Ford Jellymoulds

Just had a chat with my mum neighbours gardener who uses a single cab F-150 with a useful long bed that is a very rare in the UK, asked him how he got on with a LHD F-150 on RHD UK roads, to my surprise he said it was no problem at all and really loved it. Only downside he said it was returning 7 MPG (Hope he was only joking), but he said it did not bother him all that much as most of his customer base lived in a 4 mile radius of his home. His biggest problem had been his newer 5 year old Diesel Ranger he had just sold a year ago, he explained he lived on the borderline of London's "Low Emission Zone", and would have to pay £200 a day just to go cut somebody's lawn which he does on a almost daily basis (As the Diesel Ranger did meet Low Emmision Zone NOx required limits). Over a year this would add up to £55,000 a year, over the next 10 years it would hit a staggering £550,000 ($848,372) which he could not absorb or pass on to his local customer base. He loved Ford pick-ups so, he a low NOx gasoline F-150 which means he pays nothing to enter huge London's Low Emission Zone that covers a lot of outer London as well, not just 8 million Londoners. Why are Ford now not offering a F-150 for the UK market rather than just a Ranger, maybe as a smaller F-100, or a Ranger with a gasoline option (Diesel Rangers are the only option, from Ford UK) as the goalposts will always a moving NOx target, the main reason this guy will never buy a diesel pick-up truck, he just can't live with the changing uncertainty on regulations. Out London M25 motorway is almost the borders the London Emission Zone which is where 1:6 Brits live.

I wouldn't be seen dead in one.

But Ford don't listen to crickets chirping Atomcat so whats the point, they are stone deaf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCyJRXvPNRo UK FWD Mondeo/RWD BMW 3 Series Sales 2005 Mondeo 57,589 BMW 3 series 44,834 2006 Mondeo 48,021 BMW 3 series 50,248 2007 Mondeo 47,800 BMW 3 series 49,384 2008 Mondeo 44,150 BMW 3 series 58,544 2009 Mondeo 34,418 BMW 3 series 39,029 2010 Mondeo 30,115 BMW 3 series 42,020 2011 Mondeo 20,428 BMW 3 series 42,471 1979 Cortina faced the axe - 193,784 UK sales, Ford don't listen to crickets chirping. European Car sales 2011 RWD Mercedes Benz C class 178,345 RWD BMW 3 Series 166,860 RWD BMW 5 Series 143,804 RWD Mercedes Benz E class 130,290 FWD Ford Mondeo 87,890 (20,428 of those from the UK, 232 from our hard working friend MKII in Estonia) Low volume high quality cars, now outsell what used to be high volume mass produced cars, the RWD Cortina/Taunus was No1 in Europe in the past, Ford don't listen to crickets chirping Top 10 most profitable cars in the world since 1990 (Where the big profits are being generated) 1. RWD Ford F series - profits $50 billions 2. RWD GM full-sized pickups - profits $40 billions 3. RWD Dodge Ram - profits $18 billions 4. RWD Mercedes S class - profits $18 billions 5. RWD BMW 5 series - profits $24 billions with X5 6. RWD BMW 3 series - profits $17 billions 7. RWD Mercedes E class - profits $13 billions 8. AWD Lexus RX SUV - profits $12 billions 9. AWD Jeep Grand Cherokee - profits $11 billions 10. FWD Honda Accord - profits $7 billions GM have made losses of $16 billions with its FWD only car line-up in Europe in the last decade, Ford of Europe will lose $600 millions this year. Ford of Europe don't hear crickets in Europe Atomcat, sad to say.

