OldZephyr

Agree with you and Richard. I for one think it's perfectly clear what the topic is about and I don't agree with the criticism from mettech.

No, a defendant is not guilty until proven innocent in a civil case. The plaintiff cannot rest on the allegations in the complaint that starts the lawsuit. Unless the defendant doesn't bother to respond to the complaint (thereby letting the plaintiff get a default judgment), the plaintiff has to prove by affirmative evidence that it is more likely than not that they are correct. And that applies to each and every element of a claim (e.g if you claim that someone misrepresented something to you, you're not going to be entitled to any damages unless you can prove it is more likely than not that you relied on the misrepresentation).

The name CNW Research rings a bell. Isn't that the same outfit that "proved" that a Hummer or Expedition used less energy than a Prius by assuming that a Prius would only be driven 100,000 miles and the SUV 300,000 miles?

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2010/10/2012-ford-focus-priced-at-16270.html

Thanks much!

I guess it's going to be a short run for the 2011 Focus. Any order guides for the 2011 Focus up yet? I wouldn't expect many changes other than discontinuing the coupe.

I'm not sure he was asking for your endorsement ; ) Trading in a car every year isn't what I'd want to do, but if he can afford it, it's his money.

Very well put, Richard (as was your longer earlier post).

Seriously, if you don't want to get sidetracked into a political discussion, then try to avoid putting political statements like this into your posts. That political comment was not necessary to make your perfectly valid point (which was that you wouldn't buy a GM vehicle due to GM's acceptance of bailout money).

I agree. I own a 2008 Taurus, we really like it, but I'm over 50 and I recognize that style does sell better than mere practicality. The new Taurus must be reaching younger people. Example: a young woman in our office (in her 20s) mentioned to me out of the blue that she and her boyfriend saw a red SHO and really like its looks. She never would have said that about the 2008 Taurus.

True, mass transit "loses money", but to be fair, I-94 doesn't exactly turn a profit either! And just like the farebox doesn't fully pay for a city bus ride, it's also true that gas taxes don't come close to paying the full costs of building, patrolling, plowing, and maintaining roadways. Those costs are borne by income tax payers and property tax payers (for example, a lot of travel is on city streets that are paid for by property taxes and that don't receive gas tax revenue). It's all a question of social utility, and I like good roads but I also see the tremendous value in transit, aviation, Amtrak, and so on.

This was touched upon in another thread . . . given that the Fiesta sedan is a more advanced design than the current Focus and the Fiesta sedan is almost the same physical size as the current Focus . . . and given that the base Fiesta has an MSRP of $13K while the base Focus has an MSRP of $16K . . . how is Ford going to market and sell the Focus alongside the Fiesta until the new Focus arrives? Even bigger incentives? They're currently $2500 for S, $3000 for SE where I live. Fleet sales? Or will it just kind of wither until 2011? Any thoughts?

I've seen it in person, and I think it looks pretty good. I must be just about the only one who likes it. Strange name, though.

Onion video news is the best!

Good point.

Anyone have an idea about what would be the likely MPG range for C-Max?

Does Ford allow fleet buyers to delete airbags?

A bad idea if you like marital harmony!

This continues the run for the 500/Montego/Taurus/Sable. Impressive results. http://www.iihs.org/news/default.html (August 4 news) and http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=435

Thanks for the information!

Fordvehicles.com has 2010 Focus build and price up and running. Have any shipped yet? One big dealer around here has only 1 or 2 2009s -- usually they have a lot more. A friend who runs a Kia dealership says the demand due to Cash for Clunkers has been very high, but that domestic inventories have gotten low and that's benefited them. Maybe that's local, but I hope Ford isn't losing sales nationally to imports because of this.

Yep, 2010 Build and Price is up at fordvehicles.com Pictures seem to indicate the chrome side vent is completely gone on all trim levels, even SEL.

Yup . . . never ends, does it? It's the old story again; when all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.

I wonder if they are confused because they have heard about the Fremont, CA NUMMI plant that builds the Pontiac Vibe. Or maybe they read about the Ford-Toyota patent swap. You hear things like this and perhaps it's just like the old game of Telephone where I whisper a message to you, you whisper what you heard from me to someone else, and after a few people, the message bears little or no resemblance to the original message.

Thanks for the explanation.