DirtInTheZoo

How about seats that may not last 300,000 miles, but are comfortable for the first 300,000 miles? Yeah, the stains are a pain in the @$$, but the uncomfortable seats are a bigger pain in the @$$... Attractive factory wheels Stronger belly guards and rubber guards a HMS that doesn't leak HID's Flat-opening rear doors on the SCab's Match the Tacoma- Ford guys won't buy a GM for the most part, but they will consider the Toyota

Probably because it could be seen as a "Management making money" and we wouldn't want that- the "brothers" need to get a share of that or it isn't fair. Ford is in the business to earn money- they aren't UNICEF. If it is contractd- then fine, it should be done. If not, it's fair game IMHO.

Amen. Sorry people, but as was said earlier, the SHO was a Taurus. That was what made it great- a family sedan with a potent plant and nimble handling- with a stick...! Before that ATX idea. Granted, it sold, but then when the Gen III's came out, they forgot about the 5-speed and totally forgot why many loved that car in the first place. Cam failures were not why the SHO didn't sell- engineering and marketing failures were. There is no reason that Ford can't sell a version of the Fusion similar, but not an SHO. Back in the day, when Ford was making money, they had hopped versions of nearly all of their cars- SHO, the SC, Escort GT, Mustang GT, Probe GT... And back in the 80's they were making money. Many of the parts changing them over were cheap, and not high priced options. I saw an SVT Cobra the other day with the factory wing removed and an aluminum wing stuck on it. Anything can be riced, but like it or not, the young peole of today are the people that will be buying cars in 10 years, and they had better be drawn to Ford to do it. Plan for later, then sell the car. Power is a valid point- Ford seems to leave the power to the people that spend the money for them- other than that, you get less than everyone else. Granted, there is an aftermarket for some models, but in general, Ford is always one step behind in power, transmissions, and it seems lately- interiors. Which was always Ford's strong point. Stop fitting seats to last 300,000 miles- they're hard and uncomfortable, and they keep you from selling cars. I have owned 6 Taurus SHO's now, I just bought a 'new' 1991 last month. I enjoy the old-school fun. I have owned them all- Gen I, Gen II, and Gen III. I have been part of a SHO V8 swap into a Gen IV. All three cars were incredible examples of what can be- and what should be, what made Ford great at one time- the ability to think outside the box. Make your base cars Maxima-esque, and make the SHO-type vehicles something really special. Let me know when I can come in for the SHO focus group...

Please bring back the old days of good, reliable rides without in-dash nav systems and power reclining seats. Sure, they are great options, but the people that want them can pay for them. Cars are getting to be way too expensive. Bring back the Taurus SHO with a stick... That car was cutting edge, especially the powerplant for it's vintage. That car was to a lot of us what Ford could have been... Bring back the old "Have you driven a Ford lately?" ad campaigns, and lose the "I gotta think about why an Edge balances on a railing" ads. What does that mean? It doesn't relate to anyone, and certainly doesn't relate to why I should buy a car. Look at the recent Tundra ads- simple, relateable and easy to understand. Speed up, stop. Period. Bring back the Thunderbird nameplate Keep the Mustang, and win the HP war. Bring back the Escort nameplate Keep the Crown Vic- I'm now almost old enough to think they're cool, especially the LX Sport! :shades: Offer some GOOD LOOKING RIMS ALREADY! Sure, there are a few offered, but come on- who approves some of these wheels! Stuff like that matters to a lot of buyers. Where are the multiple chrome offerings? Start sponsored drag racing again at lower levels- like with the Mustangs. Own the NMRA and grassroot your customers! Fight back against bad press against Ford and the skewed positive press for Toyota, which is mostly unjustified. Listen to your customers more than your engineers and your beancounters- we are buying more of your cars than they are. Lastly, Give my father, who retired from Ford Purchasing 10 years ago, a reason to stop buying Camry's. He's bought three now, and is threatening to buy a Tundra when he replaces his F150. He is hinging it on whether or not his health coverage is axed by Ford. His thinking is relating to how much money he saved for Ford over and above what was required for his job when he was in Purchasing and also tear-down vs. what he was promised when he retired. We are a Ford family- between myself, my parents, and my uncle (who worked in design at Ford as well) we have owned over 37 Ford vehicles in the past 20 years. New and used. Some good, or some bad. I love them to death, and wish for Ford to stop over-thinking the process...

There is a difference between "performance" in the likes of a car, and "performance" as it relates to a truck. Performance to a car enthusiast is 0-60, 1/4 mile, skidpad, and high speed handling, among other things. In a truck, it should be payload, towing, torque, loaded handling, and frame/body integrity after 5+ years on the road. If you are buying a TRD performance truck based on skidpad handling and 0-60 times, you are not buying a truck for the normal reason, just as Lightning buyers are probably not. Unfortunately, too many engineers are not looking to this as the benchmark for how they spec their trucks. If you watch the "through the wall" ad by Toyota, this is clearly evident. I haven't driven a new Tundra, but it doesn't mean I won't. But you have to see the difference in why some trucks are spec'd the way they are. And you Lightning guys- don't flame me with ""hey- i tow with my truck!" Sure, we know that. But I haven't seen a Lightning with a ladder rack towing a tool trailer on a jobsite- you know what i mean!

With an interior like this how can you go wrong: Oh my GOD! I've never seen that- did they melt down a CPR mannequin for that wheel? HAHAHAHA!!!

Meh- the bulge look just makes those things look cheap.

Ha ha! People are funny. That car looks (as accurately described) like the front of a G6 and the rear of a Grand Prix. And a lot of you complain about the 500?!? Please! And about not liking Ford's use of "hideous plastic" outside, isn't that the definition of Pontiac? Wow. I really don't know how someone can look at that car and then at the now Taurus and say that this thing looks great, but the Taurus is uninspiring. At the very least, they both are ugly- but I'd take a Taurus over this thing anyday. Just hideous. Inside, outside, probably underneath, too.

Worked prety well for DCX, I believe... How many of those cars and trucks don't have the Dodge crossbar? Sometimes I wonder if Ford can ever do anything right to satisfy some people.

shoforum.com is alive and well with now active 'bring back the SHO plate" talk of course...