I have felt for sometime FORD is in trouble, PERIOD. Today we have a global economy. We don't have the AMERICAN LOYALTY we had even 15 years ago. In the 60s when I was a kid my parents wouldn't buy anything made outside this country. They didn't have to because we made everything we needed. TVs, Radios, watches, clothes, everything. Today, in part because American Companies like Ford, GM, etc could refuse to give customer service. Today I can assure you that mind set isn't working, Yet from experience Ford still thinks that way. Ford dealers were independent dealers until the last 10 years. I remember Ford dealers tell me to take my warranty problems to the dealer I bought the truck from. From experience FORD CORPORATE wouldn't step in if you were not having luck getting an issues resolved. From experience that wasn't true with GM. I had an issue with an 04 Chevy Trailblazer. I called General Motors Corporate they called the dealer and told them to resolve my complain ASAP. The dealer kissed my A$$ to get the problem fixed after that. In fact the dealership I was having trouble with was partially owned by a big Chevy dealership in Las Vegas & they even called me to see it was getting resolved. It got fixed right away. I NEVER HAD THAT HAPPEN WITH FORD & I HAVE OWNED WAY MORE NEW FORD'S THAN CHEVY'S or OTHERS. I will never buy a NEW FORD again. If I hit the big money lottery I would buy a new GM, or HONDA, I had Honda fix a problem with a 1976 HONDA CIVIC under warranty when I was over mileage by 5000 miles. It was a broken head. The dealer I bought it from NEW called Honda about the fix & Honda told them they would pay to fix it. CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Again I have been a FORD TRUCK guy for years but the money wanted for a new car or truck I don't want to be hung out without an options to get a problem fixed to my satisfaction. FORD has never been there when I had a problem. If the dealer won't take care of it, your screwed if you own a NEW FORD. I believe people are sick & tired of being treated that way I know I'm. I will buy used Ford Trucks but I won't ever again buy a NEW FORD TRUCK or CAR. Of course FORD really doesn't give a crap if I do or don't buy there NEW products.

 

we have always had a global economy, nice catch phrase now days but the global economy concept is no different today than yesterday or 1000 years ago.

it does not really matter if ford is 2nd, 3rd or 5th, smaller is better sometimes. all they need to do is concentrate on making quality products. but in my opinion it is not even ford its self that is the problem, from my experience and the experience of many others, the dealers are a major part of ford's problems.

 

Who's #1?

Tim

 

gm is number 1

 

That's what I figured.

Tim

 

whos realy #1 they all could be, Ford sells more truck yes, but not to many more, its consistent tho. truth is, the next f-150 is the one they got now.

 

HOGWASH! I had a problem my dealer wouldn't take care of because they messed it up. They grinned and said to call Ford Customer Relations but it wouldn't do any good. I didn't call, I wrote a letter. I got a call but no promised followup. Wrote another letter with a copy of the first. Again, I got a call but no followup. Wrote another letter with a copy of the first two and got a call from a Customer Service manager. He bent over backwards to assist me at another dealer, offered a rental and bought my gas to take the truck and pick it up. He followed up with me almost every day. You just take accurate notes with times, names and what was said and include the information in the letters.

Being on the other side of the customer service thing for over 30 years teaches you how to effectively complain. You make sure you are always nice and pleasant (drives them nuts). "I just want my truck fixed"

 

I can tell you this, if there has always been a global economy as you state. In the 50s & 60s it had NO IMPACT on the USA. EVERYTHING WE USED or ATE IN THIS COUNTRY WE BUILT, GREW or MADE. The real impact started in the 80s & 90s. Your exactly right the dealers have & still are the problem. But FORD CORP. will not step in when you can't get a problem resolved. GM steps in, they did for me. Even Dodge is better than FORD for customer service. My opinion is based only on MY EXPERIENCE over the 45 years I have owned & bought cars & trucks.

