campbell53

Yes...as a matter of fact it is too late to dredge up this ancient post so you can throw a few stones. Apparently your 96 Cobra isn't too sick to do a couple of "hot laps" at Lime Rock. Nice picture. Thanks for starting my day with a laugh. Try joining a 2007 discussion.

a misguided and disgusting sense of entitlement is killing this country....

As a Ford dealer I pretty much hang on every post Igor makes. For obvious reasons I have interest in Ford's success and I want to know what direction we are heading.....thanks Igor. You rock.

DETROIT -- R.I.P. Mercury? Not yet. Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally said today that the struggling division will not be killed. In a meeting with reporters at a factory outside Detroit, here’s what Mulally said when asked if Mercury has a future. “Absolutely. It’s doing well. We’ve got a great set of products in Mercury. It’s a very nice complement to the Ford products. And so we have a good lineup in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury.” But Ford officials have been tight-lipped about Mercury’s future products. Except for a hybrid version of the Milan sedan coming next summer, no other vehicles are known to be in the pipeline for Mercury. Mercury sales have been declining for years. In 2006, Mercury sold 180,848 vehicles, its lowest total since 1960. Through September, sales were off another 11 percent, down from 146,418 to 129,743 for the nine-month period. Mulally, lumping Mercury’s sales performance in with Lincoln, said: “It’s a great product line, and dealers are very happy with it. Sales are spectacular for Lincoln Mercury. In some areas, Lincoln Mercury has been growing faster than Ford.” Lincoln is one of the rare bright spots for Ford; the division has posted sales gains every month this year. Lincoln’s sales of 102,449 units through September are running about 11 percent higher than last year. Mercury has about 1,900 dealers. Most are dualed with Ford or Lincoln. On other topics: Mulally said he expects Jim Farley to have an immediate impact once he settles in as Ford’s group vice president of marketing and communications. Mulally wooed Farley from Toyota, where he was general manager of the Lexus Division. “Mr. Farley is a proven auto executive," he said. "He’s very experienced in marketing and sales and especially in getting the word out. He’s going to be a great help.” Ford is expecting big things from the revamped Focus. Mulally said the new compact will: Define Ford going forward, arrest Ford’s market share decline and help position Ford for profitable growth. “This is the finest small vehicle Ford has ever produced,” Mulally told a crowd of assembly line workers at the company’s Wayne stamping and assembly plant, where the car is built.

As a FLM dealer I would say the prudent thing to do with Mercury is hang on for a bit. I know things look bad now but 1) I don't think Ford can spend the $$ right now on paying off the dealer body. Probably something in the neighborhood of $100,000,000 or better including legal fees to fight dealers who won't sign willingly. Could be more... 2) Hang around with a couple filler products and wait to see what emerges globally in a few years. It could be the next Saturn by 2012. Offering nitch vehicles to complement the new global offerings.

Cooling mule is a test vehicle for radiator and front end air flow. Taurus will be on a new platform come 2010 per Igor.

Not much of a deal quite yet. There are no super discounts on these cars. It's cheaper to lease a $37k Edge than a $33k Taurus.

NT

You are going to judge me based on your experience in Flat Rock? So I should base the human race as idiots because you are? Please... quote name='el norte' date='Jul 25 2007, 01:19 PM' post='200467'] yeah right! nice try doug! if i built a mustang as crappy as the dealership experience, we would all be out of a job. I've been buying new cars for thirteen years, at seven different dealerships, and have yet had a good experience. last month i had my mustang in at superior ford in flat rock for front end chatter, and a burned out fog light. they call me and tell me there is a bulletin for the front end struts, and they couldn't do anything about it. there is a recall for roush and eibach struts, but no bulletins for stock struts. i get my car back, and they scratched my front bumper replacing the fog light. do you think they would fix my bumper? hell no! so a week later i take the car to a dealer by my house (szott ford) because the car no longer feels safe. the service rep asks me if i want the tech to go for a ride with me to help determine the problem, a first for me, "great" so we go for a ride and the tech says something is definitely wrong! he puts the car on the hoist, and determines that my front sway bar is barely holding on by a thread. an hour later they have my car fixed and I'm back on the road. i will be going back to szott ford because of that quality of service. i will be calling the ford customer hotline, and i will be lighting up superior ford for this b.s. someone could have gotten hurt, maybe my 3 yr boy while being in my car! totally inexcusable, and I've had just as shitty of experiences at other dealerships namely Brighton ford. i really don't give a crap about how nice your building looks! i want good service! you are just another owner that has no clue on how to treat a customer! don't blame ford buddy.