Ford of Estonia yearly sales - 2011 Mondeo 232 Top 10 Best selling cars in Estonia in 2011 1. Skodia Octavia 953 2. Nissan Qashqai 661 3. Toyota Avensis 564 4. Renault Megane 554 5. VW Golf 519 6. Saburu Legacy 504 7. Honda CR-V 444 8. Hyundai i30 402 9. Skoda Superb 372 10. Opel Astra 348 Great to see you are having a massive sales boom up 12.8% in Estonia MKII, lots are down Finland -47%, Greece -47%, Italy -19% Portugal - 42% % Serbia -30%. Why is the Mondeo getting outsold by the Octavia, Avensis, Megane, Superb, Passat in Estonia MKII? Great to see you sold 232 Mondeo's MKII in Estonia in 2011, only 722 more sales and the Mondeo could have been No1. What you need MKII in Estonia to become No 1 is something like our good old Cortina. 1979 Ford Cortina 193,784 sales (Wiped out British Leyland to give the Mondeo an easy sales ride today) 2011 Ford Mondeo 20,297 sales (Trading on Mk4 Cortina's bomb proof durability is fading fast in the memory of Brits)

Stock will probable match this graph Ed, sad to say. Fuel prices in 30 years time will be sky high in 2042 as fossil fuels become nearly depleted the scary big dipper roller coaster ride down will be just bottoming out just about to end, EV's will still be to expensive for the masses, China is sitting on and will have brought up all remaining rare earth mines, and Ford will be relying on a "Ford of Europe" type line-up as it business plan, nobody will be able to afford to fill-up a high profit yielding RWD F-Series pick-up truck or a RWD Stang just like when oil it $148 a barrel tipped GM & MOPAR into bankruptcy and Ford got by because it remorgaged itself, sold off the family silver Herz, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover & Volvo that were brought with profits from F-Series & ye good ole Cortina in the past . Europe sky high fuel prices are like the canary down the coal mine, a warning of whats to come. Ford USA having to use Ford of Europes huge loss making, all FWD line-up as a business plan in the future :fan: 2042 what a scary thought Ed, Ford USA sitting on a Ford of Europe all FWD line-up business plan as a means of survival, that they and GM can't make pay its way at the moment in Europe, that will be known as those good ole "Noughties" days when GM only used to only lose $16 billions in a decade on it all FWD line-up, things were so great back then with such small losses. 2042 :bike: it will be more like "Le 2012 Tour De France" on UK roads and overrun with 1-pot Fiat 500 Single-Airs Ed.

Top 10 most profitable cars in the world 1. RWD Ford F series 2. RWD GM full-sized pickups 3. RWD Dodge Ram 4. RWD Mercedes S class 5. RWD BMW 5 series 6. RWD BMW 3 series 7. RWD Mercedes E class 8. AWD Lexus RX SUV 9. AWD Jeep Grand Cherokee 10. FWD Honda Accord European Car Sales January to April 2012. High volume producers of high quality, high profit margin cars. RWD Mercedes Benz C class 56,319 RWD BMW 3 series 54,877 RWD BMW 5 series 42,154 RWD Mercedes Benz E class 37,313 Low Volume Producer of mass produced low profit cars. FWD Ford Mondeo 27,194 Bring a nice RWD Lincoln to Europe with BMW type handling thats handling is currently the best in the world second to none at the moment, then watch those profits boom in Europe. RWD Ford Cortina/Taunus was always the No1 best selling car all brands all models in Europe, what gone wrong they can't even beat what used to be very low volume quality car makers in sales these days, or return in a nice decent tidy profit? Nearly 27,000 of 30,000 Mondeo sales sold in 2010 in the UK were sold by mass dumping of Mondeo's in low no profit fleet/ rentalcar rental markets. Why not build cars that attract private buyers as well like good ole Cortina/Taurus once did, rather than just sell huge batches of Mondeos sold on the cheap with a big discount to fleet/rental companies at no profit? Ford Australia where you get a choice of RWD/FWD Sales Jan- May 2012 RWD Holden Commodore 13,117 RWD Falcon 5,415 RWD Falcon Ute 2,338 FWD Mondeo 2,118. Ford UK RWD Cortina v FWD Mondeo Yearly Sales Numbers. 1979 Ford Cortina 193,784 (Wiped out British Leyland to give the Mondeo an easy sales ride today) 2011 Ford Mondeo 20,297 (Trading on Mk4 Cortina's bomb proof durability is fading fast in the memory of Brits) FWD Mundane Mondeo the epic failure for Ford. GM are not doing much better they have lost $16 billions in Europe in the last decade, the worst decade ever for GM in living memory. Mind you they had the best selling car in UK in May the Vauxhall Corsa, but its no good selling them at a massive loss. Just give us back a choice just one RWD Ford/Lincoln car in Europe and watch Fords profits soar, rather than no choice, no Ford RWD option.

