FORDS FUTURE
1/23/06, 09:43 PM
#21
Originally posted by tomahawk@January 23, 2006, 11:22 PM
I seem to recall the head Chinese dude stating in an interview that at least one of their cars would sell for ~10K US. Did I hear that wrong? If not then I can imagine TONS of people buying a "new" car for 10K in this country, stolen technology or not. jmpo.
I seem to recall the head Chinese dude stating in an interview that at least one of their cars would sell for ~10K US. Did I hear that wrong? If not then I can imagine TONS of people buying a "new" car for 10K in this country, stolen technology or not. jmpo.
The idea has Yugo written all over it. I just wonder if automakers will keep the Chineese companies tied up in court. I also wonder who is going to invest in ultra prime real estate and pick a Chineese maker with virtually no proffit margain as the dealer they WANT to own. A dealer has somerwhere between 0 and 0% chance of making money selling $10k cars. Most Kia/Hyundai dealers share a dealership now with another make. I worked for a Ford dealer that sold Kia and Subaru. The Kia guys made NOTHING. Hmmm, I have an offer to take a new subaru dealership or a chineese car one on this $9 million lot......... :scratch: Its taken the Koreans nearly 20 years to reach the level of 'respect' that they enjoy now. After my experience with Kia/Hyundai, I would still take a used ex-rental car over one. Even as a kid making $7 an hour, I couldn't bring myself to work my **** off to see a chineese coupe in my driveway. Id rather have a once-nice but now rough used car so I had an excuse as compared to one that comes off the line brand new that way. 
1/23/06, 10:38 PM
#22
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Alright, Ford needs to up the anty, I vote that the first thing they do is get a nice foothold in the Sporty-Sedan segment, they've started with Fusion, now they need to DOMINATE
A Fusion GT model needs to come, NOW! Be it a HO 3.0l with..like..245 hp or the 3.5l V6. witht he 250 It NEEDS TO HAPPEN -NOW-
The Focus must be either pepped up, or killed off in the U.S the WEAK-SHALL-BE-LEFT-BEHIND. 3.0l V6 ST with a 6 spd for a Focus Gran Touring model. and a T/C 3.5 SVT Focus.
The 500 needs some BOLD styling cues, and a beefy 4.6 4v V8 with like 350 hp and it's CVT to BEAT THESE HEMI CLOWNS.
The Mustang needs this
Mustang v6 - 4.0l V6 210 HP 240 TQ
Mustang Pony Package - all the current visual stuff, with the 3.5
Mustang GT - 4.6l 3v 320 hp
Mustang GTS - 5.4l 3v 370 hp
Mustang BOSS 329 - 5.4l 4v 400 hp
Mustang Mach 1 - 6.2 CLEVELAND V8
The GT500 be nice here
SVT Mustang Cobra R - S/C 5.4l V8 - 510 hp
Now, the trucks, give us the 4.4l Diesel, a peppier V6 for entry level F150s and The 3.5 will be good for a top Ranger engine. the 6.2l MUST be an option on LARIAT and XLT trim levels of the F150 and we NEED A FRIGGIN LIGHTNING.
Ford may not be able to make it all happen, but they need to do SOMETHING to rebound, and become the ford that led the charge to the return of all-powerful V8s after the 70's and 80's.
THE BUILDERS OF THE 5.0 WILL NEVER DIE
A Fusion GT model needs to come, NOW! Be it a HO 3.0l with..like..245 hp or the 3.5l V6. witht he 250 It NEEDS TO HAPPEN -NOW-
The Focus must be either pepped up, or killed off in the U.S the WEAK-SHALL-BE-LEFT-BEHIND. 3.0l V6 ST with a 6 spd for a Focus Gran Touring model. and a T/C 3.5 SVT Focus.
The 500 needs some BOLD styling cues, and a beefy 4.6 4v V8 with like 350 hp and it's CVT to BEAT THESE HEMI CLOWNS.
The Mustang needs this
Mustang v6 - 4.0l V6 210 HP 240 TQ
Mustang Pony Package - all the current visual stuff, with the 3.5
Mustang GT - 4.6l 3v 320 hp
Mustang GTS - 5.4l 3v 370 hp
Mustang BOSS 329 - 5.4l 4v 400 hp
Mustang Mach 1 - 6.2 CLEVELAND V8
The GT500 be nice here
SVT Mustang Cobra R - S/C 5.4l V8 - 510 hp
Now, the trucks, give us the 4.4l Diesel, a peppier V6 for entry level F150s and The 3.5 will be good for a top Ranger engine. the 6.2l MUST be an option on LARIAT and XLT trim levels of the F150 and we NEED A FRIGGIN LIGHTNING.
