Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Ratm · Oct 14, 2006, 02:25 PM

I'm currently being trained as a Internet sales manager over here at Sunrise Ford North Hollywood, CA. The comments I keep hearing when I tell my friends and family--and basicly the average person--that I talk with about ford's line-up is not as bad as if you would have asked someone a couple of years ago. It's feedback is actually great. So what do you think they're doing write this time around?

I'm doing my research, test driving many of the cars and trucks on lot (woohoo!) and I don't really see why someone wouldn't pick one over a similar Japanese or European car.

I really what to know my fellow Mac heads think about the blue oval. And if you do own Ford post em up...lets see those pics!

I'm thinking about getting a Sport Trec, anyone here own one?

phantomdragonz · Oct 14, 2006, 02:47 PM

Ford cars

Ford trucks

I will never own a ford car if I had a choice... I like what chevy is putting out as far as cars and trucks go, but if i were to buy a car I would buy something other then an american brand, preferably toyota, or subaru...

why? because look at what what is in the junk yard, around here there are HUGE ford sections, GM sections half that size, Chrysler sections the same size as the GM, and another section the same size for "imports" this shows me that imports hold their value well so that A) they get parts taken quicker so they rotate them out quicker B) they dont break down as much. fords are cars that break and replace, toyotas and the like are worth it to repair...

at least for me...

although I think the chevy cobalt is the best thing i have seen from an american car company, tempting... also the SRT-4 although ricey is a foot in the right direction...

as far as heavy duty trucks go? I would buy ford...

Zach

GSixZero · Oct 14, 2006, 02:49 PM

I think they're the Dell of the american auto world. They do the job, not particularly special in any way, and you'll probably want to upgrade in a few years. Affordable transportation for the average joe. I'd take a GT is someone offered though.

Railroader · Oct 14, 2006, 03:07 PM

I've owned a few gently used Ford cars in the last two decades. They are cheap and easy to fix.

I think their current reliability is average with just about every other manufacturer. They are all pretty close when it comes to reliability anymore.

Buy what you like, don't rely on other's opinions.

sek929 · Oct 14, 2006, 03:22 PM

Ford's trucks are world class. Ford's cars are generic, but will last 200K+ miles (all cars do nowadays anyways).

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 03:22 PM

Give me one reason why I would buy a Ford car.

-t

Railroader · Oct 14, 2006, 03:26 PM

Here's two: Ford GT

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by Railroader

Here's two: Ford GT

That's not a reason, that's a model

-t

TheWOAT · Oct 14, 2006, 03:29 PM

I own an 05 Mustang... Im happy with it, and I know it will last a long time... I would also consider a Ford Fusion since it compares well to other brands in that size range and is cheaper than say a Nissan Altima... I really look at individual models, not makes. I would NEVER buy an Altima, but I would buy a Maxima. Mustang and Fusion are the only Ford cars I would buy. I would test drive some of Pontiac's offerings and see how they feel.

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by TheWOAT

I would test drive some of Pontiac's offerings and see how they feel.

What's that have to do with Ford ?

-t

Railroader · Oct 14, 2006, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

What's that have to do with Ford ?

-t

It's very simple. He owns a Ford. He suggests looking at Pontiacs. Do the math.

TheWOAT · Oct 14, 2006, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Give me one reason why I would buy a Ford car.

-t

Because you test drove one and liked it???? Its really dumb to only window shop before buying a car. Cars, like golf clubs, need to be tried out a bit before purchasing and aint nothing wrong with test driving some of Ford's offerings.

Railroader · Oct 14, 2006, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

That's not a reason, that's a model

-t

It's a perfectly good reason as well.

TheWOAT · Oct 14, 2006, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

What's that have to do with Ford ?

-t

Ford has nothing to do with Pontiacs. I didnt know it was frowned upon to go on small tangents to explore the space of this thread and opine on other makes and models. Pontiacs are cheap, and I like their looks. If I were int he market, I would test drive Pontiacs along with others... No offense.

Railroader · Oct 14, 2006, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by TheWOAT

Because you test drove one and liked it???? Its really dumb to only window shop before buying a car. Cars, like golf clubs, need to be tried out a bit before purchasing and aint nothing wrong with test driving some of Ford's offerings.

Agreed. Test drive a car for as long as the dealership will allow. What may seem comfortable at first could become a back ache later on.

