ultramax21, I saw that Red/Shdw Gray yesterday at my local dealership - I'm not a "red" fan, but that was a good looking truck. Congrat's on the order.

Wish they'd come out with a purple/gold (he he he) (Go LSU!)

 

Sorry JC Reality - I think the domestics are in trouble. Sorry you don't like my attitude. The new F-150 is the best Ford has to offer and maybe for a long time. The rest of the new product line just doesn't look that promising. The whole company looks a bit stalled. Where do we go from here?

The Japanese have fronted the new F-150 without even trying that hard. Ford really pretty much blew it with the new mini-van. Did they think that past Windstar customers wanted to see something resembling that vehicle? It's hard to tell it's even a new vehicle. Once again, Ford loses with customer support - bad engines equal customers that hate you.

Anyway - I am worried for Ford. I'm worried for GM. Guess Dodge/Chrylser will survive although it would appear they are bringing down the top end quality of Mercedes. It's a truly very competitive market place. I'm not sure the American car manufacturers can stay competitive.

Considering the geo-political arena of health care costs and pension costs? I guess Ford and GM are doing the best they can -competitive? Not sure any more. I am at an age where I will buy the most reliable, highest quality vehicle for the money. Value is the word here. Ford used to be there, not sure any more. I will shop around. Most of the foreign makes are at least as much domestic content as the Ford/GM brands so American made/built/designed doesn't much matter any more.

 

ck, real quick.....your attitude, as I read it, is more than fine for me (although who really cares if it's okay for ME? LOL I mean, duh, right? who cares? )
I wasn't saying I disagree with attitude, just conclusions-drawn. But again......so what?

 

While I am not commenting on the 150 vs the other, per se, but my 5.4 in my 2004 F250 is a completely different motor after 2000 miles. The performance difference is noticable - much more power and acceleration.
It now has 2700 on it.

When I test drove it with 30 miles on it I thought well, it is so so and that is not what I really am buying it for anyway. I was getting rid of my Tundra and it was real snappy.

Any how - I noticed that after 2000 miles it runs completely different. Much quicker and I love it, even as heavy as my truck is!

 

I am sticking with jcreality. Like jc, I have an open mind. Give us some more facts and we may change our opinions and agree with your conclusions. The domestics are in trouble? Bankruptcy? When? Should they sell out? Should Ford and GM merge?

Stalled? I see alot of good product coming in 2004/2005.

I am like most people that post here. I simply think Ford has the best value. That is why I bought a Ford truck. I respect your opinion as to what you feel is the best value for you (and it is your cash).

I wonder why the Japanese didn't try hard? Why would a truck manufacturer introduce a new truck and spend hundreds of millions of $$$ but not try hard? Are they just playing with the domestics before they take over the companies, or are they going to push them into a slow and painful death?

American manufacturers can not stay competitive? I remember when people said that of Nissan. They were on the verge of bankruptcy when the French bailed them out. I believe they are French and not Japanese. Ford bailed out Mazda. Gm bailed out Subaru. Dmlr/Chry bailed out Mitsubishi and recently bought a 10% stake in Hyundai. Toyota and Honda remain as the Big 2 in Japan and Honda has alot of problems. Maybe the cash rich Toyota may bail out Honda?

Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep. You are very correct about the Mercedes brand. They recenly fell to 26 of 28 in JDPower ratings. Many feel that Dodge and Jeep may be sold off (we may have the big 3 again). If the new Chrysler models are not succesfull, those people feel Dmlr will spin Chry off or let it die. It is draining resources from the German parent.

The future of this industry will be very interesting.

 

I drove a Titan and a F-150 back to back on Saturday. I hope the Ford gains in acceleration after break-in because new there is no comparison. The Nissan is very strong out the gate.

