DRODMOTORS

Where's Ovaltine? He'd be all over this. "WHERE'S THE KIA RHONDO!?!?" Ya know, the one with the 'Experience Giddyupness' :blah:

I just went to the grocery store. I saw a young Asian couple driving a brand new Edge with the temptag in the back. The girl was doing the driving, so I'm assuming it's hers. They were young, I'd say 20something, and it got my attention whereas I typically I see young kids in the Lexus or Nissan crossovers.

DING DING DING! We have a winner Look at what the recent quarterly earning statements from various companies this past month. Look at the record DOW numbers. The wealthy are doing just fine. Companies are making money hand over fist while the average working man sees stagnant wages, inflation and a depressing housing market. Speaking of housing. What have alot of investors done? I'm talking about people with money, not your flip your house guy you see on TV. They're pulling their money out of real estate and going back into stocks. Will we see an economic crash? I highly doubt it. But what are smart people in this country doing right now? They're watching their dollars. Either by choice or because they have no choice. Either they started seeing their housing cushion deflate or maxed out the HELOC. They're seeing the rising prices at the pump and in the grocery store and cutting back on their expenses or maxing our their Discover. And if they really do want a new car, but theirs is just fine, they're going to hold onto it and wait. They're going to save money, and many will probably add more to their 401Ks or mutual funds. So I don't see the DJIA going anywhere back to 10K or below. I do see a rough year ahead for auto manufacturers and dealers alike. Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride for most people.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070501/toyota_sales.html?.v=1 The press would say such a thing?!?! Toyota April Sales Fall As Demand Drops for Both Cars and Trucks

Oh boo hoo hoo woah is me. You had issues with your radio and then your dealer. You should have tried another dealer or followed up with the region not looking at your car. Grow some balls and learn to fight for yourself. You got an aftermarket radio and admit to being happy yet you're saying it caused you to run out and buy an inferior truck when it came time for your F-150 to go. Then you come online and bitch about the whole thing. Yeah, the radio causing a lost sale is the real sad tale here? :blah:

That guy wasn't too bright if he was ok with stealing from factory. Regardless of what his boss said he should have had some balls to say no thanks.

:lol:

Wagons have balanced out per the Ford rep. So long, it won't be missed. And yes, there is a coupe, Ford showed off the coupe at the dealer show in Vegas. It doesn't have a three bar grille.

They'll be pissing and moaning about why they can't their Challenger or Craparo at MSRP and saying "I'll show you Dodge, I'm going to go get a Mustang!"

LOL So you're thinking there won't be pent up demand, waiting lists, and markups on the new Camaro and Challenger when they come out, not today, not tomorrow, but years from now? There's always some sort of hot car that brings over sticker, hell years ago it was a damn PT Cruiser, now you can't give 'em away. The market will eventually drop and we'll have our Shelbys sold at or below MSRP. If that doesn't happen, then obviously the car was underpriced to begin with. :blah:

Ford better up the production some how, can't get enough of these bad boys. Then again, almost full sticker sales are very nice! :happy feet:

I saw the GT500 ad at the dealer show last month, it was fucking awesome!!! Will it help me sell more? Not really, maybe an extra $5K over the sticker. :bandance:

I wouldn't be surprised if we do get the Thailand Ranger. I'll have to ask the Ford rep sometime. The only time we can sell 'em is when we knock a shitload of money off of them.

Wait a minute....you're the guy responsible for lease law changes in New York....hey man, go fuck yourself!

As a betting man, my bet is that the Thailand Ranger will come to the US. If you watch the month's old shareholders video you will see Padilla talking about the new Ranger which is featured on a slide with North American launches such as Fusion/Milan/Zephyr, Navigator/Expedition, Shelby while an international launch slide is separate. He was also quoted as saying that the Ranger will be exported to 20 markets. Elimination of the "Chicken Tax" is on the horizon. The closure of the Ranger plant. Like I said, I'm betting this is what happens. The small truck can only compete on price, to get there, outsourced production seems like the only way to make that happen.