And what drives at 55 mph just fine can be a nightmare at 70 mph.

Buckaroo · Oct 14, 2006, 03:44 PM

Ford is my favorite Truck. F350 Disel is kickass.

The only Ford auto that I really like is the Mustang.

marden · Oct 14, 2006, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Railroader

It's a perfectly good reason as well.

what the heck is just being contentious to feed his need to step out of the MacNN "secretarial pool." Anonymously typing of things without real consequence or substance.

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by marden

what the heck is just being contentious to feed his need to step out of the MacNN "secretarial pool." Anonymously typing of things without real consequence or substance.

How about you just stop recycling news from other sources. That'll cut back your posting by 95%.

-t

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by TheWOAT

Ford has nothing to do with Pontiacs. I didnt know it was frowned upon to go on small tangents to explore the space of this thread and opine on other makes and models. Pontiacs are cheap, and I like their looks. If I were int he market, I would test drive Pontiacs along with others... No offense.

I didn't know if you were going of a tangent, or if you thought Pontiac was a Ford brand. Simple as that.

-t

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by TheWOAT

Because you test drove one and liked it???? Its really dumb to only window shop before buying a car. Cars, like golf clubs, need to be tried out a bit before purchasing and aint nothing wrong with test driving some of Ford's offerings.

A test drive doesn't tell you anything about reliability and quality. And that's something that is very important to many buyers.

-t

TheWOAT · Oct 14, 2006, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

A test drive doesn't tell you anything about reliability and quality. And that's something that is very important to many buyers.

-t

True. A test drive did allow me to notice the cheap interior of the Nissan Altima... The Mustang interior is hokey and has alot of plastic, but its made to last and isnt flimsy.

Ive read somewhere that the most reliable car made 1990 would in todays market would be the least reliable. So things have vastly improved across the board. That said, my father is a mechanic and told me which engines/power trains were problematic, so I steered clear of those models. I also read consumer reports before purchasing but I remember my sister made purchases based on quality ratings from CR, and they were dead wrong. I'd look into JD Power DURABILITY ratings rather than CR quality ratings. Its a 3 year study vs. 90 day. Alot of american cars made the JD Power list, so assuming they didnt make any major changes to engine/powertrain, you could go off that list.

jeffreyfrabutt · Oct 14, 2006, 04:50 PM

To get back to the original question... which was "So what do you think they are doing write (sic) this time around?"

My answer is that they are starting to produce cars and crossovers that don't look like everything else on the road. (Fusion, Edge, upcoming Fairlane)

Quality is a difficult one to judge. There is so much emotion around automobiles that it skews peoples perceptions. I'm not sure about the claim that the best car of 1990 wouldn't compare to the worst car of 2006... but I am inclined to believe that all cars made today are very well built. Yes things go wrong... but I would argue that the difference between the best and worst today isn't as great as some would like to believe.

Oh.... if you are going to start selling them... you should at least know what they are called... it's a Sport Trac ... not Sport Trec

mitchell_pgh · Oct 14, 2006, 05:00 PM

My significant other has a Ford car. We try to buy American built cars in good faith, but we've had some problems. The windshield wipers were broken from the dealer (didn't discover that until a few weeks later when it rained), it's been recalled once.

IMHO, their lineup isn't very creative.

I do like Volvos...

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

I do like Volvos...

Me, too.

I'm just not sure if their performance and quality has suffered due to ownership by Ford...

-t

Atheist · Oct 14, 2006, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Me, too.

I'm just not sure if their performance and quality has suffered due to ownership by Ford...

-t

Well... they certainly turned Jaguar around...haven't heard anything bad about Volvo since they became part of Ford.

marden · Oct 14, 2006, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

How about you just stop recycling news from other sources. That'll cut back your posting by 95%.

-t

That would be silly if it made any sense at all.

Goldfinger · Oct 14, 2006, 05:39 PM

European Fords are great. It would be great if that got through to Ford management in the USA.

turtle777 · Oct 14, 2006, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by marden

That would be silly if it made any sense at all.

As if it had to make sense.

I work in the automotive industry, and lot of the stuff doesn't make any sense at all.
Especially when it comes to the big 3.

