why Ford is in trouble, my opinion.

[Empty Pockets]

We buy 2-3 new cars a year and don't even look at Beemer's any more.

You might at least THINK about looking at the new 420 HP, V-8 (for the 1st time ever ), M3 when it comes out this fall. DAT's gunna be a sweet car! (I enjoy driving my wife's car so much - I'm now #2 or #3 in line for wunna these @ BMW Bellevue.:biggrin )

Just curious: WHY th' devil do you buy 2-3 cars a year???:eek :willy :skep I've never even thunked about doin' that. (Well, that's a lie, I guess. We DID buy 2 new cars back in 1978 ... but that's a whole nuthur story. Oh. Ya. I guess we DID buy the GT and the BIMMER [for poor ol' Chris!] in '06 - BUT, WE DON'T DO THAT EVERY YEAR is my dang point!:rofl )

Prying Pockets

 

[SuperB]

We don't plan to buy 2-3 new cars a year, it just seems to work out that way. I know it sounds crazy.

I have a daily driver and a hot rod (currently the GT)
The wife has a daily and a fun car (still looking for that, maybe a Saturn Sky, maybe a Lambo, decisions decisions)
And we have a Truck (for truck stuff)

3 of the vehicles are company cars so we get fantastic tax breaks. So it's either buy a new car every couple years, or give a bunch of cash to the IRS. I'd be happy to give it to the IRS it they didn't throw it away. Seems better to put it back into the hands business than the hands of government.:ack

 

[Empty Pockets]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! BIDNESS!!!!!!!! I keep forgetting everybody isn't retired!

I shudda thunka that! :thumbsup

 

[HHGT]

HHGT and all,

I was looking for an F250 Crewcab Diesel 4x4 LongBed Lariet or FX4 with PTO
I wanted Burgandy or Blue as well as several options like Nav, DVD, Reverse Aid, Adj pedals, Tailgate step. Eventually both dealers found Black or Silver, after I called two more times.

I guess the problem is the PTO, there must not be a way to do a locate with PTO and the salesman have a choice of a smoke or an hour at a computer.

The PTO, BTW, is for a RealACPower.com solution. Which is an install of a 15Kw Generator to the Trucks PTO.

I'll look for you this weekend.. Happy Memorial:cheers

 

[RV King]

With respect to BMW, Honda & Toyota, I personally would never consider any of them. In my opinion they are the most over rated and over priced vehicles in existence. You can buy US made cars with 10 Yr/100,00 Miles warranty.

Fit and Finish are the first words of garbage that are argued and I honestly dont get it. Sooooo, if anyone would like to explain what Fit & Finish means; I welcome you explanation.

Let me explain it to you in a few examples that I know you will understand. Fit & Finish means that when you open up the hood in your car the hood wont rub against the body and take your paint off; it means when you pull your parking break lever the underlying hardware wont rip the rubber booty covering the hardware; it means when you shut your door the door panel wont detach itself and fall off the door; it means the gap between your doors and the body of the car will be uniform and equal thus allowing thedoor to close properly. It means that the paint wont start peeling off of various parts of your vehicle within the first month of ownership.

With a Honda, Toyota and BMW you may pay a little bit more up front but you will spend a lot less time and heartache going back to the dealership to get something fixed that should have been done right in the begining. There is a reason Toyota surpassed GM as the number one seller of automobiles, minority or not.

The good news is if Ford does go the way of the Dodo bird our GT's will be worth even more! :banana

With that Sam stop replacing your cars every couple of years and buy yourself a Lexus as your daily driver, you may forget what a dealership service bay looks like.

 

[Justin@VMP]

After spending 3 weeks looking for the right GT500 at the right price, I can tell you that searches are not that hard. I made a few friends at dealers, they were doing searches at 7pm and getting back to me before the night was up.

Anways, what kind of 250 are you looking for? I picked up an 06 just over a year ago, I held out for sport appearance package truck, since that is the only way to get black interior without paying the 5-10k premium for a harley edition.

I agree that the dealers can be a hassle. I learned how rude some can be when I was looking for a GT500.

 

[HHGT]

Let me explain it to you in a few examples that I know you will understand. Fit & Finish means that when you open up the hood in your car the hood wont rub against the body and take your paint off; it means when you pull your parking break lever the underlying hardware wont rip the rubber booty covering the hardware; it means when you shut your door the door panel wont detach itself and fall off the door; it means the gap between your doors and the body of the car will be uniform and equal thus allowing thedoor to close properly. It means that the paint wont start peeling off of various parts of your vehicle within the first month of ownership.

