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I think for me it's a combination of a lot of different things. It's the fact that a lot of people in my family owned Ford's. But it's also the types of cars Ford makes. Ford occupies a very special niche in the industry and that's affordable aspirational vehicles. There are other brands that make affordable cars, there are other brands that make dream cars. But there aren't a ton of brands that make dream cars most people can afford. Things like mustang and bronco, or fast Ford hatchbacks. It's also the diversity of cars Ford makes. No other brand makes an insanely futuristic mid-engine car, a muscle car, and affordable hybrid truck, a hatchback, and off-road vehicles under one roof. That diversity is an incredible strength at Ford. A few weeks ago I saw a mach-e next to a bronco raptor in a parking lot, and I thought it was so cool that Ford had such a wide array of designs, and vehicle ideas within their brand. Finally, it's the design language. Ford has a really good balance of making eye catching designs that are tasteful. That's a lot harder to do than people realize. It's not boring like vw, and it's not a visual mess like some Japanese designs. The diversity of their design language as well. A mach-e, bronco, maverick, and gt look nothing alike, but all look good in their own way. That diversity in design broadens their appeal, they aren't a brand that only works with one type of design language.

I've loved Fords since the 70s mustangs and F100s. I just prefer Ford styling and features like the door keypad, racing heritage and race cars, Raptors and Mustang performance vehicles. I've owned 2 rangers, 2 fusions, 1 f150, 2 explorers, expedition, aviator, lincoln ls, edge, escape, mkx and nautilus. Plus 3 Focuses for the kids. My favorite Fords are the 70 mustang boss 302 in grabber blue with black stripes, 77 F100 Ranger XLT SWB red/black and any Ford GT.

Did some restoration of the rear window moldings today. The inner edge of those stainless steel moldings are painted with semi-gloss black paint. However, all four corners had areas where the paint was chipping off. After masking the entire window I sanded out those chips and resprayed those areas.

ChatGPT when I asked it to create a Lincoln version of a Ford Everest... Interior...

This metric makes sense with F-series........I'm curious what the non-F-series brand loyalty looks like.

When I was a small boy, Dad had a Cadillac Sedan DeVille (late 60's early 70's) and the paint was pealing off the hood. Local Caddy dealer and regional rep told him "tough luck, you'll need to get it repainted and we ain't paying." Around the same time, he bought Mom a new 1972 Country Squire that made a persistent clunk while driving....we got a 1972 LTD Brougham 2 door in Ginger Glow metallic as a loaner while they sorted it out....turned out that the wagon had a cracked frame and Ford promptly replaced the car as "it should not have left the factory like that in the first place." (they did offer to fix the frame if Dad really wanted that wagon..he said no) but since he was driving the loaner as Mom was relegated to the old Caddy for shuttle duty with 6 kids, he ordered a 1972 LTD Brougham in Ginger Glow metallic and a 429 V8 PI motor because he could....that was it...this now 10 year old was hooked on the Blue Oval and it has been a parade of Fords, Mercurys, and Lincolns to this day with my 2025 Maverick Lariat hybrid in Eruption Green....man, do I love my Fords!! Also two current toys...my 1983 Mustang GLX convertible and 2006 Mustang GT Convertible....always on the look out for other toys....we'll see....in the mean time, I am (mostly) patiently waiting on CE1 truck to see if that will be my next Ford....time will tell.

KTP back in the day:

My dad bought nothing but Fords, and the closest we ever came to really bonding was over talking about Fords and looking at Fords and watching Fords in NASCAR.

Thanks. This is the kind of stuff that takes little effort and minimal cost but hopefully makes a big difference. Here's another one. When I got the car it had a perforated leather cover on the steering wheel. The problem with it was that the cheap plastic "thread" that was used to tie it on was poorly done, especially around the wheel spoke area, and looked horrible. I don't know if there is wear on the wheel rim that someone was trying to hide by installing the cover or if the cover was added as more of a functional thing. Anyway, I took a few minutes to redo the way that thread was used and, at least for now, it looks 100% better to me. I might remove it completely at some point but for now at least I don't totally hate it being on there anymore. While you can't really see it in these photos the seat cushions are also perforated leather so the wheel cover does kinda match. Before: After:

