I keep it. It was hit or miss with the previous years.

The only thing I saw wrong on the Redfire show car in Philly was the paint around the headlights and the metal under the trim around the hood. (What can only be seen with the hodd open.) The paint was not fully sprayed on the sheetmetal. I'm sure production models will be much better.

 

geez I went to ford tonight to see if they had an 05 Mustang yet. I saw the new 500 in redfire. I even took it for a test drive. The car was really nice. I was impressed at the quality of it. Not cheap looking at all and all the parts worked, fit well, and the car was solid! Inside and out........... (I would compare it to an Audi in quality)

 

My Ranger is running extremely strong with no major problems whatsoever in 175,000+ miles. And, in 1993, it was a first-year redesign, too.

BTW, I believe that Jaguar is only 35% owned by Ford. That's what I read a few weeks ago, but it was on the internet, and the internet cannot always be trusted.

Here's a section of the FAQ on Jaguar's website:

 

True dat. Heres hoping for some solid american cars in the coming years. If the 500 and mustang are well built, Ford NA might actually start comparing to Ford Europe (please give me the Focus RS ). It would be nice to have more options in the sedan market in addition to the standby Japanese and Euros.

As someone said about Honda, I too have also heard of the type-s having catastrophic engine failures. In addition i heard there was a pretty massive recall on Accords recently .

About the 500, I am wondering how Ford is aiming for it to compete. Its obvious they didnt go for ***** to the wall performance or styling (not to say that is bad, just different from the way the market is evolving)......

Jason

 

Poor quality? I doubt it. Ford is almost depending on the success of this car, they would not screw it up. It will be my 5th stang and I have never had a quality concern before and still don't.

 

I don't see how the 500's styling is any worse than the Accord 4-door or Camry or even the Altima. It sure is a heck of a lot better than the Impala, though. That's just what sells in the midsize sedan segment... bland, conservative, and sophisticated. The Altima is the only one of the top 5 sedans that has somewhat sporty styling, and yet its sales are dropping possibly for that same reason.

The original Taurus sold so well for so long because it had conservative styling that appealed to all sorts of consumers. The newer Taurus sales dropped because it had dramatic curves and was a departure from the typical Accord and Camry styling of the time.

You watch... I bet the 500 will be a hit once advertising picks up. :yes:

 

nope

 

In the Five Hundred's defense (It's "Five Hundred", not "500", btw)...

It has a grand total of 2 weaknesses--

1) Underdeveloped powertrain. Seriously, the same V6 is used in the Mazda6, albeit with Variable Valve Timing, yielding at least 10% more horses, pushing the horsepower up to something like 227, which might be good enough to give it a better power/weight ratio than the current generation Toyota Camry. Unfortunately, they had a bunch of non-VVT Duratech 30's lying around the warehouses from decreased Taurus production. So, to meet a Fall deadline, they scarf up the Taurus engines and stick them in the Five Hundred, Montego, and Freestyle. To remedy the situation, I've been hearing rumors that Ford is working on a 3.5L Duratech with VVT (I think the theoretical power output was somthing like 250 or 260 horses and a similar number for lb/ft) for the 2006 Five Hundred... so chances are pretty good that Ford will only have to make do with an underpowered flagship sedan for one model year.

2) C/D and Edmunds both complain about a few patches of cheap interior materials. I only spent 5 minutes in my relative's car, so I didn't have much time to start hunting for these cheap spots. The car mags must have been nit-picking, because said cheap spots weren't immediately-apparent to me.

Yeah, it could use more power. Ford, however, was smart enough to find a partial way around the low horsepower figure-- a close-ration Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission... or a CVT from German manufacturer ZF, who provide CVT's for Audi.

Make no mistake. This is a car geared toward older and middle-aged baby-boomers raising older teenagers. This is not meant to be the most exciting of cars.

This is why Ford will be introducing the Fusion in Spring 2005. This one is based on the Mazda6 platform and is supposed to be much more fun to drive than the Five Hundred. It borrows a few styling cues from the 427 concept (albeit rounder and smaller) and will likely come in sedan and wagon variants. I've been screaming for Ford to bring over the Mondeo from Ford Europe (although we already have one in the form of the Jaguar X-Type), but I'll calm down a little, at least until I see how well the Fusion fares.

Now for the one I'M saving myself for-- the (hopefully) 2006 Fairlane (though it could also be a Galaxie). It will be Rear-Wheel-Drive, based on the DEW Lite platform. It should be the main competitor for the Chrysler 300, look much more like the 427 concept and, yes... Ford has promised a V8 powertrain, though a few unsubstantiated rumors have also mentioned a 5.8L V10...

 

I am not worried.

Honda Quality? It is not what it used to be. As someone who has owned 4 Honda automobiles, as well as put 76,000 miles ( and counting ) on my Acura RSX-S, I can say that they don't make anything like they used to - even Hondas. I'll never buy anything from Honda ever again. They are cutting corners and it really shows....The US automakers are not such an easy target as they were in the 80's.

I can't wait until the day my new '05 GT arrives and I no longer have to drive my Honda product. This will be my first Ford car. Hopefully it goes well and I can trade my wife's Accord for something at the Ford dealer. Too bad Ford does not make mowers and 4-wheelers too.

Besides the obvious things like great styling, value and awesome power - all I am looking for is a quality product, and a company that values/cares about its customers. From what I have learned, it appears that Ford does build a quality product, cares about its customers and will go above and beyond expectations to prove it.

I can say from personal experience that Honda does neither.

I might be going out on a limb purchasing a car I have never driven during it's first months of production, but anything is better than my current car. Ford has too much on the line to screw this up. And it will be good to finally have torque [/b][/quote]
I have around 43k on my RSX-S, and my only gripes are the jarring ride and lack of torque. Other than that, it's a great car that has caused me no problems. My family currently has 4 honda cars. The only one we have had minor quality problems with is my wife's 2002 Accord. This car was made in the US, so go figure. Other than making some of their cars in the US, I don't see the corners Honda is cutting. I don't want to seem anti-American, but the Japanese brands produce better cars in Japan.

Like others, I am hoping that the 05 mustang will have similar quality to the Mazda 6 produced in the same factory. If this is the case, I'll be really happy. Then, I'll just have to wait until the dealers play ball, because every Ford dealer I have tried to make contact with has treated me like crap. In my experience, I have been treated a lot better by Honda and Acura dealers so far. All the Ford dealers (5+) I have contacted either don't reply or are fixed on making MSRP+ and won't even consider my offers. I guess I'll just wait until the dead of winter when they are desperate and there's good financing. I don't think my Acura is a bad car at all, but like you I feel the need for some torque.