Oh i beleive selling Volvo (to the Chinese fer cripesakes) is a mistake. They helped Ford along in Europe very well as they utilised platform sharing in some products and gave them roll stabillitty in the Explorer i beleive. A few months back i read that Ford wanna hang on to Volvo but times change. Still i think keeping the swede will help them in future designs. Aside from some of transversely mounted engine models (sorry i hate a skew mounted engine in a car) i cant faulter Volvo products.
Oh i beleive selling Volvo (to the Chinese fer cripesakes) is a mistake. They helped Ford along in Europe very well as they utilised platform sharing in some products and gave them roll stabillitty in the Explorer i beleive. A few months back i read that Ford wanna hang on to Volvo but times change. Still i think keeping the swede will help them in future designs. Aside from some of transversely mounted engine models (sorry i hate a skew mounted engine in a car) i cant faulter Volvo products.
IMO, Volvo is / was instrumental in Ford's quality control as Ford has taught Volvo how to mass produce cars. Ford dumping Jag and thier interest in Rover doesn't mean squat to me.
Growing up my dad owned chevy trucks and my grandfather owned Ford. In all the years my dad had one good truck and that was the 76 F-150 that he bought new. In '79 the local dealer wooed him back and he returned to piss poor service and trucks that just didn't hold up. Watching my dad get screwed over and over taught me that GM isn't the company to do business with. I watch plenty of my friends dads fight with Dodge dealers about stupid crap. The Ford's have always been the trucks to have.
Truth be known, if Ford went under tomorrow, I'd buy a Tundra before I bought any junk from GM or Dodge. I know the Yota isn't as well built but, Toy will service it without a hassle.
In my dad's case with his multitude of GM trucks, if the dealer had at least backed him and stood behind thier junk I would have been able to overlook the fact that they were built like crap.
Tim
__________________ SCPO United States Coast Guard Retired '04 Expedition XLT 4x2 '99 Taurus Wagon SE 24V '88 F-150 4x4 XLT Lariat 5.8L 5Spd
Rights of Passage: CPO Initiation, Submarine Qualified (SS), Golden Shellback, Blue Nose, Order of the Ditch
Even Motor Trend said that the selling of volvo to the chinese is just a rumor that ford denies. But in thier experience, you can't keep hearing these rumors without there being some truth to it. Ford pays people good money to do market research to see what people want in there trucks. So some of us must be in the minority in what we want. If they did read this forum they would get 2 or 3 peoples opinions over the millions researched. I don't like it much, but it seems to be wide spread across the truck market, so there all doing there little research is to what we want as a whole.
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2009 FORD RANGER fx4 off/road, 5-speed manual, torson diff and rancho's!
Even Motor Trend said that the selling of volvo to the chinese is just a rumor that ford denies. But in thier experience, you can't keep hearing these rumors without there being some truth to it. Ford pays people good money to do market research to see what people want in there trucks. So some of us must be in the minority in what we want. If they did read this forum they would get 2 or 3 peoples opinions over the millions researched. I don't like it much, but it seems to be wide spread across the truck market, so there all doing there little research is to what we want as a whole.
Yes granted, but then again i think corporate types do their lil research and do the bear minimum about it. I mean just going on how many folks in threads all over this site wants manual tranny's and rear lockers alone tells me they do not take it to seriously. That said its not a trait limmited to Ford but to every Corporate institution there is. To get back to what Tim said h'd rather buy a 'Yoda than a GM or Dodge im pretty sure you have plenty reason to say that. Just im inherently against Toy... Have an old '92 Isuzu around that serves me well though.
Yes granted, but then again i think corporate types do their lil research and do the bear minimum about it. I mean just going on how many folks in threads all over this site wants manual tranny's and rear lockers alone tells me they do not take it to seriously. That said its not a trait limmited to Ford but to every Corporate institution there is. To get back to what Tim said h'd rather buy a 'Yoda than a GM or Dodge im pretty sure you have plenty reason to say that. Just im inherently against Toy... Have an old '92 Isuzu around that serves me well though.
I would love to be able to order electric lockers front and rear from ford.
A 6 speed manual to.
But ford gives us the crap they seem to wantto peddle, not what we really want.
Just like every other maker.
Do not buy a tundra unless you plan to basically treat it like a car, not a real truck....they are not built to handle real truck duties, trust me as a former owner I know.
__________________
I am Marty, Official Slackmaster #13.
Also proud to have a great wife, and 2 sometimes wonderful kids.
BC Chapter Member, also Nebraska, SC, NC, Wyoming, Maryland, NY, Mass, Oregon, NH, WI, Sask/Manitoba Chapters because the people are great....I can always join more, so if you want me just invite me.
I would love to be able to order electric lockers front and rear from ford.
A 6 speed manual to.
But ford gives us the crap they seem to wantto peddle, not what we really want.
Just like every other maker.