-t

cSurfr · Oct 14, 2006, 06:00 PM

I'm pretty happy with my '01 Explorer. Room enough for 2x Cannondale's and all the other camping gear.

rickey939 · Oct 14, 2006, 09:28 PM

I'm a big fan of Mercury.

cSurfr · Oct 14, 2006, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by rickey939

I'm a big fan of Mercury.

He's gonna buy himself a Mercury and drive it up and down the road. . .

Buckaroo · Oct 14, 2006, 11:37 PM

Are they still making Mercury?

rickey939 · Oct 14, 2006, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

Are they still making Mercury?

Indeed.

cjrivera · Oct 14, 2006, 11:54 PM

I've had good luck with Ford cars, and have heard very good things about the Ford Fusion (and the sister car Mercury MIlan), which are based on the great Mazda 6 platform, and the Ford Five-Hundred (and Mercury Montego).

They received pretty good reviews on edmunds.

cjrivera · Oct 14, 2006, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

Are they still making Mercury?

Yup.

Haven't you seen their commercials with this hottie?

besson3c · Oct 15, 2006, 12:12 AM

Efficiency is very important to me. What is Ford doing in terms of fuel economy?

rickey939 · Oct 15, 2006, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by cjrivera

Yup.

Haven't you seen their commercials with this hottie?

No kidding, who is that chick? Yum.

Ratm · Oct 15, 2006, 01:07 AM

Originally Posted by cjrivera

I've had good luck with Ford cars, and have heard very good things about the Ford Fusion (and the sister car Mercury MIlan), which are based on the great Mazda 6 platform, and the Ford Five-Hundred (and Mercury Montego).

They received pretty good reviews on edmunds.

I found out that the Fusion's engine is actually the V6 Mustang. I was thinking of getting one and lowering it 2" with some nice classic rims. Install a Mac mini/Playstation with a touchscreen. Nice and clean looking, no body kit or any of that crap, HID lights. I really like the front grille.

Railroader · Oct 15, 2006, 01:35 AM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Efficiency is very important to me. What is Ford doing in terms of fuel economy?

http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/home/

So, safety, reliability, appearance, and resale value are all below fuel economy for you?

cjrivera · Oct 15, 2006, 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by rickey939

No kidding, who is that chick? Yum.

Jill Wagner.

She used to be on Punk'd

http://www.stuffmagazine.com/cover_g...rl.aspx?id=354

rickey939 · Oct 15, 2006, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by cjrivera

Jill Wagner.

She used to be on Punk'd

Jill Wagner pictures and bio on STUFF MAGAZINE DOT COM:

Phew, thanks for that.

- - e r i k - - · Oct 15, 2006, 07:25 PM

I own a 97 Ford Falcon GTI EFII. It's a dream to drive, solid and enough power to leave most anyone in the dust. A solid car in my opinion. But then again it's only my third car

Kevin · Oct 15, 2006, 07:39 PM

Originally Posted by Railroader

http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/home/

So, safety, reliability, appearance, and resale value are all below fuel economy for you?

Think of the environmental protesters..

Velocity211 · Oct 15, 2006, 07:48 PM

All american cars sucks. That is a known fact.

Railroader · Oct 15, 2006, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by Velocity211

All american cars sucks. That is a known fact.

Thank you for plainly letting everyone see what you are.

sknapp351 · Oct 15, 2006, 08:28 PM

One of my earliest memories was of going with my father to purchase a '77 F100. He sold that when I was in high school, and I wish he hadn't. As soon as I was able to drive I bought a '69 Chevy C10, but sold that within a few months to buy a '79 Ford F100. That was in 1994, and I am still driving that truck today. I did the rear brakes today actually. I love my truck, and hope to die with it , but will be looking into buying a small 4cyl car to use as a daily driver after college. I did have an '82 Trans Am for some time, but it kept breaking on a weekly basis.
SAm

Kevin · Oct 15, 2006, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by Velocity211

All american cars sucks. That is a known fact.

Matius · Oct 15, 2006, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Give me one reason why I would buy a Ford car.

-t

My two:

Car: 39 years and still going
Truck: 112,000 and still going with no trouble at all, just routine maintenance

Velocity211 · Oct 15, 2006, 10:24 PM

...I can see not many of you agree with me. That statement was mainly an opinion. I tend to believe things I read in the consumer reports.

sknapp351 · Oct 15, 2006, 10:25 PM

Mine is the Yellow and Brown one on the right.

SAm