Ford may not be able to make it all happen, but they need to do SOMETHING to rebound, and become the ford that led the charge to the return of all-powerful V8s after the 70's and 80's.
THE BUILDERS OF THE 5.0 WILL NEVER DIE
1/24/06, 02:01 AM
#23
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You can't really say that the technolgy was stolen. It's called reverse engineering. If someone is going to jump off a cliff, and you need or want to jump off that same cliff, would you not want to see if that person survived the fall, what damage was done, how did they jump, what form did they have? Maybe there is something you could learn from watching them before you just say "geronimo", and maybe you could do the same thing just better and with less mistakes. Don't be fooled the big 3 have done their fair share of this. Rather you want to believe it or not, unions have a lot to do with the demise of the big 3. You pay workers 58 bucks an hour to do something pretty much anyone could do, give them (good)benefits, vacation, sick leave, pension, and make sub-par autos with poor quality and wonder why there is a problem. Unions are there to make money. You pay union dues. You are forced to pay these dues. The more you pay someone to build the car the more it cost the consumer to buy it. After working in automotive production and looking at the new mustang all I can say is it's about time. You can really see that designers took a good amount of time to make this new stang "simple" to build for lack of a better term. Almost to the point of maybe getting mad that the thing even cost $25,000 dollars. I will agree that Toyota has horrible styling, but their quality is nearly unmatched. O, and they are coming out with a F350 killer and a big diesel, so is Nissan.
1/24/06, 04:58 AM
#24
After all these years,
My C/T still sucks!
My C/T still sucks!
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Yes Kevin the Freestyle. Its Blah. And its a station wagon.
My local dealer has legions of Expeditions and Explorers on the lot as well. Because a soccer mom can only buy so many...
Kill off the Focii and start concentrating on the sporty Sedans- like the 500 and Fusion. Look at Chrysler- they have the 300 and Charger and sell the snot out of them.
Get something attractive to compete with the (eww) Cobalt.Chevy has all the fluff vehicles too and the C6 to appeal to those who are more into sporty stuff.
And What does Ford have to compete with the C6? The new Shelby?
My local dealer has legions of Expeditions and Explorers on the lot as well. Because a soccer mom can only buy so many...
Kill off the Focii and start concentrating on the sporty Sedans- like the 500 and Fusion. Look at Chrysler- they have the 300 and Charger and sell the snot out of them.
Get something attractive to compete with the (eww) Cobalt.Chevy has all the fluff vehicles too and the C6 to appeal to those who are more into sporty stuff.
And What does Ford have to compete with the C6? The new Shelby?
1/24/06, 09:31 AM
#25
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SUV sales have declined and cars and crossovers are what will impact sales. Ford needs to focus on two areas right now.:
-Economy Car
-Midsized Sedan/Family sedan
The Focus is outdated and needs an overhaul. Ford needs something to compete with the Honda Civic. The Mazda 3 series has been getting great reviews. Use this platform and adapt Ford's styling theme.
Ford already has the Fusion, which IMO looks pretty good. It does desperately need more power. I know it's coming, but Ford need to place their new V6 in this car ASAP. Work on fit and finish shortcomings and add a few more standard features. Ford would have a real winner.
Lastly, Ford needs to improve the warranty of their vehicles across the board. Increase the bumper to bumper warranty to 4 year/48,000 miles and add a Powertrain warranty of something like 5 years/60,000 miles. This will increase consumer confidence in Ford products and is another selling point.
-Economy Car
-Midsized Sedan/Family sedan
The Focus is outdated and needs an overhaul. Ford needs something to compete with the Honda Civic. The Mazda 3 series has been getting great reviews. Use this platform and adapt Ford's styling theme.
Ford already has the Fusion, which IMO looks pretty good. It does desperately need more power. I know it's coming, but Ford need to place their new V6 in this car ASAP. Work on fit and finish shortcomings and add a few more standard features. Ford would have a real winner.
Lastly, Ford needs to improve the warranty of their vehicles across the board. Increase the bumper to bumper warranty to 4 year/48,000 miles and add a Powertrain warranty of something like 5 years/60,000 miles. This will increase consumer confidence in Ford products and is another selling point.
1/24/06, 12:33 PM
#26
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The American automotive industry needs to focus on two things QUALITY and RELIABILITY. If they ever expect to get me back as a customer, they need to prove to me that their products are just as good as a Honda or Toyota. I want bullet proof reliability. And no excuses.
I grew up in a union household, where once upon a time I would have never even considered a "foreign" manufacturer. So I bought "American" more than once, and spent more time at dealerships dealing with countless "check engine lights" , to needing door and hood hinges to be re-welded on, to being told I needed a $500 brake job after the first year, to noticing excessive wear and tear on the seat fabric after a year. It's been a long time since then, but I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN.
And then one day, I thought "why am I doing this?" :bang: My girlfriend had a Mazda that she never did anything to, and it never needed ANYTHING. Why was I wasting all this time in a service department and spending money on repairs. So I bought an Acura Integra in 1992, one of my favorite cars, traded it for a Grand Cherokee in 1994 because they were swearing on bibles they had the reliability thing all worked out. :bang: Got rid of it in 95 for an Accord, that I kept for 9 years, almost 300,000 miles and never needed a single repair, never even needed a muffler. Didn't need front brakes until 70,000 miles. Nothing outside of routine maintenance and normal wear and tear. That is what I WANT and EXPECT. :worship:
I was in Arizona in 1999, driving at 3am, came across some test drivers for the new PT Cruiser, told them how I liked the styling but was worried about reliability and quality, mentioning my experiences with the 1994 Grand Cherokee. They said " Yeah, but you should see what we are doing now". I told them that I had heard that same line back in 94! NO SALE!!! :nono:
At this point, it would be hard to get me to buy "American". I've got $3500 on my GM card to use on top of incentives. And still I bought a Honda, no regrets. Until the people I know stop dealing with the quality and reliability issues with their "American" cars, that is not going to change. The only exception is a car like the Mustang, and that is because I can't get anything like it elsewhere. I'll buy one for the performance, I don't expect it to be bullet proof. It would be really nice if I could, unfortunately the quality of the plastic materials and switchgear and the fact that after test driving a convertible, we lost that little plastic trim piece by the door lock "pop up" does not inspire confidence.
This is the problem that the American auto industry faces. I know the quality has gotten better. But why risk my hard earned money, when my "foreign cars" have never ever let me down and have never asked anything from me?
Flame me if you want. But that won't solve anything. I am not alone. Loss of market share proves it. Focus on the PRODUCT. Focus on QUALITY. Focus on RELIABILITY.
I grew up in a union household, where once upon a time I would have never even considered a "foreign" manufacturer. So I bought "American" more than once, and spent more time at dealerships dealing with countless "check engine lights" , to needing door and hood hinges to be re-welded on, to being told I needed a $500 brake job after the first year, to noticing excessive wear and tear on the seat fabric after a year. It's been a long time since then, but I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN.
And then one day, I thought "why am I doing this?" :bang: My girlfriend had a Mazda that she never did anything to, and it never needed ANYTHING. Why was I wasting all this time in a service department and spending money on repairs. So I bought an Acura Integra in 1992, one of my favorite cars, traded it for a Grand Cherokee in 1994 because they were swearing on bibles they had the reliability thing all worked out. :bang: Got rid of it in 95 for an Accord, that I kept for 9 years, almost 300,000 miles and never needed a single repair, never even needed a muffler. Didn't need front brakes until 70,000 miles. Nothing outside of routine maintenance and normal wear and tear. That is what I WANT and EXPECT. :worship:
I was in Arizona in 1999, driving at 3am, came across some test drivers for the new PT Cruiser, told them how I liked the styling but was worried about reliability and quality, mentioning my experiences with the 1994 Grand Cherokee. They said " Yeah, but you should see what we are doing now". I told them that I had heard that same line back in 94! NO SALE!!! :nono:
At this point, it would be hard to get me to buy "American". I've got $3500 on my GM card to use on top of incentives. And still I bought a Honda, no regrets. Until the people I know stop dealing with the quality and reliability issues with their "American" cars, that is not going to change. The only exception is a car like the Mustang, and that is because I can't get anything like it elsewhere. I'll buy one for the performance, I don't expect it to be bullet proof. It would be really nice if I could, unfortunately the quality of the plastic materials and switchgear and the fact that after test driving a convertible, we lost that little plastic trim piece by the door lock "pop up" does not inspire confidence.
