I'm going to tread lightly because I've danced this dance with several of you and I don't care to dance anymore with Ford bashers.

I have been dealing with the same dealer for 20+ years and that SOB in charge of service betrayed me big time. I reminded him of my continued loyalty and he turned his back on me. Fortunately for Ford, a neighboring Ford dealer saved the day and made this guy look like a fool.

I was a Ford saleman for a short time back in '90 (between military careers) and it was explained to me that most everything comes loaded, ie. XLT Lariat, Platinum, etc because that's the image that Ford wants to project to the buying public.

I've owned Fords all my life with a couple of GM's and a POS Honda and I've been more than satisfied with my Fords except a '95 T-bird.

It's been my experience that Ford's customer service (corporately speaking) has improved significantly. Likewise, it's been my experience that service at the dealer level is very inconsistant. That's a problem.

I've been driving for 30 years and in my experience Ford's build quailty has improved dynamically with each new vehicle purchase. My '99 Taurus and my '04 Expy have to this point been bulletproof. Very minor warranty issues, nothing chronic. I don't drive hard, I operate 15K miles per year or less and have done nothing more than normal maintenance on most of my Fords.

What will a Japanese offering do for me that Ford hasn't? I'll leave that answer to the Ford bashers.

To say that Ford isn't building what we want is plain wrong. To say that Ford isn't building ENOUGH of what we want is more accurate.

My chief complaints with Ford or it's products: Warranty, inability to build exactly what I want and factory tires.

Lets Dance!

Tim