Yet in today's shareholder meeting, Padilla had a slide that had the Thai Ranger with the Fusion/Milan/Zephyr, 07 Navi/Expedition, Edge, 08 Super Duty, Explorer and said something about how the new Ranger will be distributed to "50 markets." Then there were separate slides for global products. Seemed like an indication of something in the works. Maybe US crash and emission standards need to be engineered and viola, we have a new Ranger?

Ah, that explains why I see the Mustang cruisers around the Doraville GM plant. I know to slow down there. As for the Intrepids, I thought it was that they couldn't keep up when I ran for it on I-85 in Gwinnett area. Other than that 285 is rarely patrolled from what I've seen, but with the big CF/parking lot that it is, enforcement isn't really needed...if anything everyone is breaking the minimum speed limits during rush hour. EDIT: Found the hero card from my dealers fleet department on CVs. It mentions the 75mph test: "Tested to meet 75 Mile-per-Hour Rear Crash Test - The Crown Victoria is the only police pursuit sedan that is designed and tested to meet 75-mph rear-end crash tests. No other car is tested to this standard." Funny, it also mentions that the police Impala "is not equipped with a live rear axle."

He was probably referring to this: BEEP BEEP! :bandance:

I have closed a door or two on a Zeph, sounds pretty good and fits well. Near $40K?!?! Do you tell your wife that you're "near eight inches" too?

I can't recall the name of Bud's ad agency, I participated in a focus group for them on commercials that began airing in this year's Super Bowl. Apparently the "Tangor" ads never made the cut, probably a bit too questionable for them. Ford has had some great ads out lately, what are you guys smoking? Mustang: Ad blitz galore, from nationwide, to regional FDAF stuff, like the Carolina's "BEEP" ad. Fusion: Trendy, hip ads, fast action, and yes they're touting the specs on the car, even misleading, "221HP! 32MPG!" Jill Wagoner is doing the same with Milan. She goes on about how fun the car is, how critics say it's great at handling and gets "32MPG highway." F-Series: F-150 ads galore, from the fire ad, to the hauling the semi, to the lab techs getting out of the truck after it's been crushed. Super Duty to the rescue as it receives a little work truck thing that was retrieved from the ocean....tons of F-Series ads. Ranger: Touted as a price/value leader and economical on gas Five Hundred: Yeah I keep seeing the ad of the cars spinning out of control, it makes a good point, the FH is safe. Escape: Has some real good funny ones, like the wife that blasts out of the garage over the snow and her husband has this "WTF" look on his face after he tells her his parents said they can stay another night...the boring professor being sent downriver...and Kermit the Frog ooohing over the Hybrid. Lincoln has their Reach Higher blitz going on, I see those all the time. Mercury keeps showing that hottie. And I'm an under 30 male, a demographic that is watching less and less TV. I see this stuff all the time. Yes I do see the others, from the Altima "Love me" to Nissan's "A to Z" and Mitsu's "Driven to Thrill" to GM's "America's #1 Brand" and the stupid "Corvette and Cobalt" ad where some gay guy in a lisp is trying to mix Spanish and English together, horribly done commercial! VW has done a great job lately in theirs, from the "Safe Happens" to the "Unpimp der Auto" So to conclude, there are tons of ads out there, not just on TV, but I'm hearing them on the radio, seeing them on the internet as well. Some of Fords are doing pretty well. Could they be better? They always can get better. Part of "Way Forward" is a performance review of advertising of JWT. Other agencies are being tapped for some spot testting. If anyone of them can't cut it, they too will face the axe. Nothing was sacred in this plan.

Is it just me or does he look like the boss on The Office? :blink:

Wow, I haven't seen any Charger cop cars. I know a department on Michigan passed on them when the braking system failed at the Lansing test track and sent an officer to the hospital. In Atlanta, I've seen nothing but Intrepids and Mustangs driven by the highway troopers...

:o Holy shit! If the spoiler delete option is available I'd take one!

Vehicle Speed Sensor perhaps too, or could be the trans. Get it into the dealership or a good transmission shop. Nothing on the internet really is going to help you, somebody is going to have to look at it.

And this is a shining example where targeted advertising efforts are connecting with the audience. The "Fast" commercials have been a hit with the young crowd, and now this. Hats off to VW....representin' Duestchland...