This is the problem that the American auto industry faces. I know the quality has gotten better. But why risk my hard earned money, when my "foreign cars" have never ever let me down and have never asked anything from me?
Flame me if you want. But that won't solve anything. I am not alone. Loss of market share proves it. Focus on the PRODUCT. Focus on QUALITY. Focus on RELIABILITY.
1/24/06, 01:09 PM
#27
Team Mustang Source
Originally posted by Patience@January 23, 2006, 7:55 PM
scalable platforms are a must----i think they are on the right track with the fusion and the edge--scrap the 500 for sure----i'd also like to see them stop p-footing around with the mustang GT---that 5.4 litre engine is a start---build a bullitt edition with that base engine---i am sick of gm dropping the 6.1 in everything to beat us on performance, lets crush those bastards now before they come out with a 2009 muscle car, fyi, went to the auto show to see the OVER hyped camaro--what a piece of poo--------------gm'ers were trying to say how retro it was, i nearly pissed my pants--
---and as for the HHR, don't even get me started----the lumina, impala---crap---:sorry about the GM rant here but its deserved:
scalable platforms are a must----i think they are on the right track with the fusion and the edge--scrap the 500 for sure----i'd also like to see them stop p-footing around with the mustang GT---that 5.4 litre engine is a start---build a bullitt edition with that base engine---i am sick of gm dropping the 6.1 in everything to beat us on performance, lets crush those bastards now before they come out with a 2009 muscle car, fyi, went to the auto show to see the OVER hyped camaro--what a piece of poo--------------gm'ers were trying to say how retro it was, i nearly pissed my pants--
---and as for the HHR, don't even get me started----the lumina, impala---crap---:sorry about the GM rant here but its deserved:
1/24/06, 01:13 PM
#28
Team Mustang Source
Originally posted by kevinb120@January 23, 2006, 7:55 PM
Its 'cute' that Toyota gets credit for building AMERICAN factories, when the taxpayer pays most the bills for the facility(up to $80,000 PER JOB CREATED) and they get loopholes to pay the workers less with less benifits from the local polliticians that sold out for the good publicity of 'job creation'. I can not believe that no one in the media has made any effort to exploit one of the biggest scams in modern business history. Maybe they don't want to loose the Toyota ad account at the network.....But everytime I hear someone say HEY BUDDY MY TOYOTA WAS BUILT IN ALABAMA I wanna smack em in the mouth. They get virtually the same pluses of building in the third world but with less shipping costs....
Its 'cute' that Toyota gets credit for building AMERICAN factories, when the taxpayer pays most the bills for the facility(up to $80,000 PER JOB CREATED) and they get loopholes to pay the workers less with less benifits from the local polliticians that sold out for the good publicity of 'job creation'. I can not believe that no one in the media has made any effort to exploit one of the biggest scams in modern business history. Maybe they don't want to loose the Toyota ad account at the network.....But everytime I hear someone say HEY BUDDY MY TOYOTA WAS BUILT IN ALABAMA I wanna smack em in the mouth. They get virtually the same pluses of building in the third world but with less shipping costs....
1/24/06, 01:21 PM
#29
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well just like chrysler back in the 80's. The government will step in and save the day if they have too. None of these companies are going anywhere soon, gm , ford etc. The government can not afford to let any of these companies disappear. So much politics involved. I wouldnt worry about it, mustang will be here for a long time.
1/24/06, 01:24 PM
#30
Team Mustang Source
Originally posted by kevinb120@January 23, 2006, 8:04 PM
I'm telling you, Toyota pays virtually nothing for its US facilities, and they get loopholes like 'temp worker' status that has no union nor requires benifits that makes their labor costs in the US a fraction of the Big 3's. It is a HUGE scam, allong the lines of when the US government turned every citizen's gold coins into paper paper money, by force. Do you think people would get upset at this information? No one has ever made any of it public. I think its our countries ignorance in what goes on is akin to how women have NO idea where diamonds come from(and would probably elect to not believe it if you told them). As usual, our politicians completely selling out the country for a little buttered campaign bread from toyota and honda. And this country is so brainwashed by marketing there are acutally ww2 vets driving Avalons around.