With a Honda, Toyota and BMW you may pay a little bit more up front but you will spend a lot less time and heartache going back to the dealership to get something fixed that should have been done right in the begining. There is a reason Toyota surpassed GM as the number one seller of automobiles, minority or not.

The good news is if Ford does go the way of the Dodo bird our GT's will be worth even more! :banana

With that Sam stop replacing your cars every couple of years and buy yourself a Lexus as your daily driver, you may forget what a dealership service bay looks like.

Hey Jim, bring your sorry A$$ over on Thursday so I can teach you how to clean your GT, besides I want to compare the exhaust sound on the 2 GTs.

BTW, you must have forgotten about your M3's Main Bearing going out when she had 2000 miles. :biggrin - I guess that must be the Bavarian Fit & Finish:lol

 

[tpraceman]

Let me explain it to you in a few examples that I know you will understand. Fit & Finish means that when you open up the hood in your car the hood wont rub against the body and take your paint off; it means when you pull your parking break lever the underlying hardware wont rip the rubber booty covering the hardware; it means when you shut your door the door panel wont detach itself and fall off the door; it means the gap between your doors and the body of the car will be uniform and equal thus allowing thedoor to close properly. It means that the paint wont start peeling off of various parts of your vehicle within the first month of ownership.

With a Honda, Toyota and BMW you may pay a little bit more up front but you will spend a lot less time and heartache going back to the dealership to get something fixed that should have been done right in the begining. There is a reason Toyota surpassed GM as the number one seller of automobiles, minority or not.

The good news is if Ford does go the way of the Dodo bird our GT's will be worth even more! :banana

With that Sam stop replacing your cars every couple of years and buy yourself a Lexus as your daily driver, you may forget what a dealership service bay looks like.

3 Lexus all had bad motors argued with dealer and service rep for months.:ack (Huge back log on getting new short blocks........hmmmm) Until Consumer Reports printed article showing recall cover up that the oil passages a re too small and at 30K on the odometer they are all sludged up......Toyota has had 3 of the top VP's arrested in the past 6 months for concealling re-calls and bribing US officials. Toyota recalls since then are greater than all the recalls of all the car companies put together. Never see the repair shop.....Mine hardley left until they were traded in.

I have forbid all my exec's to buy Lexus or Toyota in the future....scew me once "it happens" screw me 2X.. shame on me ....screw me 3X....see yah.

To each his own thats what makes this a great country.......

 

[SuperB]

My first new car ever, many many many moons ago was a Toyota, and it was a world of trouble. Toyota and Lexus are on my black list for life.

However, my black list is so long now that I'll have to move a buch to the gray list. Almost nothing left on the white list.:willy I have yet to buy a car that I was so happy with that I bought another one.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Until Consumer Reports printed article showing recall cover up ...Toyota has had 3 of the top VP's arrested in the past 6 months for concealling re-calls and bribing US officials. Toyota recalls since then are greater than all the recalls of all the car companies put together.

That definately would confirm my suspecions about Toyo's nonaction concerning the clutch going out on my daughter's GTS @ 32K miles.

Toyota cried, "ABUSE! ABUSE!" ...even though said car STILL had the ORIGIONAL factory brakes on it - AND DID 'TIL SHE TRADED IT IN AT 50K! (HOW does one beat a car soooooo bad the clutch dies @ 32K w/o going thru at LEAST 2 sets of brakes in that time?)

My daughter had owned several "stick" cars B4 the GTS and never even ADJUSTED a clutch on ANY of them. Two of these cars had 100K on 'em when sold/traded. 'Abuse" my hind foot...

I'm with you, Tom. NOBODY in this family has gone NEAR a Toyota "anything" since.

 

[KMCBOSS]

Well, 'twould appear 'you be' in the minority with THAT opinion, HH!:lol :lol :lol

Larry unfortunately I think you may be right in this case (not the part about toyota's and honda's being built better). Driving around LA and San Diego the past few days all you see is toyota, honda, nissan and of course a sprinkling Mercedes and beemers. I would put the ratio of Japanese cars to US auto makers at better than 100 to 1. It is sad - Ford, GM and Chrysler have truly lost the war here in SOCAL except possibly for trucks.

 

[Empty Pockets]

... all you see is toyota, honda, nissan and of course a sprinkling Mercedes and BEEMERS.

