89-Pony

I see it again, under Models > Key Features. User error, I'm sure.

I saw that announcement last week too, but on the site today, the mention of the performance version has been removed.

I'm pissed. It looks like I can't get heated leather on the Sport unless I get the $4,000 package ($3,000 after discount) which includes the moonroof? I am 6' 2" and don't want the moonroof. It takes away too much headroom. And I don't want the BLIS or the rear camera. This is real packaging bullsh!t, something Nissan does. If you want one little option you have to but a wildly expensive package full of crap. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

First of all, I was only talking about the room in the back seat. I don't give a shit what the numbers say. I personally find it easier to get into the back seat of an 89 than the back seat of an SN95, and I have more room for my legs in the 89. And yes I have tried both, and no I'm not sticking up for the Fox bodies for some blind loyalty to that line. My 9-year old is much more uncomfortable in the back of an SN95 than in the back of the 89, so it's not just me. I'm done talking about it.

I just loved the feel of the new one. My head bumps the headliner and the edge of the sun visor, so I feel a little closed in in my '89. That factory sunroof really cut down on headroom, because they have to lower the surrounding headliner. That's one option I'd leave off next time.

Wow, a whopping 0.3" more. Now go and actually SIT in it and tell me what you think. Sometimes raw numbers don't tell the whole story.

Without a doubt, the Altima goes. It is my commuter car, I'm putting 20k miles/yr on it. It has 160,000 miles now and I don't see it lasting. It needs replaced. I wanted something bigger this time. Love the Edge, I'd really love one of those. We have an Escape for a family ride, love it too. Wouldn't mind having one for myself, leave the other one for the wife, gas mileage be damned. The only benefit to selling the Pony is that I reduce the payment on my new "necessary" car, and I then get to pull into / out of a warm dry garage every day (where the Pony sits now) -- I really hate scraping the Altima off in the snow. OK, I'm getting old.

You mean my '89 won't fetch $12 grand?!? But it only has 150,000 miles on it! :-) I see your point. I insure mine for 7 months out of the year, and that costs me a whopping $350 through Allstate. I can insure it as classic through Heacock Classic for aroung $100/yr. My thought was, if I sold the Pony for $4k that should save me about $75 a month in car payments -- not insignificant. I may looked at a gently used Fusion to replace my beater (97 Altima, 164k miles). Those seem to be going for dirt cheap.

Yeah, mine's an 89 LX 5.0 hatchback. In my 89, there is a lot more rear seat legroom than in the '05's & up. And I'm 6'1" so it's not like I have the driver's seat forward at all. When the driver's seat is placed where I am comfortable, there is some 5-6" between my seatback and the leading edge of the rear passenger cushion. When I do the same on an '05-08, there is barely 2". I had an 07 V6 rental Mustang, and a petite woman who was with us fit in the back seat with what looked to be plenty of spare room. I still don't get that. But my yardstick is whether or not I can fit in the back, as I often carry my kids or company visitors with me, and even my 13-year-old in squeezed back there. I guess it's just not the right car for my current position in life. :-( And that's sad because the Mustang is the only car that really makes my heart skip a beat. It's looking more and more like I may have to use my Pony as downpayment $$ on an Edge or Fusion. That may not be so bad, but I would really miss that car. I'm the original owner.

I don't like that particular design, but I like the idea. The back seat is almost uninhabitable as it stands now. The problems are both headroom and legroom. So a notchback would solve or at least greatly improve the headroom issue. Hey, I have 2 kids, they're growing, and I need the space.

Am I the only one who thinks that pad on top of the instrument cluster looks like a really bad toupee? My God this is one ugly dash. And my tax/bailout dollars are going to THIS? Let them fail.

This Taurus looks VERY VERY good. The exterior is clean and tasteful without being boring, and the interior is stunning. I really think Ford is going to sell alot of these. From these shots, it looks like Ford has returned the Taurus to the proud nameplate it used to be, and more. Congratulations, Ford! Can't wait for the formal intro in Detroit. I have had several people tell me recently that when they are in a position to buy a new car, they will go to Ford first because (1) they didn't accept the bailout $$, and (2) Ford is really developing desirable vehicles now and on the near horizon. :happy feet:

I live near New Stanton PA where Sony builds TVs in the old VW plant. Sony just announced they are pulling out, and I thought about all of the workers who used to build the VWs here. Back then, people were happy to buy a Rabbit because it was keeping their neighbor employed. You'd see Rabbits everywhere, and no one thought of it as foreign crap. They were happy to be supporting their neighbors and their local economy. Their neighbors were paying taxes, buying goods, and keeping the local economy going. I think I can extend that thought a little further to my distant neighbors in Marysville OH and Symrna TN. I don't remember anyone being worried about the fact that the company was based in Germany. I'm not saying is was right or wrong, it's just an observation. Building the cars here created good jobs, which directly and greatly benefited both the local and state economies. Why did they pull out? Can't say. For me, I would prefer that it's both American made AND American built, but it still means a lot to me if Americans are working to build the car, regardless of who owns them. But this is something everyone must prioritize for themselves.

Didn't know that. Interesting. How many go to South America as compared to those that come to the states?