There's always been at least one Ford in my family. My dad picked Crown Victorias (92, 96, 01) as his work car, and one Grand Marquis (08). We also had a 97 Taurus, which I hated at first because it meant getting rid of our old Astro van. I grew to love it and especially that generation SHO. My dad later bought a 98 F-150. The Taurus was my first car and I drove it for over four years until the transmission gave up at 230,000 miles. I also helped my dad find a 2013 Taurus and 2018 F-150 that my parents still have today. As for me, I sadly have not had a Ford since the Taurus in 2016. I drove my grandma's 89 LeBaron after that until 2019. I test drove a number of cars, including a Taurus SHO. My dad kinda talked me out of it as it was few grand more with about 25,000 more miles than my Impala that I ended up purchasing. I will say I love my Impala. It's an amazing car that I wanted since it debuted in 2013, but at this point I'm not sure I'll ever own a SHO, which I had always wanted as a kid. Maybe someday. Aside from that, I did guide my now wife into a 2020 Fusion when they were trying to get them off the lots in 2020, so I do still drive a Ford pretty often! She loves the Explorer, so that'll probably be the next purchase down the road. She wants one now as our first kid is due in June, but I don't see the need for it until maybe after a second kid. I'm pretty set on the rumored Mustang sedan, should it be in budget. I never planned to keep my Impala more than a few years, but I guess I'll have had it over 10 years at that point.

We're saying the same thing.....I don't think they're going to take Bronco and slap some new fenders on it. I think they'll take a more thought-out approach since they already have other models on the platform.

Lookin' good for sure....love the attention to the fine details.

So, I saw (but, didn't get a picture of...sorry) a Silver 2002 Mercury Sable LS this afternoon coming out of the bank ATM lane...driven by an older couple and it looks like they just got it washed...I thought, "Ya know what? That looks very nice..." It has been quite a while since there was a nice looking FoMoCo sedan tooling around and I found myself wondering about Ford's return to the sedan market....if done right, it will be met with success. Stock picture for reference. I put this in the Lincoln forum as there is no Mercury forum

Most of the Ford dealers where I live have changed hands in the past 5 years and they've all been downgrades. These dealer groups have the worst customer service. Also, it seems like the professional car salesman is going extinct. Last time I went to the dealer to look around the only "salesman" in the showroom was this overweight woman covered in tattoos and piercings who didn't seem to care at all about showing me a car and making a sale. They just hire anyone now.

Ford tops the loyalty rankings: https://fordauthority.com/2026/03/ford-loyalty-topped-all-other-mainstream-automakers-in-2025/?utm_source=fordauthority.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=ford-authority-daily-digest-for-march-2-2026&_bhlid=a4f216e9ec902c6379289507c456631be9719e3a While there is plenty of ragging on Ford here in the Blue Oval Forums, most of us are Ford enthusiasts and bleed blue. Might be interesting if we tell some stories of why we are Ford loyalists. For me, it is primarily two things. First, I greatly admired the company for not taking a government bailout during the great recession. Second, I love the long Ford history and the enduring Ford family connection with the company that exists to this day. My first car was a 1975 orange Pinto station wagon. It was my college car and wish I still had it. Lots of memories. After several more Fords, I then foolishly strayed and tried some GM/Chrysler products but ultimately came back and have remained in the Ford camp. No plans to leave at this point and I'll still love the company even if they don't build a hybrid Ranger for me.

Is that second one the Apple edition?

I've got a spot in my garage for that 70 Boss if you need a place to park it. The kid's car can sit outside... The drive from GA may be a bit far for you, but I promise to take it out regularly to keep it in shape!

I'm definitely considering a 70 boss 302 if it wasn't priced outrageously and I figure out where to park it. Saw one at GAA auction go for $100k. I'd love to do a restomod with a coyote 5.0 and 6r80. The 77 f100 would just replace my current f150 which I only use for hauling lumber and other stuff a couple times a month.

I looked at it the other way.....sure it's cool what it can do, but some of them are sad looking lol.