'Cryin' out loud, Ed, yur gunna give poor ol' Chris a heart attack! It's BIMMER, doggone it! BIMMER!:thumbsup :lol :rofl

You're right about domestic mfgrs loosing the sales war in the U.S. And it's darn small consolation that (at least) the Japanese build 'em here w/U.S. labor.

 

[RV King]

BTW, you must have forgotten about your M3's Main Bearing going out when she had 2000 miles. :biggrin - I guess that must be the Bavarian Fit & Finish:lol

:bs

Another fine example of a superior company! When BMW suspected they had a few corrupted main bearings out there on their performance vehicles, they recalled all their M cars and replaced the main bearings profilactically. (mine never went out by the way) Another company I know of has a few possibly faulty bolts and washers out there in probably the best American car ever built but has not stepped up to take care of it for its customers until after it breaks. Mean while half of these loyal owners are driving around always wondering if their transaxle is going to leave them stranded and the other half has gone to the expense of replacing these bolts themselves. Back to the wise man who started this thread, there is a reason this company is in trouble.:slap

I'll see you on Thursday and you can wash my car for me my LB.:wink

 

[dgussin1]

:bs

Another fine example of a superior company! When BMW suspected they had a few corrupted main bearings out there on their performance vehicles, they recalled all their M cars and replaced the main bearings profilactically. (mine never went out by the way) Another company I know of has a few possibly faulty bolts and washers out there in probably the best American car ever built but has not stepped up to take care of it for its customers until after it breaks. Mean while half of these loyal owners are driving around always wondering if their transaxle is going to leave them stranded and the other half has gone to the expense of replacing these bolts themselves. Back to the wise man who started this thread, there is a reason this company is in trouble.:slap

I'll see you on Thursday and you can wash my car for me my LB.:wink

the reason they recalled all of the cars is because they realized that if they had to warranty the cars as opposed to having a recall, it would have cost more money. A recall is always a financial or safety issue, nothing to do with being a better/worse company.

Fords real problem is this:

Why is it that toyota can build an n/a 6 cyl with 350 hp, nissan has a n/a 6 with 310 hp, porsche has a n/a 6 with 415 hp, ferarri has a n/a 4.3L v8 with 490 hp, chevy has an n/a v8's with 400 and 500 (soon to be 430) hp, mercedes has a n/a v8 with 500 hp, but fords top dog n/a v8 in a mustang has a paltry 300 hp. Pretty ****ing sad if u ask me. It's a joke when heavily modded mach 1's and 05 GT's aren't even cracking 400rwhp without a power added.

:biggrin

 

[timcantwell]

I agree completely. Just recently, I called my dealer who sold me a brand new F-150 and a Shelby GT500 together just a couple months ago. I called him, told him I wanted to buy another Shelby GT500, offered to pay $8,000 OVER MSRP. He promised to locate one, and call me back in a day.......We are now going on three weeks!!!!!! I guess earning a huge mark-up isn't enough?!?!?:frown

 

[todd]

:bs

Another fine example of a superior company! When BMW suspected they had a few corrupted main bearings out there on their performance vehicles, they recalled all their M cars and replaced the main bearings profilactically. (mine never went out by the way) Another company I know of has a few possibly faulty bolts and washers out there in probably the best American car ever built but has not stepped up to take care of it for its customers until after it breaks. Mean while half of these loyal owners are driving around always wondering if their transaxle is going to leave them stranded and the other half has gone to the expense of replacing these bolts themselves. Back to the wise man who started this thread, there is a reason this company is in trouble.:slap

I'll see you on Thursday and you can wash my car for me my LB.:wink

Thats not true they replaced my bolts under warranty without any failure I just took it to my dealer and asked for it to be done and they complied no problem.

 

[sawb]

I am a ford dealer,I have access to USA to search for truck pleae call me if I can help locate for you,thanks JOHN

 

[SYCO GT]

Thats not true they replaced my bolts under warranty without any failure I just took it to my dealer and asked for it to be done and they complied no problem.

Same here. I ordered the parts pre-emptively, as a pre-caution - no indication of failure.

They called me when the replacement kit arrived a few weeks later, and inquired about setting up an appointment. I asked if it was on my dime or theirs, and they said, "it's the least we can do, and we will take care of it."

I didn't even buy my GT from them. So, I thought that was nice. :thumbsup

Of course, I had established a prior relationship with them, and had them perform my first oil change.

 

[SteveA]

Syco, which dealer did that?

 

[KERRY P]

I had the same experience with Burch Ford in La Habra, had them order the kit as a pre-emptive strike, ordered, installed and down the road in less than a week with no charge!!!