We've sold 2 Taurus and a Sable. They don't lease great so mostly a payment issue right now. But they are beautiful cars. Just got a Taurus X yesterday. Very very sharp. Hopefully all of these cars will help stop the bleeding until Ford gets more new product on the ground.

I am the face of Ford and I damn well know it. I just spent $1.3 mil on a showroom/lot renovation. I have an internet cafe, flat screen tv's and wi-fi. I probably have one of the most progressive showrooms in lower Michigan/upper Indiana. Trying to find a dealer who will support the Ford brand today with that kind of $$ is a tough thing. Ford dealers are having a difficult time right now and, for the most part, not spending huge dollars for renovated or new buildings. So..I take some offense to your assertion that Ford dealers do not know they are the face of Ford. I am in my store 6 days per week. It is run like I would want to be treated. There are rotten apples in every business but, for the most part, the dealer body is what is propping up Ford right now. It sure isn't the product line-up (although that is finally changing). Doug Campbell Campbell Ford Lincoln Mercury Niles, MI

We have until 10pm tonight to report sales. Results released tomorrow.

Ding Ding...we have a winner. As a Ford dealer this post is right on the money.

If this had a Civic badge it would be the second friggin coming. You bashers will be cryin when this thing sells. I'm looking forward to the excuses......"Ford's givin it away", " there is some serious "A" Plan abuse going on", "people are just stupid'......bring it on........

Their plan is natural selection. Before things get better there will be more consolidation primarily in the urban areas. But the rural areas will be hit as well. The smaller stores are having a tough time and I think a percentage of them will have a decision to make.

Thank you for that wonderfully inciteful and educationasl post. I can start my day smarter than I woke up. In all seriousness...you are an idiot.

why would you lie about your interest and waste a dealers time? Ths "project" sounds like a dealer smear job to me. As a dealer it is very difficult to keep up with the amount of interenet traffic. And I have a full time person handling it. A lot of 12 years olds (or people acting like they are 12) wasting bandwidth.

Bloomberg is reporting today that Ford family members are again thinking about the future of their "B" shares. See it here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=home My favorite quote: "``The younger Fords don't believe the family should be so involved in managing the company since it leads to bad decisions,'' said Eugene Jennings, a business professor emeritus at Michigan State University in East Lansing. ``The older Fords are saying, `You've been well taken care of with money tied up in trust funds, so what are you complaining about?''' And so it goes......

we have 2 kids (6 and 7). My wife chose the Edge due to looks and color choices (go figure) and sacrificed the slightly more room in the rear. of the Freestyle/TAurus X. 3rd seat not really an issue.

the first one was ok (i.e. very funny) they got painful after that

We sure like to invent our own problems. I sell these things and have absolutely no issues putting my wife in a SEL Awd 2 year lease. She's hauling around my 2 small children with it by the way. There are no issues with this vehicle people! Other than I can't get enough to sell..........

No...I said I know about the car business than YOU. And information from "what you hear" is supposed to have some bearing on the truth? There might be some bad dealers but I ain't one of them. I sweat 60 hour a week peddling Ford product and have the profits and Customer Satisfaction scores to prove it. What can you prove? Absolutely nothing. Go back where you came from unless you can add something of merit to this discussion.

Not a story Genius. It is truth. Other than mis-interpreting data what involvement do you have in the auto industry that gives you any credibility? Your biases cloud common sense. Your posts are a waste of time. PS Not to mention there are inventory issues which are now affecting sales rate of travel. I'm resorting to buying out of inventories thousands of miles from me. Hardly the trait of a failed vehicle.

Dude (blucon), From where I sit you are dead-ass wrong. I am a dealer so I'm probably way more qualified to comment on it's success or failure than you. I sold 3 of them just last saturday. Talk to the woman who picked up her platinum SEL and shed a tear as she told me it is the most beautiful vehicle she has ever seen. Your idiotic posts are no help to anyone in this forum. This vehicle is one of the hottest things going and Ford has a certified hit on it's hands. Sorry that makes you unhappy. But fact is fact.

OFW, Nice post. As a Ford L-M dealer you nailed my current thoughts more succinctly than I could have written it. I am currently paying the bills on the backs of new Fusion, Edge, used off-lease F150 (3.9% from FMCC) and regular used cars. This can't last forever and I am nervous about the new F-150, Flex, and MKS intros. These are make or break introductions. Pile that one with uncertain fuel and housing and we have a recipe for an anti-anxiety prescription. But I do feel better about Ford's future and I really have more faith in the leadership than in the last decade.