And here is the SHEER GENIUS of Toyota's abillity to BUY our polliticians-The plants build the politicans constituency to gain votes. If congress wanted to help the american auto companies, they would simply tarrif every japaneese vehicle $5000. WHY DO WE CARE IF THE JAPANESE DO NOT LIKE IT?? Well, the people stuck working at Toyota plants surely would not vote for that fellow to continue his lucrative career as a 'public servant ', and obviously the cash would stop as well. Meanwhile Japan does not 'tarrif' American products, but they tweak to 'exchange rate' to effectively make imports from the US extremely expensive(its a ghost tarrif). This also happens with EVERY corporation that makes ungodly proffit, oil companies, tobacco, drug companies-they all pay pennies on the dollar to make billions. And no one though campaign reform or term limits were important.....The USA is for sale to the highest bidder. Charging Toyota and Honda $5000 per unit would surely help the defficit, not to mention pay for health care for the American auto worker. If they don't like it, don't sell cars here.
I'm telling you, Toyota pays virtually nothing for its US facilities, and they get loopholes like 'temp worker' status that has no union nor requires benifits that makes their labor costs in the US a fraction of the Big 3's. It is a HUGE scam, allong the lines of when the US government turned every citizen's gold coins into paper paper money, by force. Do you think people would get upset at this information? No one has ever made any of it public. I think its our countries ignorance in what goes on is akin to how women have NO idea where diamonds come from(and would probably elect to not believe it if you told them). As usual, our politicians completely selling out the country for a little buttered campaign bread from toyota and honda. And this country is so brainwashed by marketing there are acutally ww2 vets driving Avalons around.
And here is the SHEER GENIUS of Toyota's abillity to BUY our polliticians-The plants build the politicans constituency to gain votes. If congress wanted to help the american auto companies, they would simply tarrif every japaneese vehicle $5000. WHY DO WE CARE IF THE JAPANESE DO NOT LIKE IT?? Well, the people stuck working at Toyota plants surely would not vote for that fellow to continue his lucrative career as a 'public servant
', and obviously the cash would stop as well. Meanwhile Japan does not 'tarrif' American products, but they tweak to 'exchange rate' to effectively make imports from the US extremely expensive(its a ghost tarrif). This also happens with EVERY corporation that makes ungodly proffit, oil companies, tobacco, drug companies-they all pay pennies on the dollar to make billions. And no one though campaign reform or term limits were important.....The USA is for sale to the highest bidder. Charging Toyota and Honda $5000 per unit would surely help the defficit, not to mention pay for health care for the American auto worker. If they don't like it, don't sell cars here.Edit: I sent Kev a PM to voice the rest of my opinions. Not a popular opinion in most of America
1/24/06, 03:47 PM
#31
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"Got rid of it in 95 for an Accord, that I kept for 9 years, almost 300,000 miles and never needed a single repair, never even needed a muffler. Didn't need front brakes until 70,000 miles. Nothing outside of routine maintenance and normal wear and tear. That is what I WANT and EXPECT"
yeah, but its a honda that you had to drive for 10 years---YUCK! welcome to the world of bland--they have lost the edge in quality (check jd powers), they really cannot compete in styling (did you see the NAIAS---bland, bland with some vanilla thrown in, and their strangle hold on mileage claims is fleeting----tis' only a matter of time, when restructuring is complete, say 2008/9--that they will be an afterthought---write it down
yeah, but its a honda that you had to drive for 10 years---YUCK! welcome to the world of bland--they have lost the edge in quality (check jd powers), they really cannot compete in styling (did you see the NAIAS---bland, bland with some vanilla thrown in, and their strangle hold on mileage claims is fleeting----tis' only a matter of time, when restructuring is complete, say 2008/9--that they will be an afterthought---write it down
1/24/06, 04:23 PM
#32
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Originally posted by max2000jp+January 24, 2006, 6:34 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(max2000jp @ January 24, 2006, 6:34 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'>
The Focus is outdated and needs an overhaul. Ford needs something to compete with the Honda Civic. The Mazda 3 series has been getting great reviews. Use this platform and adapt Ford's styling theme.
[/b]
The Focus is outdated and needs an overhaul. Ford needs something to compete with the Honda Civic. The Mazda 3 series has been getting great reviews. Use this platform and adapt Ford's styling theme.
[/b]
Ford knows this, but deemed the "C1" chassis used in the European market and by Mazda (3) and Volvo (S40) as "too expensive" for the US market. Get this, I heard the Chinese market will get this chassis for their Focus. Go figure. Maybe we'll be able to buy one at Wal-Mart in the future along with all the other Chinese-made stuff if price is such a problem for Ford.