Sorry, should've clarified.....I only have the Bronco now. I sold my Flex privately in January of 2022 with 150-something thousand miles on it. I had reserved/ordered the Bronco and its delivery was on the horizon, so I took advantage of elevated car pricing at the time and got like $7,800 or something like that......I felt that was pretty good for a 13 year old vehicle! I then traded the Mustang in on the Bronco when I got it in March of '22. It wasn't paid off, so it wasn't worth keeping to have 2 car payments like that by myself at the time. I miss its lovely noises though haha.

I think this has become a hidden profit center for Ford and is excessive. It certainly didn’t cost $1700 to ship our Explorer that we recently got from Chicago to our dealer. I understand they are average costing it for CONUS, but even privately shipping a vehicle doesn’t cost that much. Another way to lower the MSRP without actually lowering it.

Thanks! The correct price increase was from $2.99. Original post has been corrected.

Despite my brand loyalty to Ford - when my Daughter was in the Air Force stationed in Hawaii (2013-16) and looking for a small car to get for her travels...I directed her away from the Focus since I knew the issues Ford was having with the DSG powershift transmission....I co-signed her lease of a 2014 Honda Civic 4 door since as I advised her, "What you buy on the island, you will need to take with you." Of course, her being 18 years old at the time, she tended to be a little "harsh" on her car and when the deployment was over and the lease was up, she had many dents and dings enough to take a big hit upon turn in....so, she bought it out of the lease and the Air Force shipped it stateside...she still has that car with close to 150K on the clock, is married, with two dogs and that little Civic just keeps on rollin' along....of course it has many more battle scars but it is reliable and she is thinking about maybe getting a C-RV.....

I still have a soft spot for the Dodge/Chrysler vans. Plus, on the secondary/used market, having a domestic van is good for buyer variety. Very true. My store is extremely small, to the point where anything off brand sits a long time. Very few people come to or look at a Ford store in a town of 300 people for a Dodge, Chevy, or import of any kind. So, while it doesn't help my store directly, I've got friends who are at Stellantis stores. If I get someone looking for a domestic van that isn't a Transit, I can direct them to my old teammates at other stores.

I did like the styling of the 4th gen Sable I thought it looked decently different from the 4th gen Taurus. Front clip and rear were pretty different plus the different roof line and rear doors. Front doors I think were the only things shared on the exterior. Interiors were exactly the same sadly. Sable could be had with some nice faux wood trim though I think some higher end Taurus could have the same in later years of the 4th gen. Probably left over Sable parts. A shame they never got heated seats as even an option or even steering wheel radio controls, would have helped keep the 4th gen competitive. The Duratec was starting to lag on power compared to the competition during this time period too plus the Vulcan V6, while reliable, was kind of a boat anchor compared to Japanese 4 cylinders. Would have been cool if the 3.4 V8 could have continued on with the cams being fixed and some more power added. I was curious and I need to sit down one of these days and compare the brochures but I think 1 for 1 100% optioned out there is no exclusive feature the Sable offered over the Taurus. The 2nd gen could have a digital cluster which I think was only available on the FFV Taurus but otherwise I think all first 4 generations had the same exact options just placed differently. For instance 94-95 ABS was standard on the Sable LS but still optional on the Taurus LX. 5th gen did have projector headlights and LED tail lights that the Taurus didn't offer but I think that's it.

So much for the entry level cars breed loyalty crowd. Great vehicles breed not only loyalty but also conquests at all price points.

My ass hurts just thinking about spending that much time in a car.

Same here. My family bought a bunch of cars from the local dealership, going back to the ‘80s. Heck, the only place I ever bought new vehicles was from them. Then they changed ownership a few years ago, and they got rid of everybody that made the dealership what it was. The way the new service people treated my late mother after Dad passed made me swear them off forever, when they had been the only Ford dealership in the metro Oklahoma City area where I hadn’t shaken the dust off my sandals and left forever. I still get occasional text messages from them to my dad’s old phone number saying that they have a great trade-in offer on his ‘21 F-150. The funny part is that Mom sold the truck after Dad passed in late ‘21–to that very same dealership, no less…

I hope Lincoln makes the effort and designs a more differentiated vehicle than simply a Bronco with Lincoln front and rear clips.