I think it depends on what you're looking for. I've driven both, back-to-back because I wanted to make that very comparison. To me the Fusion SEL felt very taut and sophisticated (hey, I drive an 89 LX 5.0 hatchback. To me, almost everything else is taut and sophisticated!) It was roomy enough for me, but sometimes I have to shuttle a few soccer kids, and it's not quite as big as I like. Then I drove the Taurus Limited. It was certainly big compared to what I'm used to, and I think it would take a couple of days to get used to the size. And it's very boring to me in it's design. But it was SOLID and SMOOTH. I drive 80 highway miles a day, and safety is a huge concern, so the Taurus really caught my interest. The 3.5 pulled like a silent freight train, very smooth & powerful. Much more impressive than the 3.0 in the Fusion. Can't wait to drive the Fusion Sport! As far as which one is the most "car" -- The Taurus Limited, hands-down. Which one is sportier -- The Fusion, hands-down. One RED FLAG for the Taurus -- On the SEL, what the hell is that strange fabric pattern on the seats? It carries over to the doors, but in a much harder, almost plasticy format. If I was an uninformed customer and that was my only exposure to the Taurus, I would walk away without a second glance. Who designs this crap? Worse, who approves it for production? But go with the Limited and the car is SWEET. Just put a bag over her face.

Everyone has their own priorities. Some care that the profits stay with the parent company regardless of where the workers are employed. Others care that there are good jobs for Americans building the cars, along with that worker's ability to pay taxes and make purchases, regardless of manufacturer. There are two main drivers here: 1. What country do you want the parent company to live in, therefore which country the overall profit goes to. 2. What country's workers do you want to employ? Not necesarily for purely nationalistic reasons, but because by keeping that worker employed you are improving the overall economy of that country. Others don't give a hoot about either of these, and just want the car that's the best for their needs, within the guardrails of their own belief system -- "I'll only buy American", or "I'll never buy jap crap", or {fill in the blanks}. Personally, I'm going to focus on USA-owned and USA-built next time. I think Ford especially has a lot to offer the consumer, both now and in the near future. But if they import a really great car like the Mondeo from Europe, I'll still consider that.

I don't usually care to get in the middle of these pissing contests, especially as this is a question I struggle with myself. I am the original owner of a 1989 Mustang LX 5.0 and a 2005 Escape. I also drive a 1997 Nissan Altima because I needed a cheap commuter car with good gas mileage. I've had it for 7 years now. I bought it with 14,000 miles on it for $10,500. Since I was buying used, I didn't care as much what make or where it was made. It was already here, right? Anyway, it now has 160,000 miles on it, and the ONLY mechanical issue it's ever has was an alternator that gave up the ghost 2-3 years ago. So I disagree with the comment that Nissans are junk. I compare that to my mother-in-law's 1993 Taurus that has had nothing but problems, a 1994 Grand Caravan we had that fell to pieces at 75,000 miles (OK, it was a Dodge, my fault). I will likely buy a new Taurus or Escape as my next car so I can support American workers AND an American company, especially as my company is an X-plan partner. But I have to admit, if it wasn't for those gawd-awful bugeye headlights on the Accord, I'd be very tempted to look at it because of the quality and resale value. It's made in Ohio. The Fusion is made in Mexico. That bothers me. I have to wonder how many more Fusions Ford would sell if they were made in the states.

Nuts. Even if you subtract $2,000 for the navigation, that is still too expensive. You're within a 2-3 thousand of a Maxima or an TSX for that price.

My '89 does. It doesn't work any more, but it has it! :-)

I asked this in the Taurus thread, but I'll ask it here too, as this thread seems more active: Take a look at a blown-up view of the third picture, the one where you can see the driver's hand on the shifter. Notice there is a leather boot around the shift arm. While that's a HUGE step up in quality over other Ford interiors, typically you use a leather boot when you need front-back AND left-right movement. Look at the width of the opening on the shift gate, the opening that leather boot is covering. While it is clearly not square enough of an opening to be a manual transmission, it is way wider than it needs to be for a regular automatic floor-mounted shifter. Finally, look at the bottom of the shift gate, on the left. Does the bottom of this shift gate have notches on the left and right? Is is possible that this is a tap-shift or manumatic automatic?

Take a look at a blown-up view of the third picture, the one where you can see the driver's hand on the shifter. Notice there is a leather boot around the shift arm. While that's a HUGE step up in quality over other Ford interiors, typically you use a leather boot when you need front-back AND left-right movement. Look at the width of the opening on the shift gate, the opening that leather boot is covering. While it is clearly not square enough of an opening to be a manual transmission, it is way wider than it needs to be for a regular automatic floor-mounted shifter. Finally, look at the bottom of the shift gate, on the left. Does the bottom of this shift gate have notches on the left and right? Is is possible that this is a tap-shift or manumatic automatic?

Hey, now that's HOT. How do you get it without those fender vents? This looks awesome -- no vents and with those wheels. Is it available from the factory this way?

By the way -- On behalf of all of us who have never worn the uniform, thank you and God bless you & your family for serving.

With all of the new product coming out, I think it would be a great idea to renew this campaign. The same song could be used but with a much sharper edge -- Maybe Chris Daughtry (taking advantage of the Ford/Idol connection) or -- dare I dream -- Metallica!

This has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with facts -- something people driven by EMOTION rather than DATA tend to forget in their passion.