probeGT

For some reason, this came to mind while reading the NYT Mulally article. Seems to me that if Ford weathers this storm and is able to avoid government $$, he definitely deserves a spot. So, what about . . . Henry Edsel Henry II Alan I dunno about Edsel, actually. Does somebody like Caldwell or Petersen, who seemed to do a pretty decent improvement of product with original Taurus, etc., belong there? And what about Jill Wagner?

I'll bet I'm the only person on this board who can say I've driven more miles in Probes than in all other cars combined. I've said before that Ford's neglect and then dropping of the car was a big reason that "Ford = Irrelevant" to a big chunk of an entire generation of enthusiasts. The Probe used to regularly beat out all comers in comparison tests at Car and Driver. . . when's the last time a Ford did that? C&D called its engine "one of the world's great V-6s." Imagine if they had kept the car competitive and perhaps renamed it the Fusion? If you don't want a big RWD car (i.e., Mustang), what's a Ford performance enthusiast supposed to have done for the last decade plus? My Probes: 89 GT: Black. Bought new. Fast and fun, but went through lots of tires and suspension/driveline parts. Sold w/112 k miles. 96 GT: Green. First and last e-bay auto purchase. Bad re-paint + other issues but still fun. 94 GT: Rio Red. Current car. KLZE JSPEC V-6 Swap with ~200 hp. Probes rock, yo!

It's very cool, but I still say the coolest possible thing to have on valve covers is POWER BY FORD.

Well, he pretty clearly didn't read the note on the steering wheel.

"How Barney Frank and ACORN are using Cash for Clunkers to raise the gas tax. Will Cash for Clunkers force you to give up your vehicle? First Obama took your guns, and now he wants your Bronco. Plus, why won't the media leave Sarah Palin alone? All that and more coming up NEXT on the Glenn Beck show here on FOX News. As always . . . Fair and Balanced"

There's nothing wrong with my pubic that I know of.

I notice they all say SHO as "show"--I prefer S-H-O. Oh well.

Can your guy get copies of the Erin Andrews videos? :happy feet:

I think it's biggest engineering achievement is the fact that it's actually UGLIER than the model it replaces.

Interesting article, although all this lifestyle focus bothers me generally. The most unbelievable thing is I just read an article about Ford in the mainstream press that didn't take any digs or have anything bad to say. Couldn't they have at least MENTIONED the Prius or something?

That right there is enough to make my day.

I actually can't believe anybody bought one of those EVER, never mind not having a refresh.

I wonder what they look like when they're on the ground. . .

But the roads were still built--by the government--and somebody had to pay for them--so it isn't as if Bass Pro shop did all the work on their own, etc. Your previous post argued that the government didn't do anything for companies that got tax abatements. I thought you were going to make the distinction between state/local and federal as I was typing last message. Again--to me--I'm not making a distinction because I still pay both kinds of taxes. I do understand your principle of right of state/local v. federal.

This seems like a huge (and inaccurate) assumption. When my local govt. gave abatements for the garish new Bass Pro Shop, Bass Pro Shop did not build the roads leading up to it, did not extend services to it, etc., governments did. This scenario seems to be the one played out under most tax abatements. . . see for example the current NCR HQ move from Dayton to Atlanta where they're actually talking about using stimulus money to help build infrastructure for the new HQ.

I can see the difference, but thanks for the helpful reading and comprehension advice. The money "never taken" has to be made up by others or in the form of services that never happen. That's how it works in the world I live in, although maybe not in the world you long for.

If people boycott GM and Chrysler because they've taken government money, are they also going to boycott companies that get tax abatements?

Yes, the way for this to work is for the attitudinal changes to just happen--and I think it already is. Ford shouldn't try to play too hard on this, and neither should any other organized groups. I think most people are already getting the message. Grass roots on this, just like the tea parties. . . let them rise from the people, with no promotion or real organization by any entrenched entities. Ok, bad example . . .

I'm suddenly seeing quite a few Flexes on the road, too.

Now THAT's funny!

Yeah, that's it--the Zebra head reference! Naw, I'm pretty much just guilty of the Olbermann accusation. It's not like no one else has ever jumped on a tangent from an unrelated topic around here. . .

They didn't mention how the cargo area is almost big enough to hold O'Reilly's empty head.

Or maybe the Fusion only runs until August 1, 2009.

The "looks like it's moving even when it's not" tag is a bit of a disappointment, but I do like the ad. It would be nice to see Ford doing "hipper" stuff over here in its ads. I hate Kias, but that ad with the hamsters driving the Soul is pretty cool.

A positive preliminary review from Car and Driver. Looks like maybe the kids are going to like this Ecoboost thing. :happy feet: