It's real and is sad at the same time. It's not just on Mustangs, it's a domino effect for Ford and in my opinion the Mustang enthusiasts' influence on Ford's success has been greatly underestimated.

There were so many interested on the newly designed Mustang only to have dealers drive them away to other alternatives. I don't think many of the disappointed went back to those dealers to buy other products from them. Add the GT500 to the equation and there's even more disillutioned.

For some reason I have a feeling many at Ford are quietly sharing my sentiments and second guessing themselves.

Furthermore, and directed to those working for Ford, I have been influencial in four non Ford products purchases and one non Ford personal purchase in the last nine months. That might be considered a drop in the bucket and it is, but those are sales which could have gone to Ford instead of their competitors and most likely other Ford diehards are following suit. A bit here and a bit there adds up. Anyone who drives by the local dealer and sees their six or seven hundred foot frontage dedicated to highlighting used cars will sense business is not as usual.

 

+1 Ford dealer refugee right here.

 

so why are you mad at them? are you mad at ford or just the dealers? and if your so mad why do you have the gt500?

and ford cares more about the 100's of thousands that want to purchase a v6 mustang, focus, fusion, and f-series more than the care about the 10k that want to purchase the gt500! as they should.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people want to purchase Focuses, huh? Riiiiiiight.

If Ford truly "cares" about the buyers of its mainstream products, then it better start improving them across the board. Good as Fusion is, it's not quite there yet. As to the F-150, the new one better arrive soon, 'cause the competition is heating up fast in that market segment.

And I believe George was speaking as much about the "dealership experience" - vis-a-vis Ford corporate's influence upon it - as about Ford's product lineup in general. Personally, I've been fortunate to have a good dealership experience, but sadly that seems to be increasingly rare these days. That needs to change if Ford is to survive. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be.

 

I am not certain I would attribute "backlash" to diminished sales as much as the typical 2-year longevity of "gotta have it". Also, I believe fuel prices are having an effect as well.

 

Because betrayel and dishonesty should not be rewarded. Pleas to the contrary have little or no effect, but if monetary means are used effectively then it becomes the tool of communication, all the sudden the courtesy of receiving undivided attention is not an impossibility.

I am not fond of any individual, institution, or company whose actions conflict with our best interests. Now, I am not implying there should not be reasonable profits, there has to be, but not abusive profits either.

If Ford has a preference to catering to myths rather that protecting their customer base then the consequences should be as equally entertaining and enjoyable.

 

Absolutely.

For the first time since 1981, I have a non-Ford product sitting in my garage - which holds 3 vehicles.

Ford has lost 2 sales in the last year just with me.

First lost sale, my toy car. I still have my 2001 Mustang GT. When the S197 came out, I wanted one real bad to replace my 01 GT. I could live with dealers not taking X-plan, but I could not live with the ADMs on manual GTs, so I said I'll wait.

Well guess what, after wating 18 months for the ADMs to go away, I lost my desire to get a S197, it's already yesterday's news. For the 4K miles a year I drive my Mustang, I might as well wait a couple more years and see if the 2010 Mustang is any better.

Second lost sale, my wife's vehicle. I wanted her to get an Edge or MKX and tried hard to steer her in that direction. But after a trip to a Ford / LM dealer where I saw a nice red, perfectly optioned GT/CS, I walked away with a real sour taste in my mouth. Not only did the dealer say no X on the GT/CS, but he told me he'd be doing me the biggest favor ever and sell it at MSRP as there were $5K ADMs on GT/CSs. If he had even offered a reasonable non X discount, I would have made an impulse purchase and driven that GT/CS home. Instead, I said "screw it" and told my wife to pick whatever she wanted, which ended up not being a FoMoCo product.

Anyone who doesn't think ADMs and dealer attitude isn't coming back to bite FoMoCo in the rear end, just doesn't get it.

 

This whole thing reminds of raising my sons, getting upset, and having to dicipline them. Sometimes enduring their punishment was more painful to me than it was to them. Fortunately, they would eventually get the message across and understand my reasons for my demands. I hope Ford does the same.

There was a time when many members here were proudly posting topics on their non Mustang, Ford related a acquisitions. Those topics are not as frequent as they once were.

 

I'm in Canada and I had no problem getting X plan on my 05 GT (this was May of 05 when the Mustang was red hot in sales). Every dealer was prepared to give me X plan and no dealer's were charging more than MSRP.

Onto sales....You guys aren't seeing the bigger picture. You're thinking there is some backlash against Mustangs and/or Ford. But that isn't the case.
People are downsizing their vehicles. Rising gas prices are to blame.
In May of 04 a gallon of gas was $2.02, today it is $3.22. That works out to about $63 a month more for gas.