You guys are to sheltered with good RWD F-Series giant profits & Stang profits in North America to notice, what happens if you fuel prices went through the roof and you are left with the Ford of Europe model of all FWD losses to keep in profits? LOL Can't blame this poor performance of today, on ye ole RWD Cortina. It's all the hapless useless Grandson the mundane FWD Mondeo fault. One Model - 1979 Mk4 Cortina UK Market share 11.3% of British Market with 193,784 sales. Nine Models - Ka, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max, S-Max Mondeo, Kuga & Galaxy combined UK Market share 13.7% of British Market with 265,894. sales. 193,784 Cortina UK sales in 1979 20,297 Mondeo UK sales in 2011 Where did it all go wrong?

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS... Max Warburton, senior analyst at Bernstein Research in London, thinks that it would make sense for GM and Ford to end sales and production in Europe because making money on cars is a lost cause. "VW is too strong and the others aren't giving up anytime soon," he says. "In fact, the French and Italians have more political impediments to exiting than Ford and GM." Warburton says that he can envision Europe "as no more than an engineering center one day for GM and Ford." It's not such a crazy question, given that GM effectively would have pulled out of Europe if it had sold Opel/Vauxhall to Magna International in 2009. Chevrolet would have remained, but it's a nonfactor in sales and has no European plants. Ellinghorst says, "The question is, how Ford and GM can stop the bleeding from selling cars in Europe." Like nearly all mass-market competitors in Europe, GM and Ford are losing money there because the region's debt crisis is pushing up unemployment rates, ruining consumer confidence and keeping people from visiting showrooms. The cars sold usually include profit-destroying discounts. Ford hopes to limit its full-year loss in Europe to $500 million to $600 million, compared with a $27 million loss in Europe last year. GM Europe, which includes Opel/Vauxhall as well as South Korea-built Chevrolets, has not provided a full-year outlook. In the first quarter, GM reported a $256 million operating loss in Europe. Ford and GM are major players in Europe -- they rank in the top five in car sales -- but each faces very different challenges. Still, Ford was short on capacity when the European market peaked in 2007 at nearly 16 million units. To add capacity, the company bought an unused Daewoo plant in Craiova, Romania, in 2008. The factory is starting production of the B-Max small minivan this summer, coming on line at a terrible time. Car sales in Europe are expected to drop to about 12.5 million units this year, almost 22 percent below the 2007 peak. If Ford had known in 2008 that Europe's sales would slump so badly, it probably would not have bought the plant. Now it has as many as 300,000 additional units of capacity to fill. To cope with the sales slump, Ford is cutting output at plants in Germany and Belgium. The move is expected to reduce its second-quarter European production by 65,000 units, or about 15 percent. Europe has been a chronic problem for GM. Since 1999, GM has lost more than $16 billion in the region, including a $747 million operating loss in 2011. The bottom line is that Europe is the biggest trouble spot in GM's and Ford's global empires and could prevent both from sustaining their success. Read more: http://www.autonews....7#ixzz1yodYsjuO

DAILY MAIL.... The super green machine: New Porsche can hit 201mph and can do 94 miles to the gallon (that's better than a Prius) Supercars generally have the reputation for being gas-guzzlers as they rage across our roads with a need for speed. But the new Porsche 918 Spyder may be about to change all that - for while it manages a top speed of 201mph, it also manages an economic 94 miles to the gallon. That makes the Porsche more economic than the car with one of the greenest reputations - the Toyota Prius - which can manage 72.4mpg. The UK's biggest selling car, the Ford Fiesta, by contrast, manages just 78.5mpg. The Porsche manages the economy mileage thanks to a new hybrid system where two electric motors generate power alongside the car's 4.6-litre V8 engine, which pushes out around 570 horsepower. The electric motors each boost this up to a total of 770horsepower, helping the Porsche hit those super speeds. The attractive Porsche 918 Spyder will also be able to accelerate from 0-62mph in less than three seconds - making it faster than most supercars on the road. However, that must be the price of a car that can make Jeremy Clarkson green with envy without giving Greenpeace too many sleepless nights. Read more: http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz1vUkdJiMD What an absolutely stunning car, why can't Lincoln do something like a hybrid super car?