 

AND, the Titan seems to be better thought out - at least on the surface. Some cleaver storage space would be nice, especially for the 4x4 guys - where can you store your larger gear. Put a toolbox in the bed, forget it, you've only got 5.5ft as it is. By the way is Ford ever planning of offering a 6.5ft bed for the Screw ???
The locking diff. as part of the off-road pkg. for the Titan is really thinking. While I believe that the '04 F150 is as far forward thinking as Ford has possibly every been, they're leaving themselves open for a "bansai" attack. American ingenuity usually doesn't really burst out until the pressure has been applied. Well, I think the writing is on the wall, ...

 

What I didn't particularly like about the Titan was the deep dashboard. It had a little of the mini-van perspective to it.

 

nice post grey77.
(not that the others aren't) But those surely are some good thoughts, although I DO doubt that Ford is "in trouble" with the competition. Instead, I think the competition only instills in them the "oh" factor.

"Oh, we shouldda done that. That's a good/great idea. But since we didn't this time, we'll do it better soon."

Atleast I hope that's the inspiration received.

 

I think the Nissan may cause some mid-year or '05 changes to the F-150, but nothing as catastrophic as some are describing. I think that 300hp/365tq. was the starting point for the 3v 5.4. I think they will bring it on up once they find out where the competition is going with their ratings. A lot has to do with research of the competition, since they probably couldn't get a Titan to perform research on, they put out a nice round number like 300hp.

There must be a lot more bad dealers than good according to some of you above, because I don't see where you're coming from at all, most of the dealers around here have got a great reputation. I've got great service from my local Ford dealer.

The worst dealer around is the Chevy dealer, asking too much for older vehicles, in fact right now they have a '74 IH Scout 4x4 and they're asking $7500 for it. Entirely too much. And the service after the sale is virtually non-existent there.

 

Yeah, same for our Chevy dealer - very poor service, all they want is to make the sale. The Ford dealer is Ok - low pressure sales and decent service.

Glad to here someone speculating about mid-year Ford changes, as they could use them. I'd like to buy Ford and some additional "extras" or "improvements" could sway me their way. I'll just wait and see, for now, and keep on keepin' on in my 1977 F-100.

 

You will see a 6.5-foot bed on the SuperCrew- soon.

I, too, don't understand some of the purchases Ford made in the 90's. Billions of dollars for Land Rover and Aston-Martin? Beats me. Jaguar has turned ot to be a decent move, and although I thought Volvo wasn't too swift at first, we're beginning to see some results there. The '05 Freestyle and Five-Hundred are Volvo-based, and these are some of the BEST cars to come out of Detroit in a long time, regardless of manufacturer. The ability to spread the development costs between several divisions will pay off big-time, too. Throw in the '05 Mustang, the '06 Futura, the '05 Super-Duty, the '06 Ranger: Ford's got some VERY exciting stuff for the future! As for the Freestar, I really think Ford did the right thing. How much can you change the outside of a minivan, without it looking like a Nissan Quest? Ford spent the money INSIDE, where it counts. Style is a VERY low priority for the average minivan buyer. Overall, I'm very pleased with what Ford did with the Freestar- they produced a vehicle that fits the intended market. In the end, that's the true measure of success.

 

Ford in trouble... HA!

When hasn't ford felt pressure before. Saying just becasue it's overseas now that it's a heck of a lot different? Think back through all the competition and somehow Ford always manages to stay on top for sales. I doubt they are in trouble. Even through the good ol explorer tire issue they stayed on top. Things that make you say "hm.."

Honestly I think that we will see Ford and GM merge before we no longer have a trace of Ford left. Just my 2 cents.

 

I've been trying to decide between the two.
I think I've settled on the F150 (Lariat Supercrew).
Some aspects of the Titan look or feel a little cheap. The F150 seems to me to be better quality, especially on the interior. The Lariat interior is really beautiful.

 

How soon Mark? I'm looking to buy a truck to put a slide-in camper on and if I could go light camper I could avoid the SD costs of either V-10 mileage or PSD initial cost. The problem is a 5.5' bed makes any decent camper nearly impossible.