<!--QuoteBegin-EleanorsMine@January 24, 2006, 2:01 AM
Kill off the Focii and start concentrating on the sporty Sedans- like the 500 and Fusion. Look at Chrysler- they have the 300 and Charger and sell the snot out of them.
Get something attractive to compete with the (eww) Cobalt.Chevy has all the fluff vehicles too and the C6 to appeal to those who are more into sporty stuff.
[/quote]
Umm, the Focus and Cobalt occupy the same market segment. Ford also needs a vehicle to get the "low-end" buyer - something to battle the (yuck!) Yaris and the (pfft!) Fit.
1/24/06, 05:42 PM
#33
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Has anyone been behind the wheel of the fusion? The V6 has ample power for a new model. Oh, and the six speed auto is a really smart plan, people love it. I know at there are none on the lots around here, but plenty on the roads. I'm at a loss right now for why they need a more powerful v6 right this instant. If you want more power, go get a Mustang. Now, what could use a little more power is 500, oh and some style. That car was DOA. As for the "sporty" section of the market, it's not that big *read #'s on mazda6 and G6*. Oh, and the mazda6 covers that portion of the market, so no need to put anything there, especially with the release of the MAZDASPEED6. Ford has the fusion and mustang right enough, time to focus on everything else right now.
1/24/06, 06:08 PM
#34
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Originally posted by firststang@January 24, 2006, 6:45 PM
Has anyone been behind the wheel of the fusion? The 6 has ample power as an introduced car with the v6, Oh, and the six speed auto is a really smart plan, people love it. I know at there are none on the lots around here, but plenty on the roads. I'm at a loss right now for why they need a more powerful v6 right this instant. If you want more power, go get a Mustang. Now, what could use a little more power is 500, oh and some style. That car was DOA. As for the "sporty" section of the market, it's not that big *read #'s on mazda6 and G6*. Oh, and the mazda6 covers that portion of the market. Ford has the fusion right for now, and the mustang well enough, time to focus on everything else right now.
Has anyone been behind the wheel of the fusion? The 6 has ample power as an introduced car with the v6, Oh, and the six speed auto is a really smart plan, people love it. I know at there are none on the lots around here, but plenty on the roads. I'm at a loss right now for why they need a more powerful v6 right this instant. If you want more power, go get a Mustang. Now, what could use a little more power is 500, oh and some style. That car was DOA. As for the "sporty" section of the market, it's not that big *read #'s on mazda6 and G6*. Oh, and the mazda6 covers that portion of the market. Ford has the fusion right for now, and the mustang well enough, time to focus on everything else right now.
Ford owns Mazda, yes? :scratch: so why compete with yourself? try and hit an HR elsewhere....
1/24/06, 06:24 PM
#35
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Originally posted by firststang@January 24, 2006, 6:45 PM
Has anyone been behind the wheel of the fusion? The 6 has ample power as an introduced car with the v6, Oh, and the six speed auto is a really smart plan, people love it. I know at there are none on the lots around here, but plenty on the roads. I'm at a loss right now for why they need a more powerful v6 right this instant. If you want more power, go get a Mustang. Now, what could use a little more power is 500, oh and some style. That car was DOA. As for the "sporty" section of the market, it's not that big *read #'s on mazda6 and G6*. Oh, and the mazda6 covers that portion of the market. Ford has the fusion right for now, and the mustang well enough, time to focus on everything else right now.
Has anyone been behind the wheel of the fusion? The 6 has ample power as an introduced car with the v6, Oh, and the six speed auto is a really smart plan, people love it. I know at there are none on the lots around here, but plenty on the roads. I'm at a loss right now for why they need a more powerful v6 right this instant. If you want more power, go get a Mustang. Now, what could use a little more power is 500, oh and some style. That car was DOA. As for the "sporty" section of the market, it's not that big *read #'s on mazda6 and G6*. Oh, and the mazda6 covers that portion of the market. Ford has the fusion right for now, and the mustang well enough, time to focus on everything else right now.
1/24/06, 07:00 PM
#36
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They all offer more refined and powerful V6's, but has it effected sales yet?
What about price figures? And tell me who reads HP #'s on the econoboxes that closely? It's selling right now, so if it's not broke, don't fix it. If it stops selling, then we can worry about it, otherwise Ford has MUCH bigger fish to fry (500 what?)
Also, that was the point I was trying to make Patience, sorry if it was unclear.
