Solar Bell

New policy at Ford Motor Company, Dearborn

http://www.clickondetroit.com/automo...05/detail.html

What do you think?

-cw-

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B15M

If the employees aren't buying ford even with their discount I guess we shouldn't either.

Tootsall

"It's a Chevy kind of evening. That's where you sit on the back porch and listen to the Fords rusting away in the moonlight".


OK, I'm bad. Had a couple of Fords; one was a ruster, the other didn't like it when a semi tried to walk over it. (saved my life though.. gotta love those Colony Park "WallyWagons")

Detroit Iron is in bad shape, GM posts record losses, Chrysler cuts back at Daimler. Poor sales of SUVs is blamed.

They relied on BIG cars for too long. Short-term profit vs long-term stability bit them on their collective hind ends.

wrbandel

Ok, let me get this straight. They'd have to walk across the street to get to work instead of parking a few feet closer. Wow, what a hardship.

Maybe if Ford took more time to figure out how to build better vehicles, instead of deciding where employees should park, they might be in better shape.

And yes, I drive a Ford. A 1999 Ranger pickup. It's not the best vehicle I've ever had, but it's been reliable.

Warren

Mr. Semman

Warren,

Like almost everything else, cars appeal to somebody, Fords included. I grew up with my dad buying Fords. But back then all the American cars had a life expectancy of about three years. My first new car was the 1970 Ford Maverick. Six cylinder, three speed on the column. $1995.00! My second was the 1973 Ford Pinto Wagon, then a Ford Econoline Club Wagon, which was by far the best vehicle until I got the 1987 Mercury Sable wagon. 325,000 miles on it! When I had the transmission rebuilt at 150,000 miles, the mechanic said that it was the worst ever built by Ford! I told the guy, that if that was the worst, I certainly would like to have seen the best. I now have a 2002 Ford Ranger 4 wheel drive pickup. It is certainly the workhorse that I needed. I have had it for four years with absolutely no mechanical problems, except a new set of tires and brake pads last fall. I have the oil changed every 3-4,000 miles.

Take care,

Gary

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B15M

I don't think the problem is bad cars or trucks.
They have to figure out what people want in a car before the car is built.

As a company, are they market driven or catalog driven?

Ford sold a lot of cars and got stale. People don't want what they have. Not because it's bad but because it's yesterdays news.

They will come back as soon as they gear up for the future.

gzent

Its just a stupid policy from a stupid manager, that's about all you can say about it.

Ford is already on the rebound; they make the best big pickups in the world; the Mustang is selling like crazy and they are cutting back on employees at underutilized plants.

I give them a couple years and they will overtake GM in total sales.

GM, on the other hand, has far too many models competing with each other with not a lot of distintion between them. Buick needs to go and maybe Pontiac too.
Nostalgia is fine, but today nobody really knows the difference between a Pontiac and a Chevy, so why keep Pontiac?

And why make GMC pickups at all? Let GMC focus on industrial products and let Chevy build light trucks. As incredible as it is, Cadillac is one of the few bright spots. In less than 10 years they went from prducing boring, blue-haired lady limos to building legitimate luxury and performance cars.

What ever they're drinking over at Cadillac they need to share with Chevy!

Greg

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wrbandel

You know, I must been having a bad day.

Bad wording on my part. I didn't mean they needed to make better vehicles or imply that they made bad ones, but vehicles that people want to buy. Better research on their part maybe.

Greg, you are absolutely correct. Ford does have the best selling full-size pickup, and the what I wouldn't give for one of those Mustang convertibles.


Boy after re-reading my earlier post, I'm not sure what I was on. (lack of sleep maybe)

I do like my Ranger pickup, it's been very reliable. And I've hauled more stuff this past year then most people probably do in five years. And with the 4x4 I can now drive back into our family "shack" up in northern MN, which is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by beaver ponds and swamps. Perfect for getting away from it all.

Warren

gzent

Beaver ponds and swamps! When you put it that way, heck I might just need a truck!

Actually, I think your first post made a good point - ALL companies need to have the mindset that you must get better, no matter how good you already are. I think the Lexus slogan sums it up "Relentless pusuit of Perfection".

Unless Ford and GM take on that attitude they will continue to lose market share.

__________________
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revalation
And the mind's true liberation

40cal

Ford Crown Vics have a nasty habit of exploding in high speed rear-end crashes.....that sucks