Government Motors are a commie outfit, Dan Akerson is the new Mae TseTung. RangerNan will be having a nervous breakdown when he watches this one. I always thought Chevrolet was a Korean company not a Chinese company, all of Europe's Chevys are made in South Korea. It's a shame they are not "Made in the USA" as most Brits are pro-American and that would have been a very good selling point, instead we get vehicles of a very low quality from Korea that no one wants in the UK. Looks like the rot will continue, China owns most of the huge US debt mountain on its books and like this video mentioned China is only now just starting to spend it on buying up purchasing US & European companies. This buying up of US companies is only just starting its gonna get worse from now on, will some of these US companies end up moving there operations back to China as they are brought up by the Chinese?

LOL it never went away in rest of the world. Most of the world outside the isolation of North America uses manual stick changers, because its more fuel efficient, creates less pollution, costs less, cheaper keeps the cost down for the buyer. Ford does a limited range of automatic transmissions on a few models in the UK, where they do l have added some comparisons. If you want the automatic transmission version of a Ranger it adds £1,000 ($1,582) extra to the price. FORD UK WEBSITE FIESTA (Same engines gearboxes, average combined MPG, Pollution) 1.4 Duratec Automatic 42.8 MPG 154 g/km 1.4 Duratec Manual 48.7 MPG 133 g/km Best Ford Car in the UK, New 1.6 Econetic diesel manual transmission only 86 MPG Combinied 91 MPG Max 87 g/km of pollution. FOCUS (Same engines gearboxes, average combined MPG) 2.0 TCI Duratorq Automatic 53.3 MPG 2.0 TCI Duratorq Manual 56.5 MPG Worst Focus engine gasoline Ecoboost 1.6 (Stop/Start) Manual Transmission Only Option 47 MPG 139 g/km of pollution Best Focus engine diesel Duratorq 1.6 Manual Transmission Only Option 67 MPG 109 g/km MONDEO (Same engines gearboxes, average combined MPG) 2.0 TCI Duratorq Automatic 50.4 MPG 2.0 TDI Duratorq Manual 53.3 MPG RANGER (Same engines gearboxes, average combined MPG, Pollution, adding automatic gearbox extra costs) 2.2 TDI Duratorq Automatic 28.3 MPG 264 g/km pollution (+£1,000 extra if you want the automatic tranmission) 2.2 TDI Duratorq Manual 34 MPG 228 g/km pollution