Do not buy a tundra unless you plan to basically treat it like a car, not a real truck....they are not built to handle real truck duties, trust me as a former owner I know.
I am not sure how well the Tacoma is made but i will admit the version we have, called the Hilux, is a decent truck. The Tacoma looks better though. But i still dislike Toy. The one good thing we get in my part of the woods is the Euro Ranger with a rear locker. Even the raised body 2wd, called high trail, has a rear difflock which unless you do serious offroading is all you need for off the tar riding. Well thats all we get thars nice...
IMO, Volvo is / was instrumental in Ford's quality control as Ford has taught Volvo how to mass produce cars. Ford dumping Jag and thier interest in Rover doesn't mean squat to me.
Growing up my dad owned chevy trucks and my grandfather owned Ford. In all the years my dad had one good truck and that was the 76 F-150 that he bought new. In '79 the local dealer wooed him back and he returned to piss poor service and trucks that just didn't hold up. Watching my dad get screwed over and over taught me that GM isn't the company to do business with. I watch plenty of my friends dads fight with Dodge dealers about stupid crap. The Ford's have always been the trucks to have.
Truth be known, if Ford went under tomorrow, I'd buy a Tundra before I bought any junk from GM or Dodge. I know the Yota isn't as well built but, Toy will service it without a hassle.
In my dad's case with his multitude of GM trucks, if the dealer had at least backed him and stood behind thier junk I would have been able to overlook the fact that they were built like crap.
Tim
Reading this, i realy wonder what hapened to pride. But that seems to be long absent in manufacturers. Guess that got left to the individual to excersise (pride in what you do) as option. As for trucks, my blood will remain (oval) blue.
Valdor, what neck of the woods are you from that you get the euro ranger? Our rangers are available with the torson, which is an awesome gear driven lsd. I perfer it over a locker for it's road manors and it grabs like a bear in the dirt. Ford has been testing a super duty with front and rear electric lockers, it's to rival the dodge power wagon. Also the raptor has a rear locker than can be engaged at any speed. You can still get a manual tranny in a super duty, but not much longer cause they don't sell enough to run 2 lines. The auto manufactures don't care which tranny people want as long as they sell trucks. There's hardly anyone wanting a manual anymore, my dealer says they can't move a manual off the lot and it's a small town country dealer, you would think manuals would do well there. I have to order my trucks from them to get a manual.Yes it is across the board with all manufactures, because they all have the same experience, people want automatics. I don't like it, but I understand thats the way it is. People don't know how or are too lazy to shift anymore. A lot of kids that are in the car buying market now don't even know how to drive a manual. The manuals will be left to the gas sippers, the new fiesta will have a 6 speed manual option.
__________________
2009 FORD RANGER fx4 off/road, 5-speed manual, torson diff and rancho's!
Valdor, what neck of the woods are you from that you get the euro ranger? Our rangers are available with the torson, which is an awesome gear driven lsd. I perfer it over a locker for it's road manors and it grabs like a bear in the dirt. Ford has been testing a super duty with front and rear electric lockers, it's to rival the dodge power wagon. Also the raptor has a rear locker than can be engaged at any speed. You can still get a manual tranny in a super duty, but not much longer cause they don't sell enough to run 2 lines. The auto manufactures don't care which tranny people want as long as they sell trucks. There's hardly anyone wanting a manual anymore, my dealer says they can't move a manual off the lot and it's a small town country dealer, you would think manuals would do well there. I have to order my trucks from them to get a manual.Yes it is across the board with all manufactures, because they all have the same experience, people want automatics. I don't like it, but I understand thats the way it is. People don't know how or are too lazy to shift anymore. A lot of kids that are in the car buying market now don't even know how to drive a manual. The manuals will be left to the gas sippers, the new fiesta will have a 6 speed manual option.
You contradict yourself you say the dealers can't sell the manuals then you say to get one you have to order it.
If the dealer would have stocked it you would not have to have ordered it which means the dealers can and do sell manuals from their lots.
As a matter of fact that is how we bought our last two vehicles standards off the lot and we really had to look hard to find them.
Dealer says we would like to carry them but factory doesn't want to make them, factory says we would like to build them but dealer doesn't order them.
Someones not telling the truth which one is it?
Rick.
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"I'm not convinced that faith can move mountains, but I've seen what it can do to skyscrapers." - William Gascoyne
I'm inclined to believe that each manufacurer does a fair amount of market research and leg work and I also believe that they hijack a lot from each other too. In mid to late 70's, Dodge stopped building thier half ton 4x4's with external hubs leaving all 4x4 engagement inside the cab. They still employed the solid axle until a couple of years ago. GM followed suit in the late 80's when they changed bodies. However, they completely did away with the solid axle and went with the IFS and I believe a CV axle for the front. So, Ford in all it's foolish wisdom followed suit in '97 on the half tons. In my mind, the Ford Superduty is the only outstanding 4x4 system left on the road today. I am concerned as Ford has removed the front leaf springs in favor of the coils. They're more concerned about ride comfort that durability. When will the do away with the solid axle?