 

I grew up in the 50s and 60s. I had, drove or saw a bunch of VW bugs, VW buses, VW fastbacks and squarebacks, Renaults, Fiats, Volvos, Jags, MGs, Austin Healys, English Fords, Opels, Mercedes, etc. Also, I recall BSAs, Triumphs, BMWs, Moto Guzzis, Vespas, etc. I could name a lot more. I even had late 60s Toyotas and Datsuns (Nissan to the youngsters).

The volumn of imports is far greater now and the names have changed but we had a large selection of foreign vehicles back then. We even had a lot of imported items from Japan and Hong Kong then but they were considered junk and were of poor quality.

 

no, not everything we used in this country was made or grown here nor has it ever been that way. sure, not at the scale now days but people in general now days in my opinion put way more emphasis on material wealth then they did before plus many more material things are available for purchasing now days than before.

but even going back to the silk road and before, there has been a global economy, people like to use the catch phrase now days for some reason often to describe any competition from out of our borders.

 

You really believe GM an Dodge have better customer service. Better think again. I wont get in to it but I could take up a whole page on here about the problems they never did solve for me. All off the big 3 have had there share off problems an things they should have handled differently. An Toyota handles things better really. Well I thought Toyota is perfect. I guess there not.

 

I agree all 3 have had there problems. I personally have had better customer service from GM than Ford in these later years. Based on that I wouldn't buy another NEW FORD. Heck I may never buy a New car or truck from anyone again.
Getting to the point of many imports here in the 50s & 60s, Yes I agree but I don't remember any of them competing with American iron. American Motors was number 4. No foreign manufacture was anywhere near even American Motors, let alone pushing Ford to number 3, as Toyota just did. Yes there were Jap toys etc. But when you when to the store to buy a TV for instance you had a choice you didn't have to buy a TV made overseas. Today we have no choice. Where can you buy a TV made in the USA. We sent all our technology overseas and they took it and started selling us better products with sweat shop labor, cheaper than we could produce them here. Now we are stuck with this situation. The sad thing is it will only get worse. If China quit sending their product here for a month this country would collapse.

 

So far so good for gm in the states, BUT they should be worrying. As far as globally, things aren't as rosy for ole gm.

This article sums it up good;

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...9E15ABCF2FC%7D

Excerpt from it; "General Motors Corp., despite a year-over-year decline, held on to its wide lead as the No. 1 auto maker in the U.S. with sales of 3.87 million vehicles. Globally, however, Toyota is poised to displace GM as the industry leader."

 

I grew up in the 1950's and recall that most of the imports sold here were crappola.

First imported by years.

VW = 1949 (2 cars!), Busses 1955, Squarebacks = 1969.

Also in 1949, the RHD Jag XK120...with the crash first gear..."grind me out a pound!"

1955 = Renault Dauphin: You remember these turds, right? The model with the gearshift lever that was so rubbery, that.. "Hey ma, what gear am I in?"

1955 = Toyota Toyopet = a POS! It was so bad, Toyota left the US market in 1957, not to return till 1960.

1953: Mercedes Benz 300D. No, it wasn't a diesel, but it was a POS.

When the Volvo 344's and later 544's were first sold here around 1955, the steering was so quick (less than 2 turns lock to lock), ppl rolled them over.

Excepting Rollers, Bentleys, Jags, MG's, TR-3's and Austin-Healeys, most of the British piles were (thankfully) gone by the early 1960's.

The makes that gave up (the Horrible Humber, for one), and the ones that remained, all leaked oil, had the gawd awful Lucas electrics, and the Brits always used 6 bolts when 2 would have sufficed.

Of all the frogs' cars, only the Citroen remained after the early 1960's. Citron = French word for lemon.

Alfalfa-Romeo: Wrote a whole new chapter on parts un-availability. New cars in the showroom, no parts in the parts dept.

East German Wartburg: Its ignition switch bezel said everything = phart!

FIAT = Fix it again, Tony. That says it all!

 

I think every dealership is different. My mother had a dodge truck. She brought it to the dealer 4 times. Then I had to go! The guy made her cry. So I went and got into it with him. She had small electrical problems that kept reoccuring. The truck wouldnt start and they wouldnt give her the time of day!