This is a comprehensive detailed snapshot of the mechanical condition of every single car made between 2000-2008 in 2011 manufactured between, and fed back via to the British Gvernments BASIC LIST OF ITEMS CHECKED WHICH EXPANDS OUT INTO DEEPER CHECKS IF FAULTS ARE FOUND. Inside the car Anti-lock braking system (if fitted) Warning lamp is checked for: • Function. • Sequence of operation. Footbrake • Reserve travel on the footbrake so that it does not go down to the floor • Pedal rubber not worn to excess • Correct operation of the servo assistance system. Reserve brake This could be a handbrake or a footbrake. Checked for reserve travel so that it does not reach the stops on application. The mountings will be checked for security and /or corrosion. Under bonnet checks • Master cylinder and servo unit are checked for fluid leaks with the engine on and the brakes applied. • Servo unit will be checked to ensure it is operating correctly. • Visible metal or flexible brake pipes will be checked for corrosion, condition, breakages or leaks. Under Vehicle checks With an assistant applying load to the footbrake: • Flexible brake pipes and any other metal brake pipes visible beneath the car are checked • Disks and drums checked for condition and contamination • Brake back plates and calliper securing devices are checked for condition and security • Condition of the brake pads will be checked if visible • An assistant operates the handbrake while the condition of the linkages and/or cables is checked. • On some vehicles there will be a brake compensating valve beneath the car which will need to be inspected for fluid leaks Brake performance check The performance of the front and rear brakes will be checked for efficiency and balance using specialised equipment. DOORS Both front doors must be capable of being opened from the inside and outside and all doors must latch securely. Tailgates, bootlids etc. All these items, including the tailboards and dropsides of trucks must be capable of being secured in the closed position. EMISSIONS These are checked using specialised equipment, the details of the check depending on the year that the vehicle was first used on the road. Excessive smoking is a reason for failure. Diesel emissions are checked by using a smoke meter. FUEL SYSTEM Any fuel leak will result in a fail. Checked under the bonnet and throughout the run of the fuel line from the fuel tank to the engine. • The fuel filler cap must fasten securely • The seal in the cap must not be torn, deteriorated or missing • No other defect should be present which could cause fuel to leak out. HORN • Operation. • Control should be easily reached by the driver. • Volume must be sufficiently audible to pedestrians and other vehicles. • The tone should not consist of a sequential multi-tone. LIGHTS All required lights are checked for: • Operation. • Condition. • Security. Side lights and headlamps: • Acceptable make/model. • Dip and aim must be within specified perameters Stop lights, indicators and hazard lights* • Acceptable make/model • Lights,indicators and hazard lights must not interfere with each other whilst in operation. • Indicators, stop lights and hazard warning lights function. Rear fog lamps** • Must be fitted to the centre or offside of the vehicle. • Tell-tale must work. • Must not be affected by other lamps and not be obscured. • Must be red. Number plate lamps All original lamps must be fitted and working. Rear reflectors There must be two reflectors fitted reasonably symmetrically, securely attached and not obscured. * Must be fitted to all vehicles first used on or after 1st April 1986, but if fitted, must be tested. ** Must be fitted to all vehicles first used on or after 1st April 1980. MIRRORS * Amended by admin due to change in regulations 17th Sept 09 * Any mirrors fitted at the factory must be present and undamaged at time of test. REGISTRATION PLATES AND VIN* (Vehicle Identification Number) For registered vehicles the plate must be: • Present • Secure • Not faded, dirty or obscured • Be composed with correctly formed letters and spacing The VIN number must be • Permanently displayed • Consistent · Legible. * Required on all vehicles first used on or after 1st August 1980. SEAT BELTS Most vehicles after 1965 must have seat belts, irrespective of that requirement, all seat belts fitted to any vehicle must be inspected for: • Security of seat belt mountings and locking stalks • Security and operation of the locking/release mechanism • Condition of webbing • Retraction of the belt (it is permissable to manually feed it in). Notes: 1 For technical reasons the inertia locking mechanism is not checked. 2 On some vehicles the belt is attached to the seat, in which case the security of the seat to the vehicle would also constitute part of the seat belt check. SEATS • The driver's and the front passenger's seats must be secure • All seat backs must be securable in the upright position. STEERING Inside the car checks • Steering wheel and steering column: • Steering wheel condition • The steering wheel must be securely attached to the steering shaft • The upper bearings of the steering column are inspected for wear • The steering shaft is checked for excessive end float • Clamping bolts security • The split pins and locking nuts • The 'free play' in the steering • Flexible couplings and universal joints. Under the bonnet checks Vary according to the vehicle; Some of these items cannot be observed from under the bonnet on some makes and models. However in all cases checks will be made for: • The security of the steering rack or steering box and its mountings • Any discernible play in the steering joints • Swivel joints which form part of the steering system which can be readily inspected from under the bonnet will obviously be inspected. • Whilst the vehicle stands on special Swivel plates the wheels are turned from lock to lock and checked to ensure that wheels and tyres do not foul of either the structure of the vehicle or any brake pipes or hoses. • Wheel bearings are checked. • Steering rack gaiters/front outer constant velocity joint boots are examined. • Metal and rubber bushes are checked as Under vehicle checks • All the steering joints. • Power steering systems. • Security of attachment of the steering rack or steering box is checked both with respect to tightness of the nuts and bolts, and structural cracking or corrosion of the vehicle chassis where it is attached. • Also, split pins/locking nuts and other locking or retaining devices relate to steering components. Some cars have an element of rear wheel steering which is checked from beneath the car. The front suspension is checked, but also the rear for: • Excessive wear to wheel bearings • Condition of front drive shafts/CV joints. SUSPENSION Under bonnet checks • Upper suspension joints • Any other suspension components which can be inspected from beneath the bonnet Under vehicle checks Both the front and rear suspension are checked to ensure. • No split pins or nuts missing, no components broken or bent • Road springs function effectively, no excessive wear • Suspension joints function effectively, no excessive wear • Shock absorbers must not leak and must be secure (the vehicle will be 'bounced' by the Tester to check that they damp the springs adequately). Suspension is checked for wear by the assistant applying loads in various ways with the wheels jacked up whilst the Tester observes the result from beneath the vehicle. TYRES/WHEELS Tyre condition A failure with respect to tyre wear will result where:- The grooves of the tread pattern are not at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising: • Central 3/4 of the breadth of tread • Entire outer circumference of the tyre. Tyres must be correctly matched with regard to: • Type • Size • Structure • Location on the vehicle with respect to the axles. Also examined: • General condition of tyre • Condition of valve Tyres fail if they have serious cuts, bulges or other damage. The wear on the tyre is checked with a tyre tread depth gauge to ensure compliance. The tyres are examined to ensure that there is no fouling with any part of the vehicle. Note: The condition of the spare tyre is not part of the MOT. Wheel condition Inspection to reveal: • Damage • Distortion • Cracks • Distorted bead rims • How securely attached to the vehicle • No wheel-nuts or studs missing An externally fitted spare wheel or spare wheel carrier must not be so insecure that it is likely to fall off. VEHICLE STRUCTURE Body condition and security • The vehicle body must not insecure or displaced so as to constitute a risk of loss of control of the vehicle when driven, or a danger to other road users. • There must be no dangerous sharp edges or projections caused by corrosion or damage Corrosion A vehicle can fail with respect to corrosion for: • Excessive corrosion in a 'prescribed area' - within 30 cms of certain components, e.g. brakes, steering, suspension, seat belt mountings etc. • Excessive corrosion in a 'prescribed area', but which is likely to adversely affect the vehicle's brakes or steering. Note 'Excessive corrosion' can mean a hole or a significantly weakened structure. WINDSCREEN The inspection has to ascertain all items affecting the driver's view of the road: the condition of the windscreen, the wipers and washers. 1980 RWD Escorts were hero's for Ford, it was No1 the most least defective car in the UK in its last year of production 2000 FWD Escorts had fell to zero and ruined Fords reputation it was the No 186 least defective car in its last year of production, Ford's Ranger was Ford highest place vehicle at No 122 2008 Ford Fusion (Old Fiesta platform based) was the newest highest place new Ford car at No 78 for 2008 registered cars undergoing their first MOT in 2011. Britains Top 10 1980 best 32 year old cars in 2011 MOT tests, the most roadworthy cars with least found defects/faults. 1. Ford Escort 2. Porsche 911 3. Ford Cortina 4. Ford Capri Those were the days when Ford RWD cars were tops for design, These top quality Fords "broken the mould". 25,000,000 2011 MOT tested 1980-2008 registered cars UK cars inspected looked in minuted detail in every nook & cranny by Britains Motor Mechanics, with defects/fault, things like exhaust emissions readings of every single car is now fed back though to British Governments Database 29,000 Auto Express Owners Survey is next biggest report back on faults/defects survey.

