Ford should have concurrently been developing viable small cars that match the imports. Ford has some great smaller/economy cars in the works, but Ford is once again years late to the party. Good thing for Ford Europe!!

 

Funny you should mention that, I so happen to have a Saleen Watts Link in my spare room that will be installed on my GT500 along with new LCA', UCA and FRPP 5GT mufflers next Wednesday.

 

No they aren't.

GM and Chrysler are below ford...but not by much

 

TALK, MAN!!! That's what I'm saying...

 

True enough. I'm not a big follower of Bloomberg, but there are some pretty grim pictures out there: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...efer=worldwide

 

GM has BILLIONS in assests- they are a huge company. Far bigger than Ford. They have lot's of cash reserves as well. Ford is about tapped out.

 

Last a read, GM has $20 billion in cash but was spending $1 billion a month just to stay alive. That gives them 20 months to reverse this negative trend.

 

Says who?
I've read the complete opposite.

This is Ford as a whole, not FoA

 

Where are you getting your financial information?

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...efer=worldwide

Check out this link to Bloomberg, a pretty large financial tracking service. The article is a quick overview of GM and Ford's current financial status (published July, 22). GM has a slightly better than 50/50 chance of avoiding bankruptcy.

I don't believe GM, or Ford will declare bankruptcy, but it certainly is possible. And GM at this point is in a weaker position than Ford.

 

Well perhaps your local dealer may offer them with ZERO markups, however in most areas, including my local area. SRT8 Challengers are being marked up at 20k above sticker, while GT500's are now being sold at MSRP. As for my point, well FYI, a friend of mine who works at one of my local Dodge dealership's has already informed me, that even a fully loaded Challenger R/T will cost between 37-40k

That being said, why in the hell should I pay close to 40k for a 370 HP Challenger R/T, plus pay an additional $600.00 just to get a Manual transmission. When I can get a fully loaded 09 Mustang GT. for under 30k. That's my **** point !

 

I'm in Canada and auto prices are much higher than in the US. 41K gets me a Challenger RT with Trac Pack and a few other options. That's the same price as my Bullitt was retailing for.
I suggest you go to the dodge website and price out some of the Challenger models.

 

Just announced today- Ford LOST over 8 BILLION DOLLARS in the 2nd Q!!!!!
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...4?s_name=Autos

While GM is in some trouble- they are not anywhere near as troubled as Ford. In the first 6 months of this year, GM sold 4.5 million vehicles. Sales in Europe are up 10% and up 34% in Russia.

 

Thank you for the link. But I note you did not answer the question--where did you get your financial information. Your statement 'GM is in some trouble, but not near as troubled as Ford' is not substantiated by information published by Bloomberg, MarketWatch, or Moody's.

There was no suprise in Ford losing $8B--it was pretty much expected with the write downs. And though you mention GM sales are up in Europe and Russia--that does not change the overall picture for GM. In fact, using that sort of infantile logic, the fact that Ford of Europe posted a $528 million profit and Ford SA also posted a sizable profit, means Ford must be doing great.

In case it escaped your grasp, selling 4.5 million vehicles may generate impressive revenue--but revenue is not the same as profit. In fact if you had bothered to read the link to the Bloomberg article you would know that GM has not posted a profit since 2004! (One of the reasons investors are rating GM as junk bonds, along with Ford and Chrysler.)

While it is true that GM has billions of dollars more in terms of assets--the opposite is also true, Ford has billions of dollars less in terms of liabilities. Ford is in dire straits (God bless Mark Knofler) but that does not change the fact GM is chin-deep in meadow muffins.

 

Gas price is going to kill the car US market! Lighttrucks, V8, V6 are to gas-expensive for the average US customer!
In some financial papers in Europe some Auto-industry managers like Goshn from Nissan or Pfaeggen from Volkswagewn say that GM and Ford are going to join and make only one US car company to save their lives!!!!



Today both companies cannot build small cars in USA and are loosing millions of $ each day!
The average US customer don't want big engine who sucks 15mpg anymore!

So Mustang with a 2.0 or 2.3 turbo engine will come very soon or sooner than we believe

 

Jason, not all of the Mustang-loyal want IRS. I've owned several cars with IRS and they do handle corners better, but I am a drag racer - first and foremost - and IRS equipped cars tend to hop badly at the dragstrip on hard launces. That's why plenty of 99-04 SVT Cobra owners who drag race have swapped in solid rear axles. That's why I spoke with the Mustang Chief Engineer several times in 2001-2 (as did many others I'm sure) about bringing a Mustang to market with the SVT Cobra's 4.6L 4V motor and a solid rear axle for us drag racers (ultimately we got the 03/04 Mach 1).

To solve your desires Jason, Ford should consider offering a drag-ready SE Mustang with a solid axle and a road course ready SE Mustang with IRS. Building Mustangs for different niches isn't anything new, so perhaps we'll see this again someday.

Or, at a minimum, a Watts linkage setup would be great. A friend of mine has a Parnelli Jones Saleen Mustang with the Watts linkage. I've driven it at length and found it to be the nicest suspension I've ever experienced in a Mustang. Great in the corners, great at a hard launch, and very smooth riding on the freeway. I couldn't find any compromises.

 

Was it really greedy to build what customers were demanding at the time?

I am thankful that Ford builds awesome trucks and SUV's. My wife and I have a travel trailer we tow frequently during the summer and her Mercury Mountaineer AWD V8 is quite the capable tow rig (rated at 6,880 lbs tow capacity) and it seats 7 very comfortably. With us, our two teenage daughters and a couple of their friends, a small vehicle would never do the trick for us.

One of my employees at work has an '08 F-450 Crew Cab 4x4 Lariat that his wife pulls her horse trailer with. She is a horse trainer by profession and having a capable truck is not a luxury, but a requirement, and that truck is put to the test daily.

Many Americans have active lifestyles with boats, trailers, and big families, and somebody needs to build vehicles to accomodate their needs. Ford has been there building what people need. Is that greedy to tailor your products to the needs of your customers?

With rising fuel prices, needs are being re-evaluated. People are using their toys less. People are driving less. People are finding ways to make do with smaller vehicles, where possible. Ford is responding with a lot of emphasis on bringing more smaller vehicles to market in all segments, while drastically producing fewer big trucks and SUV's. There are still buyers for the big rigs, but not nearly as many. I suppose you'll say Ford is dumb for putting all their eggs into smaller cars now instead of recognizing that they are simply following demand.

 

Does that mean "we're gonna need a war to stop industrial disease"? Oh wait, we have our soldiers in Iraq fighting for the oil to feed our industrial disease, not stop it.

 

"Doctor Parkinson declared 'I'm not suprised to see you here
You've got smokers cough from smoking Brewer's droop from drinking beer
I don't know how you came to get the Bette Davis knees
But worst of all young man you've got Industrial Disease"

 

Look into the future perhaps?

 

The majority of Mustang owners (even loyal ones) don’t ever take their cars to a drag strip. Most Mustang’s are V6’s and these owners have literally carried the brand. What I am trying to get at is that on the street, where the majority of Mustangs spend their life, IRS is king.

Also, the 99-04 IRS was a poor design. I’d love to see what Ford could do with a fresh slate. At minimum, the Stang should have a Watts and ideally an IRS.