StanM

Does anyone know if Ford ever bought Troller of Brazil? https://www.troller.com.br/ If Ford has a connection, they could import the Troller T4 but it might make Jeep very nervous.

Are there any plans to have a 4wd/AWD version of the Transit Connect? Thanks!

Found this over in the Pickup.com website on YTD truck sales. Ranger is up 23.6%, so hopefully Ford will keep the Ranger and give it a much needed update. 2008 YTD PU Sales http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/otf0999.html

I don't disagree that Mulally has a very good record, both at Boeing and with the hard decisions he's made at Ford, but please understand I'm not taking the narrow approach and talking about just Ford. The very top guys in their respective companies may be new but what about all those other high ranking officials that part of the problem? FWIW - I have a 2004 FX4 Scab with the 5.4 and had a 2002 Ranger before that. Both have worked great for my needs, but as for the F150 being underpowered, it is a little weak when compared to the competition these days that are well above the 300hp 5.4. I'm not privy to all the inside information on Ford like you, so I have to settle for the gloom and doom reports I read on the Internet and newspapers. Perhaps while you're dispensing such knowledge, could you explain why a simple 1/2 ton pickup needs to haul/pull as much as a 3/4 ton did years ago? Surely there's a market for something in between the Ranger and the F150, but then again, I've been left in the dark. You still haven't shed light on the title of this thread on why so many dealers are being cut. Granted there are bad apples in any batch, but I've seen the dealer reduction in the farm industry where dealers either have to grow and have multiple locations to cover a territory, or else they die. Basically this reduces competition and you can rest assured the bargains we like to find will be harder to find.

If the high paid executive will fix the problem, great! BUT, where were these guys before? Why didn't they see the crisis facing the auto industry before it was right in their face? When it comes to track records, what's the verdict on Chrysler's leadership? If Nardelli did such a great job at Home Depot, why isn't he still there fixing all their ailments? Why did Ford let the Ranger linger on with the same basic body style since around 1993, then complain about lagging sales? Why can't we have light duty diesel trucks that get good mileage? Yes, I know that the changing standards for refining diesel played a part, but it didn't seem to be a problem for 3/4 ton and larger trucks. As for crossovers, it'll be like everything else and in a few years the interest will die down when a new craze starts. Look at the PT Cruiser, it was a hot item everyone wanted when it was first introduced, now it's dead meat. The new F150 may be reskinned for 2009 but it's still overweight and under powered, even though powertrain (engine & transmission) improvements are another year away. I find it interesting that the car makers could design new models more frequently when they still used slide rules. Now that computers do a lot of the design work, the design is warmed over year after year to recoup the initial investment and to try to maximize profit but that can be a catch 22 because if the design is too stale, people will look elsewhere. With the closing of dealerships, it means people will have to drive farther to purchase a vehicle, which they actually may not mind initially, but what happens when you have to make that drive to have your vehicle serviced or repaired? That extra time and money spent traveling those extra miles may not be so appealing and may make another brand that happens to be closer not look so bad, which just means the possibility of a lost sale. Time will tell if these high paid execs are worth what they're being paid!

Instead of worrying about having too many dealerships, shouldn't car manufacturers be more concerned on building quality vehicles that people actually want to buy and that are affordable? Paying top executives outrageous salaries to screw things up, then to have them come up with hair brain ideas to justify their position seems to be the norm for corporate America these days. If manufacturers would listen and build what people want, instead of what they think the public wants, won't they need more dealers to meet demand? Find the true problem and fix it, quit putting patches on minor scrapes when there are more serious problems at hand.

F250, I have to agree with you 100%! Ford management has a history lately of screwing up a good thing with what they think the public wants (actually, what they want). When the Super Duty was introduced, it made a statement about being a heavy duty truck designed to do real life hauling and towing. In my opinion, Ford has now tried to make the F150 the truck for everyone. From basic XL to the King Ranch and others, Ford has pushed the limits and tried to make the F150 a Super Duty wannabe. The styling features that make the Super Duty what it is are now being added to the F150 and one might wonder just how long before Ford goes back to one basic design.

Who knows, in 60 years the 2009 F150 might be beautiful if they keep designing trucks like they do now. All of the current models could use some changes in their looks. The Dodge Ram Box looks like a nice idea but what about people with toppers? Ford vehicles are starting to get what I would call a shoe box design with rounded off corners and edges. Wish the designers could actually design a vehicle that looked appealing. Stan

If Ford would take Jeep, I'd ask why? To me, the best seller in the Jeep line that's worth taking is the Wrangler. But then why do that when Ford already owns Troller in Brazil and they have a very close clone of the Wrangler. Troller T4 Trilha http://www.troller.com.br/site.php?area1=t...r_t4_trilha.swf The website is not English, so you'll have to interpret it.

Speaking of resale values, my 2004 F150 is pretty lousy, about half of what it sold for even though it's only got 37,000 miles. Even a Ranger has better resale value considering it sold for less and are selling for the same price.

I feel lucky then, I've got an 04 FX4 F150 with 37K on my factory Generals with no problem except the tread is getting down to where I'll need to start looking for replacements. I'm not looking for another set of Generals, so anyone have any suggestions? Most of my driving is on paved roads and some gravel with snow and ice, very little 4 wheeling in the dirt. Thanks!

I can't help but think Ford is intentionally strangling the Ranger in order to promote the F150 in order to help maintain the "F" series' status as the best selling PU. The dealers in my area may have 8 to 10 Rangers, or less, in stock, mostly all 2wd XL or XLT with minimal equipment. When I bought my last Ranger in 2002, the dealer had well over 80 in stock, most of which were 4wd XLT's.

I did a recent Google search on the "Ford Ranger Wildtrak" and found a very nice looking truck that, in my opinion, should sell well here. The question is why is the USA left with a worn out design that's been left to die? Isn't America where Ford was founded? Why doesn't Ford make it's new products available here first? Instead, we get leftovers.

A limited first year production doesn't surprise me. Look at what Chrysler did with the PT Cruiser, there was a big demand for them and dealers cashed in on it way over retail. Now look at the PT Cruiser, it ain't so hot no more (LOL).

I noticed in your long drawn out speech you didn't hesitate to lash out at the unions as a major source of greed and problems with Ford Motor company. In all fairness, I didn't see anything mentioned about greed by corporate management and their outlandish salaries and other perks. How many millions of dollars are wasted in paying for inept managers at Ford? Save me the BS about having to pay for good help, there's probably a lot of very qualified management that's been buried or lost in the company ranks because they didn't fit the status quo, you known, the "same old thing", which has done as much harm as anything to Ford. Ford may have had the first full size extended cab pick up truck, but look at how long GM had the Suburban without any competition from Ford. Why is it Ford is so slow to come up with new ideas and products and get them into production? The F150 is a nice truck but it's over weight, over sized, and over priced. Meanwhile, the Ranger has been warmed over since 1993. There can be discussions on other vehicles, but the point is that the union didn't design the F150 and the union didn't make the decision not to redesign the Ranger. Management should be help accountable for the mistakes they make, just like the union should. Bottom line - It takes two to Tango, unions and Ford management can either work to rebuild Ford once again, or they can continue to run it into the ground, but most importantly, they need to build quality vehicles and have the best support after the sale. Ford could learn a lot by listening to their dealers, but more importantly, to their existing retail customers.