Hi Ed, it for folk that love Ford cars, of which l own two and love them both to bits. Post good news on Ford cars like those registered in 1980 that were found to have less defects than any other brand/model on UK roads. Old Skool Fords which l like, beat BMW Mecedes Benz, Rolls Royce, Toyota Honda with their bomb proof build quality that all Ford fanboys should be very proud of Ed. I can't thank Ford enough ford making such awesome cars. Britains Top 10 1980 best 32 year old cars in 2011 MOT tests, the most roadworthy cars with least found defects/faults. 1. Ford Escort 2. Porsche 911 3. Ford Cortina 4. Ford Capri 5. Reliant Scimitar 6. Porsche 924 7. Truimph TR7 8. MG MGB 9. MG Migit 10. Truimph Dolimite Britains Top 10 2008 best cars in 2011MOT tests on 3 year old most roadworthy cars with least found defects/faults. 1. Rolls Royce Phantom 2. Lamborghini Gallardo 3. Bentley Continetal 4. Aston Martin DBS 5. Aston Matin Vantage 6. Lexus LS 7. Daihatsu Materia 8. Bentley Arnage 9. Porsche Caymane 10. Bentley Continetal GT Best rated cars in MOT tests 1980-2008 all years with lowest MOT failure rates for defects in 2011. 1. 1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph 2. 2004 Ferrari 360 3. 2005 Rolls Royce Phantom 4. 2008 Rolls Royce Phantom 5. 2007 Rolls Royce Phantom 2007 6. 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo 7. 2007 Aston Martin DB9 8. 2004 Aston Martin Vanquish 9. 2001 Chevrolet Corvette 10. 1998 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph 1980 RWD Fords were "simply the best" as tested by the British Motor Mechanics nothing else beats an old Ford they beat everything Roll Royce, Ferrari's & Aston Martins don't wear well once they reach 32 years old, Ford "broke the mould" Ed.