Sales of SUV's are down 17%, sales of compact cars are up 12% and sales of hybrid vehicles are up 300%.
So it's not that people have a hate on against Mustang or Ford- they just aren't willing to pay at the pumps.

 

No doubt gas prices will have an effect on sales but not on high performance models, not for those who are in the $28 - 50K market. I don't think the thought of spending an extra $50 a month on gasoline is going to be a factor for those who can afford the top end Mustangs.

The GT500s are in demand, there would not be any Shelby GTs sitting in showrooms if it wasn't for the premiums, and the BULLITTs will sell regardless on whether gasoline prices reach $4 a gallon or not.

 

WHammer
I got x as well in Feb 05
Most dealers would accomodate that or even A-plan.

We don't have the ADM problem like they do in the states EVEN though we have far less cars available... or the people buying those cars.
We sell a fraction of what the US does.

In that way we're lucky....

The thing that ticks me off is that the Canadian dollar is creeping VERY close to being on Par (and analysts say that isn't far off) with the US dollar...yet we pay 33,000+ for a base mustang GT

 

Of course it won't. That has never been an issue for those who are financially well off. But the small number of vehicles (like the GT500) that they sell is not going to make or break Ford.
My point is that any decline in Mustang sales is a combination of increasing gas prices (and people's fears that this tread shows no sign of stopping), and the car is going into it's 4th model year (so it's losing some of it's attention grabbing appeal).
These factor's are quite removed from people hating Mustang or hating Ford.

 

Not only that- but the US warranty is better. 60,000 miles is better than 60,000 kms. 60,000 miles is about 96,000 kms. So we get ripped off big time there.

 

It's not about hating. It's about exposure and accountability.

No company or individual enjoys negative feedback. Truth and integrity have a way of coming out in the open sooner or later and bragging about illicit or unethical practices won't help either. Compromising one's standards will bring negative reactions and those not wishing of them shouldn't be part of it in the first place.

Bending over, showing gratitude, and asking for more is not the answer.

 

I've seen that attitude and ADM at Lexus dealers when the updated IS sedan came out. I've seen that attitude and ADM at Saturn dealers when the first Skys came out. I've seen that attitude and ADM when the first MINIs came out.

In those cases, attitude and ADM did not seem to affect those companies as a whole. Of course, GM has been hit with problems similar to Ford.

One can find great and poor dealer treatment, independent of the manufacturer. It is not, in my opinion, just limited to Ford.

 

The Lexus IS, the Skys, or the MINIs do not possess the mystique, the passion, or the following the Mustang enjoys.

We are a different breed and a persisting one at that.

 

More importantly: Lexus and Mini are not in the dire financial straights Ford is in.

Let's stop making excuses for Ford by saying, "Yeah, but other manufacturers do it, too" (which is childish), and instead push Ford to set its own bar much higher. Customer service would be one way for Ford to distinguish themselves, particularly if other manufacturers are offering poor service experiences. And customer service ain't hard - it offers the greatest benefit for the least possible "expenditure."

This ain't rocket science.

 

The MINI owners I know (my wife being one of them) are as passionate about their cars, which do have a great following and has a rich heritage just like the Mustang. They have have high expectations for their vehicles.

Just because the car is not a 2-door coupe made by Ford does not mean their is any less enthusiasm similar to what a Mustang owner has.

 

Nope...

My remarks were made to suggest that Mustang is not the ONLY vehicle where you would see this happen. I do not find it acceptable, regardless of the dealer or manufactuer.

Have you ever been to a Saturn dealer? Prior to the Sky seeming to "corrupt" some of the dealers, they offered a fantastic sales and service experience with solid products - eventually, the product line had to be revamped because it was not the only thing in the sales equation.

Nope, it ain't "hard" but attitude is the key. Until Ford gets their product mix improved, it's going to be a challenge to elicit that attitude.

Ford in North America is undergoing a fundamental internal change, which hopefully will result in improved fortunes, which hopefully will result in improved Mustangs as the competitors for it come forard.

 

It's funny you mention that. I went to see the Sky when it first came out. I was curious not interested.

What I was told at the time was because of the demand there was a waiting list, there were no discounts or no incentives being offered so it was MSRP straight up and if I was interested they would try to get it as soon as they could, probably a 3 - 4 months wait.

I didn't find that as a "corrupt" position to take. Hell, if Ford dealers would have would have taken that approach with the Mustang products the only thing we would have been complaining about would have been the wait.