Tim
__________________ SCPO United States Coast Guard Retired '04 Expedition XLT 4x2 '99 Taurus Wagon SE 24V '88 F-150 4x4 XLT Lariat 5.8L 5Spd
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You contradict yourself you say the dealers can't sell the manuals then you say to get one you have to order it.
If the dealer would have stocked it you would not have to have ordered it which means the dealers can and do sell manuals from their lots.
As a matter of fact that is how we bought our last two vehicles standards off the lot and we really had to look hard to find them.
Dealer says we would like to carry them but factory doesn't want to make them, factory says we would like to build them but dealer doesn't order them.
Someones not telling the truth which one is it?
Rick.
This is a chicken/egg question. I'm guessing that maybe only 10% of truck buyers really WANT a stick, and of that 10%, half or more would take an automatic if they found the right deal. I tried to find an Escape with a stick a while back, and there was ONE in the Midwest as a new vehicle.
I think that if a dealer ordered a handful of stick shift trucks, the stick shift buyers that there are would likely have problems with the trim level, the color, etc, so the number of people actually interested in those stock units would be limited.
I do think that people often eat a cheeseburger while putting on makeup or shaving, talking on the cell phone, and reading their GPS unit while scrolling thru an Ipod menu. In front of me, on the road. Not many fingers left to shift a stick... And I drove an automatic on purpose when I had a stop and go commute even though I like a stick and still have my old '91 BMW with a stick.
I don't think addressing manual vs automatic transmissions is gonna give Ford much more mojo, however.
This is a chicken/egg question. I'm guessing that maybe only 10% of truck buyers really WANT a stick, and of that 10%, half or more would take an automatic if they found the right deal. I tried to find an Escape with a stick a while back, and there was ONE in the Midwest as a new vehicle.
I think that if a dealer ordered a handful of stick shift trucks, the stick shift buyers that there are would likely have problems with the trim level, the color, etc, so the number of people actually interested in those stock units would be limited.
I do think that people often eat a cheeseburger while putting on makeup or shaving, talking on the cell phone, and reading their GPS unit while scrolling thru an Ipod menu. In front of me, on the road. Not many fingers left to shift a stick... And I drove an automatic on purpose when I had a stop and go commute even though I like a stick and still have my old '91 BMW with a stick.
I don't think addressing manual vs automatic transmissions is gonna give Ford much more mojo, however.
George
I agree with you George. I would like to add that if Ford isn't going to offer the auto tranny in a particlular vehicle, then they have no business upcharging for the auto tranny. Standard equipment is no extra charge.
Tim
__________________ SCPO United States Coast Guard Retired '04 Expedition XLT 4x2 '99 Taurus Wagon SE 24V '88 F-150 4x4 XLT Lariat 5.8L 5Spd
Rights of Passage: CPO Initiation, Submarine Qualified (SS), Golden Shellback, Blue Nose, Order of the Ditch
Valdor, what neck of the woods are you from that you get the euro ranger? Our rangers are available with the torson, which is an awesome gear driven lsd. I perfer it over a locker for it's road manors and it grabs like a bear in the dirt. Ford has been testing a super duty with front and rear electric lockers, it's to rival the dodge power wagon. Also the raptor has a rear locker than can be engaged at any speed. You can still get a manual tranny in a super duty, but not much longer cause they don't sell enough to run 2 lines. The auto manufactures don't care which tranny people want as long as they sell trucks. There's hardly anyone wanting a manual anymore, my dealer says they can't move a manual off the lot and it's a small town country dealer, you would think manuals would do well there. I have to order my trucks from them to get a manual.Yes it is across the board with all manufactures, because they all have the same experience, people want automatics. I don't like it, but I understand thats the way it is. People don't know how or are too lazy to shift anymore. A lot of kids that are in the car buying market now don't even know how to drive a manual. The manuals will be left to the gas sippers, the new fiesta will have a 6 speed manual option.
The superduty I just tried to order with a V10, does NOT come in manual tranny.....Auto only, which sucks.
__________________
I am Marty, Official Slackmaster #13.
Also proud to have a great wife, and 2 sometimes wonderful kids.
BC Chapter Member, also Nebraska, SC, NC, Wyoming, Maryland, NY, Mass, Oregon, NH, WI, Sask/Manitoba Chapters because the people are great....I can always join more, so if you want me just invite me.
I hate auto....
even the company I drove a rig for had an auto....go to work - drive an auto. 18-wheeler, come home drive a stick dakota and 3-tree ford.
All Ford has to do is contact me, put me in design mode, & I'll give 'em a truck lover's truck .........
__________________ TRITON V10 - THE BEST KEPT SECRET - (But word is getting out). '08 F350 Scab SRW V10 w/ 4:10
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'05 Escape
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