With tests on nearly 25 million cars thats EVERY CAR on the road in Great Britain registered between1980-2008 MOT tested by motor mechanics in 2011, gotta say that a lotta FORD test data hidden in there to be read on roadworthiness,defects & fault failure rates of cars once when they are properly looked over by professional motor mechanics in a MOT. So much more comprehensive than small tiny bits of data thrown up in a tiny JD Power survey that are posted before on BON with no complaints. BMW/Skoda Owners seem to overrate their cars in JP Power surveys are inaccurate, because when the thorough MOT test of 25 million cars is carried out in this survey Motor Mechanics don't rate them the same the cars are found to be a lot more defective. Data involves There remains more than 150,000 cars on the road that were registered in the 1980s. Out of all cars registered in the 1980s, rather surprisingly it's the Lotus Esprit that comes out on top. A 1987-registered Lotus Esprit has the best MoT pass rate of any car of the 1980s, with 87 per cent. That said, only 60 went through the test. When it comes to the 1990s, there are still 4.6 million cars going through the MoT. The car with the highest pass rate is the 1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraphwith 96 per cent (second goes to the 1998 Silver Seraph). Other names taking the top spots are the Lotus Esprit (again), MG RV8, Ferrari 360, Bentley Arnage,Chevrolet Corvette and the Honda NSX. Restrict the search to more than 1000 tests and the Toyota Starletputs in an appearance amongst models from Porsche, Lotus and Mercedes-Benz. Then there's the 2000s, which as you'd expect, account for the highest number of MoT tests, despite only running until 2008. There are almost 20 million tests and it's this decade that best reflects what's on the roads now. You'll see everyday cars mixing it with those that cost more than £100,000 new. Topping the decade-wide table is the Aston Martin Vantage, though the appearance of the Suzuki Splash in fourth shows that owning a car that that's highly likely to pass its MoT needn't cost a small fortune. Click on the links below to find out how specific models perform in that year: LINK No marketing department bull crap from VW/Audi on how wonderful their cars are. No Auto Express power survey bulls crap here where Skoda owners vote their cars as mechanically brilliant, the best whilst driving around with lots of un roadworthy defects they don't know about, when they come to get an MOT on their Skoda its found to be riddled with defects by neutral motor mechanics trying to keep cars safe on UK roads. This is a more accurate guide to how certain brands are more defective than others. Expensive BMW's are just an average rated car full of defects, not worth the top quality money you for pay it? With nearly 25 million cars tested in a MOT in 2011 by law, in great depth by a professional Motor Mechanics you won't find a more comprehensive test on a car for roadworthness, defects and faults in the UK, that tests every single car used on UK roads registered between 1980-2008.

LOL They never went away in Europe, we are still waiting for automatics to catch on here. We drive nearly all manual sticks in the UK so does most of the world outside of North America.