What about price figures? And tell me who reads HP #'s on the econoboxes that closely? It's selling right now, so if it's not broke, don't fix it. If it stops selling, then we can worry about it, otherwise Ford has MUCH bigger fish to fry (500 what?)
Also, that was the point I was trying to make Patience, sorry if it was unclear.
1/24/06, 08:09 PM
#37
Legacy TMS Member
Originally posted by Patience@January 23, 2006, 7:55 PM
i am sick of gm dropping the 6.1 in everything to beat us on performance, lets crush those bastards now before they come out with a 2009 muscle car
i am sick of gm dropping the 6.1 in everything to beat us on performance, lets crush those bastards now before they come out with a 2009 muscle car
1/24/06, 08:51 PM
#38
Legacy TMS Member
Originally posted by incomingRPG@January 24, 2006, 2:36 PM
Got rid of it in 95 for an Accord, that I kept for 9 years, almost 300,000 miles and never needed a single repair, never even needed a muffler. Didn't need front brakes until 70,000 miles. Nothing outside of routine maintenance and normal wear and tear. That is what I WANT and EXPECT. :worship:
Got rid of it in 95 for an Accord, that I kept for 9 years, almost 300,000 miles and never needed a single repair, never even needed a muffler. Didn't need front brakes until 70,000 miles. Nothing outside of routine maintenance and normal wear and tear. That is what I WANT and EXPECT. :worship:
Also have a 91 LX, its my go faster car in progress, formally an automatic that like to the 02, I beat on mercilessly. The only problem I had with that car was the tranmission (Which I constantly did the manual 2-3-2 shift thingy on a stock trans which was bad for it) So abuse knocked that out, but otherwise it also never let me down, even when my spare beater craped out forcing me to drive to work with the bad trans in the 5.0 which only had 1st gear in a car fitted with 225/50R16's and 3.73's (would do about 10 mph for every 1,000 rpm) Rode that baby 36 miles to work and 36 miles back on the highyway doing 55, never skipped a beat.
I've yet to sample an 05 or 06, but from the look of things the current car is an improvement in fit and finish over the previous models.
I'm sure people have had the share of problems with modern domestic cars, however the US=CRAP and Foreign=ACME has become tiresome in the extreme.
On a slightly related note, but not having to do with cars in particular. I've encounted this;
Customer - "I'm looking for a set of Michelins?"
Me - "Yes sir, we carry Michelin."
Customer - "Where were they manufactured?"
Me - "Depends, we get them from all over the world, sometimes the US, sometimes Canada, sometimes europe and a few other places."
Customer - "Well I dont want any Michelins from the US, they are crap. They are inferior to the tires produced elsewhere, my mechanic told me that the workers don't lay down the belts properly!"
Me - "Well sir, that may have been a problem in the past (essentially a BS statement there to schmooze the customer!), but the current tires are manufactured by machines eliminating worker error and increasing repeatability."
Customer - "BS son, those machines were made in the US so they are crap machines making crap tires."
Me - "Uh...okay sir, unfortunately the bulk of these tires are made in the US and I dont have time to dig through these tires to find a matching set made elsewhere in the world."
Customer "Well I'm not interested, I think I'll take my business elsewhere."
Me - "Well I'm sorry I couldn't help you sir (thinking what a dork) Have a good day and good luck finding what your looking for."
1/24/06, 09:05 PM
#39
I hear all this proclamations about this car has 200k, 300k, whatever. Who the HECK wants a car with over 150000 miles of human 'butt' time? If you can't get another car by the time that it hits 150k, why do you even go to work? I have seen tons of all kinds of cars break the 200k mark. But who wants to own one? Yuck.
1/24/06, 10:26 PM
#40
Shelby GT500 Member
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Originally posted by firststang@January 24, 2006, 8:03 PM
They all offer more refined and powerful V6's, but has it effected sales yet?
What about price figures? And tell me who reads HP #'s on the econoboxes that closely? It's selling right now, so if it's not broke, don't fix it. If it stops selling, then we can worry about it, otherwise Ford has MUCH bigger fish to fry (500 what?)
They all offer more refined and powerful V6's, but has it effected sales yet?
What about price figures? And tell me who reads HP #'s on the econoboxes that closely? It's selling right now, so if it's not broke, don't fix it. If it stops selling, then we can worry about it, otherwise Ford has MUCH bigger fish to fry (500 what?)